Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1875 – Netherlands joins the gold standard
1960 – South African police kill 11 Pondo’s at Nqusa Hill
1983 – Emmy 10th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 4th time
1983 – Minnesota Twins select pitcher Tim Belcher #1 in the 1983 MLB Draft
2018 – Iraqi parliament orders manual recount of legislative elections in May after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claims evidence of irregularities

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Famous Birthdays

1606 – Pierre Corneille, French poet and dramatist (El Cid, Horace), born in Rouen, France (d. 1684)
1878 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French criminal attorney, born in Paris (d. 1956)
1896 – Italo Balbo, Italian pilot and governor of Libya, born in Ferrara, Italy (d. 1940)
1898 – Walter Abel, American actor (Fury, Suspicion, Dream Girl), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota (d. 1987)
1955 – Sandra Bernhard, American stand-up comic and actress (The King of Comedy; Roseanne – “Nancy”), born in Flint, Michigan

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Famous Deaths

1964 – Robert Warwick, American actor (Konga; Zorro; Lady Godiva), dies at 85
1968 – Franklin Clark Fry, American minister (World Rad of Church), dies at 67
2002 – Robbin Crosby, American heavy metal rock guitarist and vocalist (Ratt – “Round and Round”), dies at 42
2005 – Anne Bancroft [Anna Italiano], American stage and screen Emmy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winning actress (The Graduate; The Miracle Worker), director, and screenwriter, dies from uterine cancer at 73
2010 – Marvin Isley, American rock bassist, and songwriter (The Isley Brothers, 1969-84 and 1991-97 – “Fight The Power”), dies from complications of diabetes at 56

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Historical Events

1991 – Space Shuttle STS 40 (Columbia 12) launched
1995 – 29th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson and Reba killedwin
2013 – The first article based on NSA leaked documents by Edward Snowden are published by the Guardian Newspaper in the UK
2018 – Film producer Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in court in New York City
2019 – On average, people ingest 50,000 pieces of microplastic a year and breathe in similar amount, according to first-ever such study published in journal “Environmental Science and Technology”

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – Claude Jennings, Australian cricket batsman (6 Tests, HS 32; South Australia, Queensland), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1950)
1919 – Richard Scarry, American children’s author and illustrator (What Do People Do All Day?), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1994)
1942 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea (1979- ), born in Acoacán, Spanish Guinea
1970 – Martin Gelinas, Canadian NHL left wing (Vancouver Canucks), born in Shawinigan, Quebec
1974 – Russ Ortiz, American baseball player, born in Van Nuys, California

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Famous Deaths

1855 – Rosine Lebrun, German opera singer, and actress, dies at 72
1885 – Julius Benedict, German opera composer (Protoghesi), dies at 80
1894 – Immanuel Faisst, German composer, dies at 70
1913 – Chris von der Ahe, German entrepreneur and owner of St. Louis Brown Stockings, dies at 61
1998 – Sam Yorty, American politician, Mayor of Los Angeles (1961-73), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1629 – Dutch East India ship Batavia wrecks on Morning Reef off the Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia, with 200 survivors (only 70 survive after three months due to mutiny and murders)
1832 – 3rd national black convention meets (Philadelphia)
1972 – Angela Davis, African American activist, acquitted of killing a white guard
1985 – Supreme Court strikes down Alabama “moment of silence” law
2023 – Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel’s musical “Bad Cinderella” closes at Imperial Theatre, NYC, after 85 performances; 1st time in 43 years that Webber is without a show on Broadway

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Famous Birthdays

1701 – Nikolaj Eigtved, Danish architect (Christiansborg Castle), born in Egtved, Denmark (d. 1754)
1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet, born in Moscow, Imperial Russia (d. 1897)
1930 – Bill Treacher, British actor (EastEnders, 1985-96 – “Arthur Fowler”), born in London, England (d. 2022)
1971 – James Callis, British actor (Battlestar Galactica), born in London, England
1975 – Russell Brand, British comedian, television personality and actor (Arthur, Rock of Ages), born in Grays, England

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Famous Deaths

1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American politician and first speaker of the US House of Representatives (1789-91, 1793-95), dies at 51
1929 – Harry Frazee, American MLB team owner (Boston Red Sox), dies of kidney failure at 48
1969 – Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player (US Nat C’ship 1963), dies in an airline crash at 30
2014 – Richard Mellon Scaife, American billionaire, principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, and owner of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, dies of cancer at 82
2021 – Clarence Williams III, American actor (The Mod Squad – “Linc”; 52 Pick Up; Purple Rain), dies of colon cancer at 81

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Historical Events

1748 – Amsterdam establishes municipal postal service
1962 – Lee Harvey Oswald arrives by train in Oldenzaal, Netherlands
1973 – At Paris air show, Tupolev 144, a Soviet supersonic airliner (“Concorde-ski”), crashes, 15 killed
2001 – US Open Women’s Golf, Pine Needles Lodge and GC: Defending champion Karrie Webb of Australia repeats by 8 strokes ahead of runner-up Se Ri Pak; largest margin in 21 years
2014 – US President Barack Obama announces his plan for a $1 billion fund to increase deployment of US troops to Europe

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Famous Birthdays

1913 – Pedro Mir, Dominican poet laureate (There Is a Country in the World, To Julia with No Tears), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic (d. 2000)
1914 – (Ronald George) “Tim” Woodman, British WWII RAF pilot and squadron leader, born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England (d. 1996)
1962 – Susannah Constantine, British fashion guru (What Not to Wear), born in London, England
1965 – Jeff Blumenkrantz, American theatrical composer, actor, and podcaster, born in Long Branch, New Jersey
1986 – Tomas Verner, Czech ice skater, born in Písek, Czech Republic

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Famous Deaths

1858 – Julius Reubke, German organist, pianist, and composer (Sonata on the 94th Psalm in c), dies of tuberculosis at 24
1995 – Dilys Powell, English film critic and travel writer (Descent from Parnassus), dies at 93
2003 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor (Marine Corps War Memorial), dies at 96
2019 – Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese writer (A Sibila), dies at 96
2023 – Jim Hines, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1968), dies at 76

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Historical Events

1896 – 30th Belmont: Henry Griffin aboard Hastings wins in 2:24.5
1943 – 99th Pursuit Squadron flies 1st combat mission (over Italy)
1978 – Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen fourth studio album “Darkness on the Edge of Town”
1985 – RJ Reynolds Company proposed a merger with Nabisco
2024 – Chinese spacecraft Chang’e-6 successfully lands on the far side of the Moon on a mission to analyse and collect rock samples

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Famous Birthdays

1715 – Herman-François Delange, Belgian composer, born in Liège, Dutch Republic (d. 1781)
1903 – Mario Pilati, Italian composer, born in Naples, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1938)
1906 – (Abraham) “Albert” Sandler, British violinist and ‘light music’ orchestra leader, born in Mile End Old Town, London (d. 1948)
1955 – Gary Grimes, American actor (Summer of ’42, Class of ’44), born in San Francisco, California
1970 – B-Real [Louis Freese], American rapper (Cypress Hill), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1802 – Pemulwuy [Bembilwuyam] Indigenous Australian (Bidjigal) who resisted colonization, shot to death, his head later sent to Joseph Banks (b. c. 1750)
1962 – Vita Sackville-West, English novelist, poet (The Land) and gardener (Sissinghurst), dies at 70
1962 – Fran Saleški Finžgar, Slovene folk writer (Our Blood, Service Girls), dies at 91
1972 – Franz Philipp, German composer, dies at 81
2012 – Kathryn Joosten, American actress (Desperate Housewives), dies of lung cancer at 72

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Historical Events

1831 – British explorer James Clark Ross discovers the magnetic North Pole on the west coast of Boothia peninsula
1888 – California gets its 1st seismograph
1941 – Germany occupies Crete after Allied evacuation
1975 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Pine Ridge GC: Kathy Whitworth wins her 3rd LPGA C’ship by 1 stroke from Sandra Haynie
1979 – Los Angeles passes its first homosexual rights bill

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Famous Birthdays

1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Novosspaskoye Russian composer (Kamarinskaya; Ruslan and Ludmilla), born in Novospasskoye, Smolensk, Russian Empire (d. 1857) [birth OS=May 20]
1952 – Şenol Güneş, Turkish soccer goalkeeper (31 caps; Trabzonspor) and manager (Trabzonspor, Bursaspor, Beşiktaş, Turkey), born in Trabzon, Turkey
1968 – Larry Centers, American NFL fullback (Pro Bowl 1995, 96, 2001; All-Pro 1996; Super Bowl 2003; Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, NE Patriots), born in Tyler, Texas
1974 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and musician (Jagged Little Pill, “Ironic”; “You Oughta Know”), born in Ottawa, Ontario
1975 – James Storm, American pro wrestler (TNA World Heavyweight Champion 2011; record 7 x TNA World Tag Team Champion), born in Franklin, Tennessee

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Famous Deaths

1710 – David Mitchell, Scottish admiral in the British Royal navy (b. 1642)
1740 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian (reasonable orthodoxy), dies at 83
1769 – Edward Holyoke, American academic and 9th President of Harvard University, dies at 79
1841 – David Wilkie, British painter, dies at 55
1992 – Howard Ralston, actor (Pollyana), dies

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Historical Events

1879 – Madison Square Garden opens in New York, named after 4th President James Madison
1902 – Australia Cricket all out 36 v England, Edgbaston, their lowest ever
1931 – 36th French Championships Men’s Tennis: Jean Borotra wins his only home title; beats fellow Frenchman Christian Boussus 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
1942 – 25th PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Seaview CC: Sam Snead beats Jim Turnesa, 2 and 1 for his first PGA Tour major title
1983 – 37th NBA Championship: Philadelphia 76ers sweep LA Lakers in 4 games

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Otto “Toby” Hardwicke, American jazz alto saxophone player (The Washingtonians, 1923-28; Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1932-46 – “Sophisticated Lady”; “In A Sentimental Mood”), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1970)
1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker and director (Fanfare; Glass), born in Holten, Netherlands (d. 1997)
1950 – Edward Barker, English cartoonist, born in Birmingham, England
1989 – Justine Lupe, American actress (Nobody Wants This), born in New York City
1989 – Marco Reus, German football player (Borussia Dortmund, German national team), born in Dortmund, West Germany

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Famous Deaths

1665 – Pieter Janz Saenredam, Dutch architectural painter, dies at 67
1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1919-26), dies of heart failure at 87
1993 – John Granger, American actor (Advise and Consent), dies at 69
1994 – Sidney Gilliat, English screenwriter (Night Train to Munich) and director, dies at 86
2020 – Brother Ah [Robert Northern], American jazz and world music French hornist, band leader (Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, World Music Ensemble), educator, and radio deejay, dies of respiratory failure at 86

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Historical Events

1904 – The Japanese Army capture the City of Dairen after landing troops along the south coast of Manchuria
1946 – United flight 521 crashes on takeoff at LaGuardia Airport (NY) 42 die
1959 – Indianapolis 500: Rodger Ward earns first of 2 career Indy 500 victories as a record 16 cars complete full 500 miles; for the first time all cars required to have roll bars
1972 – 3 Japanese PFL terrorists kills 24, wound 72 at Tel Aviv’s Lod Intl airport
2010 – Indianapolis 500: Scotsman Dario Franchitti driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing wins his 2nd Indy title ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti

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Famous Birthdays

1812 – John Alexander McClernand, American politician and Major General (Union Army), born in Breckinridge County, Kentucky (d. 1900)
1938 – Lone Koppel, Danish operatic soprano (Danish Royal Theatre, 1962-93) and avant garde rock singer (Savage Garden), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
1949 – P.J. Carlesimo, American basketball coach (Seton Hall University; Portland TBs, GS Warriors, OKC), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
1950 – Paresh Rawal, Indian Bollywood actor (Woh Chokri, Woh Chokri), born in Bombay, India
1984 – Matt Maguire, Australian rules footballer (St Kilda Football Club, Brisbane Lions), born in Victoria, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1770 – François Boucher, French painter (b. 1703)
1923 – Camille Chevillard, French composer, dies at 63
1978 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violin prodigy, conductor (CBC, 1935-78), and composer, dies at 68
1989 – Claude Pepper, American politician (Rep-D-FL, 1963-89), dies at 88
2006 – David Lloyd, New Zealand botanist, dies from apparent poisoning by acrylamide, a common laboratory chemical, at 68

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Historical Events

1919 – Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, that when light passes a large body, gravity will bend the rays confirmed by Arthur Eddington’s expedition to photograph a solar eclipse on the island of Principe, West Africa
1943 – Algiers Allied Planning Conference between Winston Churchill, George C. Marshall and General Dwight D. Eisenhower finalizes the plan for the Italian Campaign
1969 – Britain’s Trans-Arctic expedition makes 1st crossing of Arctic Sea ice
1970 – Soviet dissident Zhores Medvedev is arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital in Kaluga sparking protests
1983 – Indianapolis 500: Tom Sneva wins his first Indy 500; represents record 7th Indy victory for chief mechanic George Bignotti

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Famous Birthdays

1929 – Peter Higgs, English theoretical physicist (Nobel Prize for Physics, 2013), born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England (d. 2024)
1946 – Fernando Buesa Blanco, Spanish politician, member of the Basque Parliament (1984-2000) and Deputy General of Álava (1987-91), born in Bilbao, Spain (d. 2000)
1962 – Eric Davis, American baseball outfielder (World Series 1990 Cincinnati Reds; MLB All-Star 1987, 89; Gold Glove 1987, 88, 89), born in Los Angeles, California
1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian news presenter, born in Mudgee, Australia
1983 – Richard Jackson, American actor (Ryan Meyers-Saved by the Bell), born in Redlands, California

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Famous Deaths

1973 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer and songwriter, dies of a heart attack at 44
1996 – Jeremy Sinden, English actor (Chariots of Fire, Ascendancy, Harem), dies at 45
1998 – Eric Atkinson, West Indian cricket fast bowler (8 Tests, 25 wickets, BB 5/42; Barbados), dies at 70
2021 – Keith Mullings, American boxer (WBC and lineal light middleweight titles 1998), dies at 53
2024 – Manfred Wolke, German boxer (Olympic gold GDR welterweight 1968), dies at 81

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Historical Events

1946 – First night game at Yankee Stadium (Senators 2, Yankees 1)
1968 – MLB: NL grants San Diego Padres a franchise
1975 – Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is established by the Treaty of Lagos
1990 – David Robilliard achieves the longest bicycle wheelie at with 5 hours, 12 minutes, and 33 seconds
2002 – NHL Eastern Conference Final: Carolina Hurricanes beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 2

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Famous Birthdays

1760 – Alexandre de Beauharnais, French politician, general of the revolution and first husband of Joséphine de Beauharnais, born in Fort-Royal, Martinique, France (d. 1794)
1883 – Luigi Perrachio, Italian pianist, composer (Nove Poemetti; 25 Preludi), and pedagogue (Liceo Musicale Torino), born in Turin, Italy (d. 1966)
1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German baritone (Doktor Faust), born in Zehlendorf, Germany (d. 2012)
1946 – K. Satchidanandan, Indian bilingual poet, writer, editor, and translator (While I Write, Words Matter), born in Pulloot, India
1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball guard and forward (3-time NBA All Star; NBA C’ship 2000; Charlotte Hornets, NY Knicks), born in Jacksonville, Arkansas

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Famous Deaths

1891 – Winfield Scott Featherston “Old Swet”, American politician and Army Brigadier General (Confederate), dies at 70
1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American politician, longest serving mayor of a major American city as Mayor of Albany (1941-83), dies at 73
2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
2008 – Robert Justman, American television producer (b. 1926)
2014 – Maya Angelou [Marguerite Johnson], American author (“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”), poet and actress (Nyo-Roots), dies at 86

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