Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1792 – Cornerstone laid for the Executive Mansion (White House) in Washington
1944 – Riga, capital of Latvia, freed
1975 – Rock vocalist Neil Young undergoes throat surgery
1978 – “52nd Street” 6th studio album by Billy Joel is released (Grammy Award Album of the Year 1979)
1981 – Vice President Hosni Mubarak elected President of Egypt
1996 – “Big” closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 193 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1822 – Carl Martin Reinthaler, German composer, born in Erfurt, Germany (d. 1896)
1917 – Burr Tillstrom, American puppeteer (Kukla, Fran and Ollie), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1985)
1931 – Janice Elliott, English novelist, born in Derby, England (d. 1995)
1935 – Louis LaRusso II, American playwright (Knockout; Lampost Reunion), born in Hoboken, New Jersey (d. 2003)
1938 – Enzo Dara, Italian operatic basso buffo (The Barber of Seville – “Don Bartolo”), and author, born in Mantua, Kingdom of Italy (d. 2017)
1955 – Frans van Oostrom, Dutch jazz and blues guitarist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Famous Deaths

1708 – Henry van Nassau, mister of Ouwerkerk and fieldmarshal, dies at 67
1774 – William Bentinck, British-born Dutch politician and prominent Orangist, dies at 69
2000 – Jean Peters, American actress (Viva Zapata!, Apache, Deep Waters), dies at 73
2005 – Vivian Malone Jones, American civil rights activist (b. 1942)
2012 – Helmut Haller, German soccer forward (33 caps West Germany; FC Augsburg, Bologna FC, Juventus), dies from Parkinson’s disease and dementia at 73
2021 – Ray Fosse, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star, Gold Glove Award 1970, 71 Cleveland Indians; World Series Oakland A’s 1973, 74) and broadcaster (Oakland A’s NBC), dies of cancer at 74

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Historical Events

1730 – Christian VI succeeds Frederik IV as king of Denmark
1862 – Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart completes his “second ride around McClellan”
1899 – South Africa Boer Republic declares war on Britain
1907 – Baseball World Series: Chicago Cubs beat Detroit Tigers, 2-0 at Bennett Park for 4-0-1 series victory; Cubs’ first Championship
1931 – 1st International Conference on Calendar Reform
1992 – 5.8 earthquake at Cairo (at least 510 die)

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Famous Birthdays

1878 – Karl Buresch, Austrian lawyer and politician, born in Groß-Enzersdorf, Austria (d. 1936)
1907 – Wolfgang Fortner, German composer, born in Leipzig, Germany (d. 1987)
1924 – Doris Grau, American script supervisor, actress and voice artist (Point Blank, King Kong), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1995)
1946 – Ashok Mankad, Indian cricket batsman (22 Tests, 6 x 50; Bombay), born in Mumbai, India (d. 2008)
1955 – Pat DiNizio, American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Smithereens – “Only A Memory”; “Blue Period”), born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey (d. 2017)
1979 – Jordan Pundik, American singer (New Found Glory), born in Englewood, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1797 – Pierre Jélyotte, French composer, dies at 84
1974 – Joseph Frederick Wagner, American composer, conductor (Boston Civic Symphony, 1925 to 44), and teacher, dies at 74
1996 – Pavel Alexandrovich Solovyov, aero-engine designer, dies at 79
2003 – Joan Kroc [Mansfield], American philanthropist and 3rd wife of Ray Kroc, the owner of McDonald’s and the San Diego Padres, dies of a brain tumor at 75
2006 – Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian film director (b. 1919)
2019 – George Chambers, American rock bassist and vocalist (Chambers Brothers – “Time Has Come Today”), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1698 – France, England and Netherlands ratified the First Partition Treaty, which eventually led to the War of the Spanish Succession
1881 – David Houston patents roll film for cameras
1944 – Tuvinian People’s Republic or formerly Tannu Tuva was annexed by the U.S.S.R
1960 – Hurricane ravages East-Pakistan (6,000 die)
1967 – World Series record 3 consecutive HRs hit by Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith and Rico Petrocelli as Boston Red Sox beat St Louis Cardinals, 8-4 in Game 6 at Fenway Park
1973 – MLB American League Championship: Oakland Athletics beat Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 2

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Famous Birthdays

1782 – Steen Steensen Blicher, Danish poet and short-story writer (E Binddstouw), born in Vium, Denmark (d. 1848)
1876 – Gertrud von Le Fort, German writer (The Eternal Woman), born in Minden, Westphalia (d. 1971)
1926 – Thích Nhất Hạnh [Nguyen Xuan Bao], Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, teacher, peace activist, and writer (Love Letter to the Earth; The Art of Communicating), born in Huế, Annam, French Indochina (now Vietnam) (d. 2022)
1936 – Billy Higgins, American jazz drummer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2001)
1943 – Gene Watson, American country singer (“Love in the Hot Afternoon”; “Fourteen Carat Mind”), born in Palestine, Texas
1967 – Dennis Vaske, American NHL defenseman (NY Islanders), born in Rockford, Illinois

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Famous Deaths

1347 – Ludwig IV, Duke of Bavaria (1301-47), King of the Romans (1314-47) and Holy Roman Emperor (1328-47), dies at 65
1989 – Paul Shenar, actor (Deadly Force, Dream Lover), dies at 53
1990 – Douglas Edwards, American newscaster (CBS Evening News, FYI), dies of cancer at 73
1990 – Robert Tessier, actor (Nightwish, Future Force), dies at 56
1995 – Isolde Ahlgrimm, Austrian harpsichordist, fortepianist, early music and original instrument proponent, and teacher, dies at 81
2005 – Edward Szczepanik, Polish economist and Prime Minister in exile (b. 1915)

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Historical Events

1920 – Italy annexes South Tirol (Alto Adige)
1928 – Chiang Kai-shek becomes Director of the State Council of China
1941 – RAF bombs Piraeus to prevent German heavy armor advancing
1949 – 3rd NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: All-Stars beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1
1956 – Baseball World Series: Behind Yogi Berra’s 2 HRs, NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 9-0 in Game 7 at Ebbets Field; MVP: Yankees pitcher Don Larsen
1965 – “Drat! – The Cat!” opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 8 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1486 – Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1504-53), born in Chazey-sur-Ain, France (d. 1553)
1898 – Conrad Leonard, British composer and pianist, born in South Norwood, England (d. 2003)
1927 – John Eric Tieman, production manager (The Guardian) (d. 1995)
1935 – Khalil al-Wazir [Abu Jihad], Founder of Palestinian group Fatah and PLO leader, born in Ramla, Mandatory Palestine (d. 1988)
1959 – Victoria Clark, American actress (Kimberly Akimbo – Tony for Best Musical Actress 2023), born in Dallas, Texas
1976 – Pat Burrell, American baseball player, born in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Famous Deaths

1630 – John Heminges, English actor and member of The Kings Men, editor of Shakespeare’s First Folio, dies at 63
1659 – Abel Tasman, Dutch seafarer and explorer (1st European to sight Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji), dies around the age of 55
1871 – Octavius Catto, American educator (Institute for Colored Youth, 1859-71), civil rights activist, and baseball player (Philadelphia Pythians, 1865-71), killed in election day race riot in Philadelphia at 32
1913 – Adolphus Busch, German-born American brewer (Anheuser-Busch), dies at 74
1940 – Berton Churchill, Canadian-American actor (I’m Nobody’s Sweetheart Now), dies at 63
2007 – Mehmed Uzun, Contemporary Kurdish writer and novelist. (b. 1953)

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Historical Events

768 – Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I are crowned Kings of The Franks
1740 – Dutch governor general Adriaen Valckenier allows murder of 8,000 Chinese inhabitants of Batavia
1924 – Municipal Grant Park Stadium, in Chicago Illinois (now known as Soldier Field) is officially dedicated
1981 – United States Auto Club appeals panel restores disputed Indianapolis 500 victory to disqualified first-across-the-line Bobby Unser
1990 – Saddam Hussein threatens to hit Israel with a new missile
2015 – Selena Gomez releases her studio album “Revival”, goes to #1 on Billboard 200

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Famous Birthdays

1766 – Bedrich Divis Weber, Bohemian composer and musicologist, born in Velichov, Czech Republic (d. 1842)
1933 – Peter Mansfield, British Physician whose discoveries led to MRI (2003 Nobel Prize), born in London (d. 2017)
1935 – Paul Barton, New Zealand cricket batsman (7 Tests, 1 x 100; Wellington), born in Wellington, New Zealand
1944 – Nona Hendryx, American RandB singer-songwriter (Patti LaBelle and Blue Belles; LaBelle – “Lady Marmalade”), born in Trenton, New Jersey
1950 – Mick Malone, Australian cricketer (WA seamer, Test 1977, made 46 took 5-63, 1-14), born in Scarborough, Australia
1955 – Linwood Boomer, Canadian-American actor (Adam-Little House on the Prairie), born in Vancouver, British Columbia

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Famous Deaths

1709 – Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, English mistress of Charles II of England, dies at 68
1967 – Andre Maurois [Emile Herzog], French writer (Balzac), dies at 82
1973 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe [Nubin], American gospel and RandB singer, songwriter, and electric guitarist (“This Train”; “Down By The Riverside”), dies of a stroke at 58
2001 – Herbert Ross, American film director and producer (Footloose, Steel Magnolias, dies at 74
2011 – Pavel Karelin, Russian ski jumper (b. 1989)
2013 – Mark “Chopper” Read, Australian criminal and crime author (Chopper: From the Inside), dies from liver cancer at 58

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Historical Events

1625 – English Admiral George Villiers’ fleet sails from Plymouth to Cadiz, Spain
1934 – Bruno Hauptmann is indicted for the murder of Charles Lindbergh’s son
1972 – International music revue “From Israel with Love” closes limited run at Palace Theater, NYC, after 8 performances
1980 – USSR and Syria sign peace treaty
1986 – Mike Scott ties playoff record of 14 strikeouts, beats Mets 1-0
2016 – 140 people are killed in an air strike during a wake in Sanaa, Yemen

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Famous Birthdays

1834 – Walter Kittredge, American musician during American Civil War, born in Merrimack, New Hampshire (d. 1905)
1959 – Carlos I. Noriega, Peruvian-American astronaut (STS 84, sk 97), born in Lima, Peru
1961 – Ted Kooshian, American jazz pianist (Hubub!; Standard Orbit Quartet; Clowns Will Be Arriving), born in San Jose, California
1965 – Martin Mayhew, American NFL cornerback (Tampa Bay Bucs), born in Daytona Beach, California
1970 – Anne-Marie Duff, English actress (Shameless), born in London, England
1977 – Erna Siikavirta, Finnish heavy metal keyboardist (Deathlike Silence, 2006-08; Lordi, 1997-2005), born in Espoo, Finland

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Famous Deaths

1772 – Jean-Joseph Cassenea de Mondonville, French composer and violinist, dies at 60
1925 – Abraham Pieter Cornelis van Karnebeek, Dutch Foreign Minister (Liberal, 1918-27), dies at 89
1987 – Konstantinos Tsatsos, Greek politician and 2nd President of Greece (1975-1980), dies at 88
1990 – B.J. Wilson, British session and touring rock drummer (Procol Harum, 1967-77; Joe Cocker), dies of a drug overdose complications and pneumonia at 43
1995 – Terry Hawkins, theatre administrator, dies at 45
2008 – Eileen Herlie [Herlihy], Scottish-American actress (All My Children; The Angel with the Trumpet), dies of complications from pneumonia at 90

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Historical Events

1763 – George III of Great Britain issues Proclamation of 1763, closing lands in North America north and west of Alleghenies to white settlement
1919 – KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines, established (oldest existing airline)
1943 – Weill, Perelman and Nash’ musical “One Touch of Venus” premieres in NYC
2010 – Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat”
2018 – Romanian referendum to ban same sex marriage fails with only 20.4% voting
2019 – Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology awarded to Peter Ratcliffe, William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza for discovering how cells sense oxygen

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Famous Birthdays

1881 – Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (d. 1918)
1916 – Walt Rostow, American economist and political theorist (The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto), born in NYC, New York (d. 2003)
1951 – John Mellencamp, American rock singer-songwriter (“Jack and Diane”; “Small Town”; “Pink Houses”), co-founder of Farm Aid, and actor (Falling From Grace), born in Seymour, Indiana
1955 – Yo-Yo Ma, Chinese-American cellist (2001 National Medal of Arts, 2011 Presidential Medal of Freedom), born in Paris, France
1973 – Dida, Brazilian footballer, born in Bahia, Brazil
1982 – Madjid Bougherra, Algerian footballer, born in Longvic, France

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Famous Deaths

1555 – Louis of Praet, Habsburg diplomat (b. 1488)
1925 – Hubert Main, American hymn composer, dies at 86
1999 – Deryck Guyler, British actor (Please Sir!; Sykes), dies at 85
2005 – Doug Young, American national and world powerlifting champion, dies of a heart attack at 61
2008 – Leslie Hardman, Jewish Orthodox rabbi (b. 1913)
2016 – Johnny Gleeson, Australian cricket spin bowler (29 Tests, 93 wickets, BB 5/61; NSW CA), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1866 – 1st train robbery in US (Reno Brothers take $13,000)
1908 – Tigers beat White Sox, 7-0 to win AL pennant
1962 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Johnston Island
1966 – LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is first declared illegal in state of California, other states follow
1995 – BPAA US Women’s Open won by Cheryl Daniels
2018 – Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed and sworn onto the US Supreme Court amid protests and after an FBI investigation

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Famous Birthdays

1820 – Jenny Lind, Swedish soprano known as the ‘Swedish Nightingale’, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1887)
1927 – Alice Bauer, American golfer (co-founder LPGA), born in Eureka, South Dakota (d. 2002)
1946 – Tony Greig, English cricket captain, all-rounder (1972-77) and commentator, born in Queenstown, South Africa (d. 2012)
1962 – Rich Yett, baseball player
1970 – Amy Jo Johnson, American actress and singer
1982 – MC Lars [Andrew Nielsen], American hip-hop artist (iGeneration)

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Famous Deaths

1017 – Wang Dan, Chinese politician in the Song dynasty and grand councilor (1006-17), dies at 59 or 60
1874 – Thomas Tellefsen, Norwegian pianist and composer, dies at 50
1893 – Ford Madox Brown, British painter, dies at 72
1973 – Dennis Price, English actor (Kind Hearts and Coronets, Separate Tables), dies at 58 (b. 1915)
2001 – Arne Harris, American television sports director, dies at 67
2022 – Judy Tenuta, American stand-up comedienne and accordion player, dies of ovarian cancer at 72

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Historical Events

1946 – Newcastle United equals English Football League record for biggest winning margin in a 13-0 thrashing of Newport in a Division 2 match at St. James’ Park; Len Shackleton scores 6, Charlie Wayman 4 for the Toon
1950 – “Pardon Our French” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 100 performances
1960 – KEYC TV channel 12 in Mankato, MN (CBS) begins broadcasting
1976 – MLB expansion draft: Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays pick 30 unprotected AL players; Ruppert Jones OF (Seattle) and Bob Bailor OF (Toronto) are first picks
1990 – Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Kevin Stevens has 2 goals and 4 assists in 7-4 opening-night win against the Washington Capitals at Capital Centre to set NHL record for most points in a season opener (6)
2017 – “The New York Times” publishes investigation into sexual harassment behaviour by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein

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Famous Birthdays

1795 – Alexander Keith, Scottish-Canadian politician (4th Mayor of Halifax) and brewer (founder of the Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery), born in Halkirk, Caithness, Highland, Scotland (d. 1873)
1875 – Cyril Rootham, English organist, composer, and educator born in Redland, Bristol (d. 1938)
1930 – George “Skip” Homeier, American actor (Boys Ranch, Beachhead, Dan Raven, Interns), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2017)
1958 – Brent W. Jett Jr, American naval officer and NASA astronaut (STS 72, sk:81), born in Pontiac, Michigan
1970 – Audie Pitre, American bass guitarist (Acid Bath), born in Lousiana (d. 1997)
1972 – Thomas Roberts, American news anchor, born in Towson, Maryland

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Famous Deaths

1934 – Jean Vigo, French actor and director (Zero For Conduct, L’Atlante), dies of complications from tuberculosis at 29
1972 – Ivan Yefremov, Russian paleontologist (originator of the concept of taphonomy) and author (Andromeda Nebula), dies at 64
2003 – Denis Quilley, British actor (Anything Goes, The Lady’s Not For Burning, Masada), dies from liver cancer at 75
2011 – Charles Napier, American actor (Night Stalker, Rambo), dies at 75
2015 – Grace Lee Boggs (née Grace Chin Lee), American philosopher, author (The Next American Revolution), civil rights activist and feminist, dies at 100
2019 – Marcello Giordani, Italian tenor (Metropolitan Opera, 1993-2008), dies of a heart attack at 56

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Historical Events

1777 – Battle of Germantown: Gen George Washington’s troops attack and are defeated by the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania
1938 – Baseball World Series: NY Yankees win third straight championship; beat Chicago Cubs, 8-3 at Yankee Stadium for 4-0 sweep
1944 – British troops land on Greek mainland
1964 – 3 cars of a commuter train derails in South Africa killing 81
1991 – The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty is opened for signature.
2022 – NY Yankees slugger Aaron Judge breaks Roger Maris’s AL single season HR record when he slams his 62nd homer in a 3-2 loss against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas

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Famous Birthdays

1888 – Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (5-time World Champion all-round), born in Kristiania, Norway (d. 1954)
1892 – Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian right-wing politician (Chancellor, 1932-34), killed by Nazis, born in Texingtal, Austria (d. 1934)
1911 – Mary Two-Axe Earley, Mohawk elder and human rights advocate (fought against women’s status under the Indian Act), born on the Kahnawà:ke reserve, Quebec (d. 1996)
1932 – Milan Chvostek, Canadian television director
1957 – Kyra Schon, American actress (Night Of The Living Dead), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1959 – Chris Lowe, English rock keyboardist (One Under The Eight, Pet Shop Boys), born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England

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Famous Deaths

1904 – Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, French sculptor (designed the Statue of Liberty), dies of tuberculosis at 70
1935 – Barbados Joe Walcott, Barbadian boxer (World Welterweight champion 1901-06; first Black to hold that title), dies in a car accident at 62
1971 – Edit Angold, German actress (Suspense, Molly, Blue Angel), dies at 76
1990 – Avis Bunnage, British actress (Rising Damp, Coronation Street), dies at 67
1996 – Tim N Gidal Gidalewitsch, photojournalist, dies at 87
2021 – Alan Kalter, American television announcer (Late Show with David Letterman, 1995-2015), dies at 78

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