Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1601 – First expedition of the English East India Company to the Spice Islands of the Moluccas departs Torbay
1988 – Women are allowed to compete in Little 500 bicycle race (Indiana)
1990 – Lebanon release US hostage Robert Polhill after 39 months
1993 – Pete Townshend’s rock musical “The Who’s Tommy” adapted for theatrical stage, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 899 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award
1994 – Schelto Patijn appointed Mayor of Amsterdam

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1729 – Michael Hillegas, American merchant and first Treasurer of the United States (1775-89), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1804)
1863 – C. A. J. van Dishoeck, Dutch publisher, born in Zierikzee, Netherlands (d. 1931)
1919 – Donald J. Cram, American biochemist (development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions of high selectivity – Nobel 1987), born in Chester, Vermont (d. 2001)
1935 – Mario Machado, Chinese-American eight-time Emmy Award-winning television and radio broadcaster, first Chinese-American on-air news anchor in Los Angeles, born in Shanghai (d. 2013)
1950 – (Jesse) “Pete” Carr, American guitarist and session musician (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section; LeBlanc and Carr), born in Daytona Beach, Florida (d. 2020)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1865 – Francis Washburn, US Union colonel/gen major, dies of injuries
1992 – Billy Wayne White, American murderer, executed in Texas at 34
1996 – Erma Bombeck, American humorist (The Grass is Greener over the Septic Tank), dies at 69
2003 – Felice Bryant [Matilda Scaduto], American songwriter, with husband Boudleaux (“Bye Bye Love”; “Wake Up Little Susie”), dies of cancer at 77
2011 – Moin Akhter, Pakistani actor, dies at 60

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1789 – John Adams sworn in as 1st US Vice President (9 days before Washington)
1862 – Congress establishes US Mint in Denver, Colorodo
1960 – Founding of the Orthodox Bahá’í Faith in Washington, DC
1983 – £1 coin is introduced in the United Kingdom
1995 – FBI arrests Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case; he is indicted on 160 state offenses and 11 federal offenses, including use of a weapon of mass destruction

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1911 – Leonard Warren [Warenoff], American baritone (Metropolitan Opera, 1939-60) who died on stage, born in The Bronx, New York City (d. 1960)
1924 – Ira Louvin [Loudermilk], American country singer and mandolin player (Louvin Brothers – “The Only Way Out (Is to Walk Over Me)”), born in Section, Alabama (d. 1965)
1942 – Brendan Malone, American basketball coach (RI Uni; Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers), born in New York City (d. 2023)
1945 – Diana Darvey [Rollof], British actress, singer and dancer (The Benny Hill Show), born in Cheadle, Cheshire, England (d. 2000)
1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author and Hot Wheels historian, born in Utica, New York

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1073 – Alexander II [Anselmo da Baggio], Pope (1061-73), dies
1718 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer, known for his work on conic sections, dies at 78
1899 – Heinrich Kiepert, German cartographer and geographer (1st modern maps of classical world and Ottoman Empire), dies at 80
1975 – Jack Westrup, English composer, dies at 70
2008 – Al Wilson, American soul singer (“Show and Tell”; “The Snake”), dies of kidney failure at 68

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1931 – British House of Commons agrees to allow sports to be played on Sunday
1934 – Heinrich Himmler is appointed chief of all German police including the Prussian secret state police
1985 – Carlos Lopes runs world record marathon (2:07:12)
1998 – German terrorist group Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, disbands after 28 years
2009 – 113th Boston Marathon: Deriba Merga of Ethiopia wins men’s event in 2:08:42; Salina Kosgei of Kenya women’s champion in 2:32:16

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1857 – Charles Louis Philippe Zilcken, Dutch painter and author (HW Knife Day), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1930)
1894 – Martinus Nijhoff, Dutch poet and linguistic (spelling), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1953)
1955 – Donald Pettit, American chemical engineer and NASA astronaut, born in Silverton, Oregon
1961 – Don Mattingly, American MLB first baseman (6 x MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1985; 9 x Gold Glove; 3 x Silver Slugger; AL batting champion 1984; NY Yankees) and manager (LA Dodgers, Miami Marlins), born in Evansville, Indiana
1971 – Mikey Welsh, American bass player (Weezer, 1998-2001 – “Island In The Sun”), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 2011)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1164 – Victor IV [Ottaviano Montecello], Italian antipope (1159-64), dies
1960 – Paul Fort, French poet (founder of Vers et Prose), dies at 88
1970 – Paul Celan [Antschell], German-Romanian poet (Collected Prose), drowns himself at 49
1994 – Jean Carmet, French actor (Cache Cash, Miss Mona, Night Magic), dies of a heart attack at 72
2003 – Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress (b. 1908)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1923 – New Egyptian law allows suffrage for men, except soldiers
1926 – 30th Boston Marathon won by Canadian Johnny Miles in 2:25:40.4
1944 – 1944 NFL Draft: Angelo Bertelli from University of Notre Dame first pick by Boston Yanks
1965 – 1st all news radio station (WINS 1010 AM in NYC) begins operating
1965 – T.A.M.I. Show premieres in London

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1821 – Mortimer Dormer Leggett, American Major General (Union Army), born in Ithaca, New York (d. 1896)
1931 – Walter Stewart, Canadian writer and journalist, born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2004)
1945 – Michael Stewart, American folk music producer, arranger, banjo player and guitarist (We Five – “You Were On My Mind”), born in Riverside County, California (d. 2002)
1972 – Jeff Wilkins, American football kicker (Super Bowl XXXIV St Louis Rams; Pro Bowl and NFL scoring leader 2003), born in Youngstown, Ohio
1977 – Lucien Mettomo, Cameroonian footballer (2002 World Cup), born in Douala, Cameroon

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1776 – Jacob Israel Emden [Jacob ben Tswi], German rabbi, dies at 78
1870 – William Henry Havergal, composer, dies at 77
1874 – Owen Jones, architect, dies
1949 – Stephen Samuel Wise, American Rabbi and President of Zionist Org of America, dies at 75
2022 – Mike Gregory, English darts player (BDO World C’ship 1992 runner-up), dies from dementia at 65

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1868 – San Francisco Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals forms in San Francisco, California
1950 – 1st opening night-game, Cards beat Pirates, 4-2
1963 – Dr. James Campbell performs the first human nerve transplant
1974 – Red Brigade kidnaps Italian attorney general Mario Sossi
1996 – In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces accidentally shell the UN compound at Quana.

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1918 – Róbert Zimonyi, Hungarian rowing coxswain (Olympic gold USA men’s eight 1964; bronze Hungary coxed pair 1948), born in Sárvár, Hungary (d. 2004)
1925 – Bob Hastings, American actor (McHale’s Navy; All in the Family), born in Brooklyn, New York City(d. 2014)
1946 – Tommy Shannon [Smedley], American blues-rock bassist (Johnny Winter; Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble), born in Tucson, Arizona
1950 – Kenny Ortega, American film and television producer (High School Musical trilogy), born in Palo Alto, California
1966 – Valeri Kamensky, Russian NHL left wing (Avalanche, Olympic silver 1998), born in Voskresensk, Russia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1587 – John Foxe, English historian (Book of Martyrs), dies
1674 – John Graunt, English statistician and founder of science of demography, dies at 53
1960 – Emory Johnson, American actor and director (Phantom Express, Shield of Honor), dies at 66
1974 – John Henry Lewis, American boxer (World Light-Heavyweight champion, 1935-38), dies of emphysema and Parkinson’s at 59
1997 – Edward Barker, English cartoonist, dies at 46

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1933 – 37th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson in 2:31:01.6
1939 – 43rd Boston Marathon won by Ellison Brown in 2:28:51.8; his second victory in the event
1981 – New York Islander Dennis Potvin’s 3 playoff power-play goals vs Edmonton Oilers tie NHL record
1995 – 99th Boston Marathon: Cosmas Ndeti of Kenya claims 3rd straight title in 2:09:22; Uta Pippig of Germany wins 2nd consecutive women’s event in 2:25:11
1997 – NJ Devil Martin Brodeur is 2nd NHL goalie to score in a playoff game

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1863 – Johannes Petrus Boskaljon, Curacaoian composer and conductor, born in Willemstad (d. 1936)
1885 – Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen-Finecke], Danish baroness and writer (Out of Africa), born in Rungsted, Zealand, Denmark (d. 1962)
1956 – Elizabeth Lindsey, American explorer, filmmaker (Then There Were None), and actress (China Beach; The Byrds of Paradise), born in Oahu, Territory of Hawaii
1962 – Nancy Hogshead, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1984), born in Iowa City
1980 – Lee Hyun-il, South Korean badminton player, born in Seoul

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1967 – Giorgio Cesana, Italian coxswain (Olympic gold 1906), dies at 75
1987 – Dick Shawn [Richard Schulefand], American character actor and comedian (The Producers – “L.S.D.”; Maid to Order), suffers a fatal heart attack on stage in San Diego on stage at 57
2008 – Danny Federici, American rock organist, accordionist, and glockenspieler (E Street Band), dies of melanoma at 58
2011 – Everard Goodman, English real estate developer (Tops Estates), dies at 79
2024 – Raman Subba Row, English cricket batsman (13 Tests, 3 x 100, HS 137; Surrey CCC, Northamptonshire CCC), dies at 92

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1853 – First passenger railway opens in India from Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane (34 km)
1986 – To dispel rumors he’s dead, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on TV
1987 – August Wilson’s “Fences” wins 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2014 – South Korean ferry MV Sewol sinks on route Incheon to Jeju, 304 drown, mostly students. National controversy erupts over rescue efforts and actions of crew and owner.
2017 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wins referendum on 18-article constitutional reform package

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1820 – Georg Curtius, German classical linguist, born in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck (d. 1885)
1897 – Milton Cross, American radio announcer (Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, 1931-75), born in New York City (d. 1975)
1947 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar [Lew Alcindor], American Basketball Hall of Fame center (6 x NBA champion; NBA Finals MVP 1971, 1985; 6 × NBA MVP; 19 × NBA All-Star), born in New York City
1954 – John Bowe, Australian racing driver, born in Devonport, Tasmania
1963 – Nick Berry, British actor (EastEnders, Heartbeat), born in Woodford, England

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1904 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet, dies at 16
1985 – Scott Brady [Gerald Tierney], American actor (Shotgun Slade, China Syndrome, Gremlins, Johnny Guitar), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 60
2007 – Kevin Granata, American professor of Engineering (b. 1961)
2007 – Gaetan Duchesne, Canadian hockey player (b. 1962)
2010 – Rasim Delic, Bosnian military chief of staff and war criminal (b. 1949)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1250 – Kublai is acclaimed the Great Khan by a Mongol Great Council
1502 – Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, new Governor of the Indies, lands in Hispaniola, replacing Christopher Columbus
1900 – An early 50 mile race is won by an electric car in over 2 hrs
1960 – Guy Carawan sings “We Shall Overcome” to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh, popularizing the song as a protest anthem
1989 – Hillsborough disaster: 96 people are crushed to death and 766 are injured at Hillsborough Football Stadium in Sheffield, England, during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1469 – Guru Nanak, Founder of the religion of Sikhism and the 1st Sikh Guru, born in Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi, Punjab, Pakistan (d. 1539)
1766 – Friedrich Bouterwek, German philosopher and critic, born in Oker, Hanover, Germany (d. 1828)
1922 – Harold Washington, 1st African American Mayor of Chicago (Democrat: 1983-87), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1987)
1959 – Emma Thompson, British actress (Henry V, Howards End, Oscar 1992), born in London, England
1982 – Seth Rogen, Canadian actor and writer (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Interview), born in Vancouver, British Columbia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1962 – Esther Minciotti, Italian actress, dies at 73
1974 – Giovanni D’Anzi, Italian pianist and songwriter (with Alfredo Bracchi – “Malinconia d’amore”, “El Biscella”), dies at 68
1991 – Marjorie Warfield, American stage, radio, and silent film actress, dies of pneumonia at 88
1991 – Martin Ashe, American actor, dies at 81
2002 – William Leonard “Will” Reed, British pianist and composer, dies at 91

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1828 – Noah Webster registers the copyright for the publication of the first American dictionary titled “An American Dictionary of the English Language”
1917 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Ed Cicotte no-hits St Louis Browns, 11-0
1941 – King Peter leaves Yugoslavia
1950 – Doorne’s Auto factory opens in Netherlands
1972 – Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz’s musical review “That’s Entertainment” opens at Edison Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1889 – James Stephenson, British actor (Letter, Espionage Agent, Nancy Drew), born in Selby, Yorkshire, England (d. 1941)
1900 – Salvatore Baccaloni, Italian opera singer and actor (Merry Andrew; Rock-a-Bye Baby), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1969)
1925 – Abel Muzorewa, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979-80), born in Umtali, Manicaland, Southern Rhodesia (d. 2010)
1951 – Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), born in London
1977 – Rob McElhenney, American actor, screenwriter and producer known for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Welcome to Wrexham”, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1922 – Cap Anson, American Baseball HOF first baseman (NL batting champion 1881, 88; 8 × NL RBI leader; Chicago White Stockings/Colts) and manager (Philadelphia A’s, Chicago White Stockings/Colts, NY Giants), dies from a glandular ailment at 69
1935 – Emmy Noether, German mathematician known for her contributions to abstract algebra, dies at 53
1988 – Herbert Reynolds Inch, American composer and teacher, dies at 83
2008 – Miguel Galvan, Mexican actor/comedian. (b. 1957)
2012 – John Herbert “Jonathan” Frid, Canadian actor (Barnabas Collins-Dark Shadows), dies of pneumonia at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1918 – Electrical fire kills 38 mental patients at Oklahoma State Hospital
1944 – Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4 in overtime for a 4-0 series sweep; Canadiens’ first SC triumph since 1931
1960 – The US Department of Defense places “Transit 1B,” the first navigational satellite, in orbit around Earth
1981 – Washington Post journalist Janet Cooke wins Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing; she later admits story was a hoax and returns the prize
2014 – Kenyan Wilson Kipsang wins the London Marathon

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1570 – Guy Fawkes, English Catholic conspirator who was convicted in the “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the British Parliament, born in York, England (d. 1606)
1937 – John Contiguglia, American concert pianist (as duo with his identical twin, Richard), born in Auburn, New York
1939 – Barbara-Rose Collins, American politician (Rep-D-Michigan), born in Detroit, Michigan
1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer and songwriter (The Olsen Brothers; Eurovision Song Contest, 2000), born in Odense, Denmark
1971 – Jeroen Thesseling, Dutch death metal fretless bassist (Pestilence; Obscura), born in the Netherlands

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1826 – Franz Danzi, German composer and cellist, dies at 62
1827 – Hugh Clapperton, Scottish explorer of Africa, dies at Sokoto, at 38
1936 – Milton Brown, American swing bandleader, dies at 32
1997 – Foffie Williams, West Indian cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; 9 wickets, 1 x 50; Barbados), dies at 83
2016 – Jeremy Steig, American jazz flutist (“Howlin’ for Judy”; “Wayfaring Stranger”), dies of cancer at 73

More Famous Deaths »