Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1960 – Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
1967 – Radio Scotland and Radio Swinging Holland go off the air
1990 – Denver vote for a 1% sales tax to pay for a baseball franchise
2008 – A popular Chinese 1-2 in the 200m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics with Liu Zige swimming world record 2:04.18 to beat teammate Jiao Liuyang
2018 – Italy’s Morandi Bridge collapses in Genoa, taking 30 vehicles with it and killing 43
2021 – Calder Fire, near Lake Tahoe, begins in California, goes on to destroy 1000 structures and over 218,000 acres

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Famous Birthdays

1552 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian church historian and statesman, born in Venice (d. 1623)
1882 – Gisela Richter, English art historian, born in London (d. 1972)
1937 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer and British welterweight champion (1960-1964), born in Swansea, Wales (d. 2012)
1946 – Marga van Praag, Dutch radio hostess, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1960 – Cecilia Gasdia, Italian soprano, born in Verona, Italy
1983 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-British tennis player, born in Kyiv, Ukraine (d. 2014)

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Famous Deaths

1928 – Klabund [Alfred Henschke], German writer (Spuk, Rasputin), dies at 37
1961 – Guido Alberto Fano, Italian composer and pianist, dies at 86
1972 – Pierre Brasseur [Espinasse], French actor (Eyes Without a Face, Children of Paradise), dies from a heart attack at 66
1996 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic, 1945-57; Munich Philharmonic, 1979-96), and educator, dies at 84
2008 – Lita Roza, British singer (“How Much is That Doggie in the Window”), dies at 82
2021 – R. Murray Schafer, Canadian composer (Patria), music educator, and environmentalist, dies of complications Alzheimer’s disease at 88

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Historical Events

1415 – King Henry V of England lands his army at the mouth of Seine River in France
1942 – The ‘Manhattan Project’ commences, under the direction of US General Leslie Groves: its aim – to deliver an atomic bomb
1988 – Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit opens
2004 – 28th Olympic Games opens at Athens, Greece
2006 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf, London Hunt CC: Christie Kerr wins by 1 shot from Angela Stanford
2017 – Gunmen kill at least 18 at a cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Islamic extremists blamed

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Famous Birthdays

1655 – Johann Christoph Denner, German musician and inventor (clarinet), baptized in Leipzig, Germany (d. 1707)
1662 – Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician, born in Wiltshire, England (d. 1748)
1934 – Gary Davidson, American sports league founder (ABA, WHA, WFL)
1938 – Dave “Baby” Cortez [Clowney], American pop keyboardist (“The Happy Organ”; “Rinky Dink”), born in Detroit, Michigan
1943 – Gary Ilman, American 100m freestyle (Olympic-4th-1964), born in Glendale, California
1954 – Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass player, born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2001)

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Famous Deaths

662 – Maximus Confessor, Greek theologian and court secretary to the Emperor, dies soon after his conviction for heresy when his hand and tongue were cut off (b. c. 580)
1278 – Daikaku, Zen teacher Rinzai line/head of Kenchoji, dies in Japan at 65
1744 – John Cruger, Dutch-born Mayor of New York (b. 1678)
1826 – René Laënnec, French physician who invented the stethoscope, dies of tuberculosis at 46
1965 – Ikeda Hayato, Japanese politician, Prime Minister of Japan (1960-64), dies at 65
1971 – W. O. Bentley, English engineer and motoring pioneer who founded Bentley Motors Limited, dies at 82

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Historical Events

1831 – Dutch troops conquer Leuven
1952 – Hussein ibn Talal proclaimed King of Jordan
1984 – Carlos Lopes of Portugal wins the men’s marathon at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2:09:21, an Olympic record that stands for 24 years
1995 – Lara completes 6th Test Cricket century, 152 at Trent Bridge
2008 – Russo-Georgian War: Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, negotiates ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia, ending a brief war hostilities after 5 days
2020 – Yemen authorities say at least 172 people died in floods caused by torrential rains, which have also destroyed historic buildings in Sanaa, a Unesco World Heritage Site

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Konrad Ekhof [Hans Konrad Dieterich Eckhof], German actor and director, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1778)
1852 – Fr. Michael J. McGivney, Irish-American Catholic priest, and founder the Knights of Columbus fraternal organization, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 1890)
1881 – Václav Vačkář, Czech composer, known for his marches, conductor, and musicologist, born in Dobřejovice, Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1954)
1904 – Alexei Nikolaevich, son of Tsar Nicholas II, and last Tsarevich of Russia, born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire (d. 1918)
1924 – Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani military officer and politician (President of Pakistan 1978-88) (d. 1988)
1957 – Amanda Redman, British stage and screen actress (At Home with the Braithwaithes; New Tricks; The Good Karma Hospital (2017–present), borne in Brighton, Sussex, England

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Famous Deaths

1158 – Anselm of Havelberg, Brandenburg bishop of Havelberg (1129-55), dies at about 58
1809 – Mikhail Kamensky, Russian field marshal, dies at 71
1812 – Jean-Joseph Rodolphe, Alsatian composer, dies at 81
1900 – James Edward Keeler, American astronomer (rings of Saturn), dies at 42
1934 – Hendrik P. Berlage, Dutch architect (Stock exchange Amsterdam), dies at 78
1982 – Henry Fonda, American stage and screen actor (Mr. Roberts; 12 Angry Men; On Golden Pond), dies of heart disease at 77

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Historical Events

1949 – Gaston Eyskens forms Belgian government
1952 – Hussein Ibn Talal I, proclaimed King of Jordan
1965 – “Help!” a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US
1984 – A British 1-2 in the 1,500m at the Los Angeles Olympics with Sebastian Coe edging teammate Steve Cram to become the only man to successfully defend his Olympic 1,500m title
2015 – Greek Debt crisis: European Commission announces a bailout with Greece and its creditors has been agreed “in principle”
2016 – A Greenland shark declared oldest vertebrate animal in the world at 392 years by international team of scientists

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Jess Stacy, American jazz pianist (Benny Goodman, 1935-39; the Great Gatsby), born in Bird’s Point, Missouri (d. 1995)
1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)
1928 – Richard Barratt, former Chief Inspector of Constabulary
1947 – Catherine Collard, French concert pianist (Schumann; Brahms), and teacher, born in Paris (d. 1993)
1961 – Craig Ehlo, American NBA basketball guard (Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and 2 other teams), born in Lubbock, Texas
1968 – Alan Kelly, England-born Irish footballer

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Marshall Hall, English physician, physiologist and early neurologist (physiology of reflex function), dies of a throat infection at 67
1868 – Thaddeus Stevens, US Radical Republican congressional leader (Rep-R-Pennsylvania 1849-53 1859-68), dies at 76
1954 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Sicilian-American mobster, dies at 68
1975 – Howard Wendell, American actor (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Murder Your Wife), dies at 67
1991 – Jef Contryn, Flemish pioneer puppet theatre, dies at 89
2015 – Harald Nielsen, Danish soccer forward (14 caps; Olympic silver 1960; Frederikshavn fI, Bologna FC), dies at 73

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Historical Events

1827 – Race riots in Cincinnati (1,000 blacks leave for Canada)
1914 – WWI: French fall back at Alsace
1941 – FDR and Churchill’s 2nd meeting at Placentia, Newfoundland
1971 – Twins’ Harmon Killebrew is 10th to amass 500 HRs, and adds his 501st
1978 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya
1992 – Soyuz TM-15 lands

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Franz Joseph Leonti Meyer of Schauensee, Swiss composer and organist, born in Lucerne, Switzerland (d. 1789)
1926 – Benjamin Ward, 1st African American NYC Police Commissioner (1984-89), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1966 – Roberta Donnay American jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter (“One World”), born in Washington, D.C.
1973 – Javier Zanetti, Argentinian footballer (Inter Milan), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1978 – Daniel Allsopp, Australian footballer (Manchester City), born in Melbourne, Australia
1994 – Bernardo Silva, Portuguese footballer (Manchester City), born in Lisbon, Portugal

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Famous Deaths

1784 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish painter, dies at 70
1875 – Karl Andree, German geographer and journalist (founded journal Globus), dies at 66
1929 – Aletta Jacobs, 1st Dutch female doctor and women’s suffrage activist, dies at 75
1945 – Robert H. Goddard, American rocket pioneer (invented and built the first liquid-fueled rocket), dies of throat cancer at 62
1967 – John Francis Larchet, Irish arranger (Irish national anthem), composer (By the Waters of Moyle), and musical director (Abbey Theatre – Dublin, 1908-35), dies at 83
1988 – Adela Rogers St John “The World’s Greatest Girl Reporter”, American journalist, screenwriter and author (Free Soul, Honeycomb), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1673 – Dutch under Admiral Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge recapture NY from English; regained by English in 1674
1936 – Helen Stephens claims the women’s sprint double at the Berlin Olympics having won the 100m and as part of the victorious American 4 x 100m relay team
1942 – Dmitri Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, dedicated to city of Leningrad, performed in Leningrad by starving musicians and broadcast to German forces over loudspeakers during siege by Nazi forces
1961 – James Benton Parsons is 1st African American to be nominated to a US Federal District Court
1967 – Biafran offensive against Nigerian army
1991 – British radio show “On the Hour” debuts on BBC Radio 4 with first appearance of Alan Partridge character

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Famous Birthdays

1834 – Elias Álvares Lobo, Brazilian composer, born in Itu, Brazil (d. 1901)
1892 – Charles Delaney, American actor (Air Police, Lonesome Trail), born in NYC, New York (d. 1959)
1942 – David Steinberg, Canadian comedian and director (End), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
1942 – Jack DeJohnette, American Jazz drummer (Skyline), born in Chicago, Illinois
1962 – Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, German politician, Leader of Christian Democratic Union (2018-), born in Völklingen, West Germany
1973 – Jimmy King, American NBA guard (Toronto Raptors, University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five), born in South Bend, Indiana

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Famous Deaths

1806 – Louis Ferdinand, Prussian prince and a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, dies at 33
1835 – Claus Nielsen Schali, Danish violinist and composer, dies at 78
1944 – Felix Nussbaum, German painter (Widerstandskunst), murdered at Auschwitz Concentration Camp at 39
1967 – Anton Walbrook [Adolf Wohlbrook], Austrian actor (Laura, I Accuse), dies of a heart attack at 66
1992 – Thomas J. McIntyre, American politician (Sen-NH, 1963-79), dies at 77
1995 – John Schofield, English BBC journalist, shot to death in Croatia at 29

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Historical Events

1576 – Cornerstone laid for Tycho Brahe’s observatory in Uraniborg, Denmark, will become the world’s then most advanced research institution
1700 – Denmark and Sweden sign peace treaty
1864 – Comet C/1864 N1 (Tempel) approaches within 0.0964 AUs of Earth
1882 – Snow falls on Lake Michigan
1925 – 1st national march of Ku Klux Klan (between 25,000 and 40,000 marchers) in Washington, D.C.
1988 – Renovated Central Park Zoo reopens after 4 years (New York City)

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Famous Birthdays

1571 – John Ward, English composer, born in Canterbury, England (d. 1638)
1922 – Gertrude Himmelfarb, American conservative historian, born in New York City (d. 2019)
1950 – Liberatori “Liberty” DeVitto, American rock drummer (Billy Joel, 1976-2006), born in New York City
1958 – Harry Crosby, American actor (Friday the 13th), born in Los Angeles, California
1965 – Angus Fraser, English cricketer (England right-arm pace bowler)
1977 – Kurt Bernard, Costa Rican footballer

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Famous Deaths

1694 – Antoine Arnauld [le grand Arnauld], French lawyer/theology, dies at 82
1705 – Willem Roukens, Dutch mayor of Nimegen (old Plooi faction), beheaded for trying to overthrow the new ruler of the city
1747 – Madeleine de Verchères, French Canadian heroine (repelling a raid on Fort Verchères when she was 14 years old), dies at 69
1918 – Gertrude E. Durden Rush, American composer and playwright, dies at 38
1994 – Henriette Santer, Dutch-English clinical psychologist, dies at 62
2008 – Frank Cornish, American NFL center/guard, 1990-95 (San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and 3 other teams), dies of heart disease at 40

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Historical Events

1954 – “Golden Apple” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 125 performances
1954 – Charles Mahoney becomes 1st US black to serve as a full UN delegate
1984 – Harmonica Frank [Floyd], American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player dies of lung cancer and diabetes complications at 75
1984 – David Rabe’s “Hurlyburly” premieres in NYC
1992 – The Orlando Magic signs NBA No. 1 draft pick Shaquille O’Neal
2009 – “Tik Tok” single released by Kesha (Billboard Song of the Year 2010)

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – (Mary) “Billie” Burke, American radio, stage, silent and sound film actress (Zieigfield Follies; The Wizard of Oz; Merrily We Live), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1970)
1932 – Edward Hardwicke, British actor (Sherlock Holmes), born in London, England (d. 2011)
1943 – Alain Corneau, French director (Choice of Arms), born in Meung-sur-Loire, France (d. 2010)
1947 – Mosibudi Mangena, South African black leader (On Your Own), born in Tzaneen, South Africa
1951 – Gary Hall, American swimmer (Olympic silver 400m medley 1968, 200m butterfly 1972, bronze 100m butterfly 1976; 5 x WR), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1964 – John Birmingham, Australian author, born in Liverpool, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1821 – Caroline of Brunswick, Queen Consort of King George IV (1820-21), dies at 53
1848 – Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist, dies at 68
1912 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (b. 1841)
1943 – Gustav Schmidt, German army general, commits suicide to avoid capture by the Russian army at 49
2004 – Red Adair, American oil field firefighter, dies at 89
2020 – Lê Khả Phiêu, Vietnamese leader, General Secretary (1997-2001), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1890 – At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the 1st person to be executed by electric chair
1919 – 1st air flight over a major body of water in Australia (Harry Butler)
1940 – Estonia is annexed into Soviet empire
1967 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Dean Chance throws a perfect no-hitter vs Boston Red Sox, 2-0 in 5 innings before game is called because of weather
1983 – Supertanker Castillo de Bellvar catches fire and sinks northwest of Capetown, South Africa
1984 – 203.05 million shares traded in NY Stock Exchange

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Samuel Powhatan Carter, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Elizabethton, Tennessee (d. 1891)
1826 – Thomas Alexander Browne, Australian writer (Robbery Under Arms), born in London (d. 1915)
1874 – Charles Fort, American writer and researcher (specialized in anomalous phenomena), born in Albany, New York (d. 1932)
1915 – Jim Ameche [James Amici], American voice actor (Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
1925 – Leland Smith, American composer, bassoonist and computer coder who led music publishing into the digital age (SCORE), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
1945 – John Kongos, South African singer and songwriter (“He’s Gonna Step On You Again”), born in Johannesburg

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Famous Deaths

1866 – John Mason Neale, English divine, scholar and hymnwriter (b. 1818)
1945 – Hiram Johnson, American progressive politician, US Senator, Governor of California (1911-17), dies at 78
1945 – Prince Wu of Korea (b. 1912)
1956 – Johan Frans van Bemmelen, Dutch zoologist, dies at 96
2009 – John Hughes, American film director (Breakfast Club; Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), dies of a heart attack at 59
2011 – Mark Hatfield, American politician (29th Governor of Oregon), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1962 – 1st quasar located by radio
1973 – Arab terrorists open fire at Athens airport, kill 3 injure 55
1975 – Stevie Wonder signs a 7-year, 7 album, with $13 million advance contract with Motown Records
1978 – New Orleans Saints beat Philadelphia Eagles 14-7 in an NFL exhibition at Mexico City’s Olympic Stadium
2005 – NBA announces Las Vegas will host the 2007 All Star game; first time event will be held in a city without an NBA team
2022 – Actress Anne Heche crashes her car into a house in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, igniting a fire that puts her in a coma and destroys much of the house

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Famous Birthdays

1872 – Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician and epidemiologist, born in São Luis do Paraitinga, Brazil (d. 1917)
1890 – Naum Gabo [Pevsner], Russian-American sculptor (Stillife Flower), born in Bryans, Russian Empire (d. 1977)
1902 – Irene Rice Pereira, American abstract artist, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts (d. 1971)
1910 – Nan Gindele, US javelin thrower (World Record 1932-38), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1992)
1988 – Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer (world record 200 meters, Olympic Gold 2008), born in Mirano, Italy
1989 – Shanshan Feng, Chinese golfer (Women’s PGA C’ship 2012), born in Guangzhou, China

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Famous Deaths

1644 – J. Henry Alting, German theologist (Statenvertaling), dies at 61
1944 – Maurice Turnbull, Welsh cricketer (England) rugby player (Wales), dies fighting in WWII at 38
1950 – Emil Abderhalden, Swiss physiologist and biochemist, dies at 73
1993 – Randy Hobbs, American rock musician (Johnny Winter Band; McCoys), dies of heart failure at 45
2014 – Chapman Pincher, British journalist and author (about secret service), dies at 100
2015 – George Cole, English actor (Minder), dies at 90

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