Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1916 – Denmark and the United States sign a treaty whereby the Danish West Indies, including the Virgin Islands, are to be ceded to the US in 1917 for $25 million
1916 – The Turks attack the British line at Romani in the northern Sinai (WWI)
1962 – Nelson Mandela captured by South African police
1984 – Prince’s “Purple Rain” album goes #1 and stays #1 for 24 weeks
1996 – Jim Bunning, Earl Weaver, Bill Foster and Ned Hanlon inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
2001 – Australian cricket spinner Shane Warne skittles England (162) with 6/33 to guide tourists to a 7 wicket 3rd Test victory at Trent Bridge; Aussies regain Ashes with record 7th straight Test win v England

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Arthur Haygarth, English cricket batsman (Middlesex and Surrey, cricket historian), born in Hastings, Sussex, England (d. 1903)
1927 – Jess Thomas, American tenor known for his singing in Richard Wagner operas, born in Hot Springs, South Dakota (d. 1993)
1930 – Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iranian shia cleric, born in Mashhad, Iran
1958 – Kym Karath, American actress (The Sound of Music – “Gretl”), born in Los Angeles, California
1962 – Joey Huffman, American rock keyboard and organ player (Soul Asylum), born in Pikeville, Kentucky
1983 – Greta Gerwig, American actress and film director (Lady Bird, Little Women, Barbie), born in Sacramento, California

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Famous Deaths

1873 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter, dies at 39
1875 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author of 150 fairy tales (The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen), dies at 70
1905 – Kinjikitile “Bokero” Ngwale, Tanzanian prophet and rebel leader, hanged for treason by German East African military
2004 – Sir Kenneth Couzens, British Deputy Chairman of British Coal Board and significant figure during Miners Strike, dies at 79
2019 – Nuon Chea, Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader ‘Brother Number Two’, dies at 93
2022 – Johnny Famechon, Australian boxer (WBC featherweight champion 1969-70), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1492 – Christopher Columbus with Juan de la Cosa second-in-command sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain for the “Indies”
1897 – John McNally’s musical “Good Mr Best” premieres in NYC
1973 – National People’s party wins Dutch Antilles National elections
1977 – Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 personal computer, within weeks thousands were ordered
1996 – American Andre Agassi wins the men’s singles Tennis gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics beating Spaniard Sergi Bruguera 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
2004 – The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens after being closed since the September 11, 2001 attacks

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Famous Birthdays

1748 – Carl Ludwig Junker, German composer, born in Kirchberg an der Jagst, Germany (d. 1797)
1915 – Sal Santen, Dutch writer (You Are Jewish People), born in Amsterdam (d. 1998)
1936 – Vinko “Vice” Vukov, Croatian singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1963 and 1965), born in Šibenik, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (d. 2008)
1951 – Hans Schlegel, German astronaut (STS 55), born in Überlingen, Germany
1963 – Isaiah Washington, American actor (The 100), born in Houston, Texas
1999 – Brahim Díaz, Spanish footballer (Real Madrid), born in Málaga, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1958 – Peter Collins, English auto racer (British GP 1958), dies in race accident at German GP at 26
1983 – Carolyn Jones, American actress (Morticia-Addams Family), dies of colon cancer at 53
2000 – Michael Meyer, English novelist and translator, dies at 79
2003 – (John) Roger Voudouris, American singer and songwriter (Get Used To It), dies of liver disease at 48
2007 – John Gardner, English spy and thriller novelist (Boysie Oakes novels; James Bond continuation novels), dies of suspected heart failure at 80
2017 – Robert Hardy, British actor (Harry Potter, All Creatures Great and Small), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1578 – Battle of Rijmenam: Spanish Habsburg forces defeated by Dutch troops (Eighty Years’ War)
1953 – KCPQ TV channel 13 in Tacoma-Seattle, WA (IND) begins broadcasting
1964 – Race riot in Jersey City, New Jersey
1967 – “In the Heat of the Night” directed by Norman Jewison, based on John Ball’s novel of the same name, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1968)
1969 – US President Richard Nixon visits Romania
1994 – Explosion in lead/zinc mine in Guangxi China, 120+ killed

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Famous Birthdays

1775 – Jose Angel Lamas, Venezuelan composer, born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 1814)
1832 – Henry Steel Olcott, American military officer and co-founder of the Theosophical Society, born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1907)
1878 – Aino Kallas, Finnish writer (White Ship, Estonian Tales), born in Kiiskilä, Viipuri Province, Grand Duchy of Finland (d. 1956)
1945 – Eric Simms, Australian rugby league fullback (8 Tests; NSWRL points record [1,841] stood until 1983; South Sydney), born in Karuah, Australia
1952 – Paul David Crews, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in South Carolina (d. 2022)
1972 – Mohamed Al-Deayea, Saudi Arabian footballer, born in Hail, Saudi Arabia

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Famous Deaths

1100 – William II [Rufus], king of England, shot hunting in the New Forest at 44
1600 – Arent van Dorp, Dutch governor of East-Zealand, dies at about 70
1979 – Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician and author (founder of Peruvian Aprista Party), dies at 84
1996 – Michel Debre, French politician, Prime Minister of France (1959-62), dies at 84
1997 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian Afrobeat musician and composer, dies of an illness, disputedly AIDS related, at 58
2020 – Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold, light-flyweight 1980; World C’ship gold 1981), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1863 – Cavalry action near Brandy Station-End of Gettysburg Campaign
1932 – George Washington quarter goes into circulation
1976 – XXI Summer Olympic Games, Montreal, Canada: Officially close
1992 – British athlete Linford Christie (32) becomes the oldest man to win an Olympic 100m gold medal edging Frankie Fredericks in Barcelona
1997 – 6th Athletics World Championships open at Athens, Greece
2021 – 394 migrants rescued from a stricken vessel by humanitarian NGO ships in Tunisian waters

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Herman Melville, American author (Moby-Dick, Billy Budd), born in NYC, New York (d. 1891)
1903 – Thomas D’Alesandro Jr, American politician (US Representative for Maryland (D), 1939-47; Mayor of Baltimore, 1947-59), and father of Nancy Pelosi, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1987)
1932 – Meena Kumari, Indian film actress (Parineeta), born in Dadar, Mumbai, India (d. 1972)
1933 – Erwin Nypels, Dutch economist and Minister of Housing (D66), born in Bloemendaal, North Holland
1955 – Pierre Robert, American rock and roll radio DJ (same station in Philadelphia since 1981), and Deadhead, born in Truckee, California
1964 – Adam Duritz, American rock singer-songwriter, and keyboardist (Counting Crows – “Mr. Jones”; “Accidentally in Love”), born in Baltimore, Maryland

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Famous Deaths

1883 – Karl Wilhelm Dindorf, classic scholar, dies
1896 – William Robert Grove, Welsh physicist and inventor of the first fuel cell, dies at 85
1973 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer, pedagogue (Venice Liceo Musicale, 1932-52), and musicologist (Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi). s at 91
1990 – Norbert Elias, German-British sociologist and philosopher (Process of Civilization), dies at 93
2000 – Hugh Hood, Canadian author (White Figure, White Ground), dies at 72
2012 – Joan Bernard, English educator (Principal Trevelyan College, Durham) and army officer (WWII Auxiliary Territorial Service), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1905 – Matumbi rebellion at Samanga, German East Africa
1922 – 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson rides world’s 1st water skis (Minnesota)
1934 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: Fred Perry beats American Frank Shields 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 15-13 to give Great Britain unassailable 3-1 lead to retain title; ends 4-1
1966 – Two Alabama radio hosts, Tommy Charles and Doug Layton of WAQY in Birmingham ask listeners to send in Beatles albums and merchandise to burn in response to John Lennon’s anti-Jesus remark that “Christianity will go”
1988 – Pittsburgh Pirates 1st baseman/left fielder and 7-time All Star Willie Stargell becomes 200th man inducted in Baseball’s Hall of Fame
1994 – Netherlands’ warmest July since 1783 – average 21.4°C

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Famous Birthdays

1843 – Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and Nobel Prize laureate, born in Krieglach, Austria (d. 1918)
1911 – George Liberace, American violinist (Liberace Show), born in Menasha, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
1920 – Rudolf Halaczinsky, German composer, born in Emma-Grube, Upper Silesia (d. 1999)
1950 – Lane Davies, American actor (Mason-Santa Barbara, Impure Thoughts), born in Dalton, Georgia
1967 – Tony Massenburg, American NBA forward who played for 12 different teams, born in Sussex, Virginia
1975 – Randy Flores, American baseball pitcher (World Series 2006, St. Louis Cardinals), executive (American director scouting SL Cardinals) and broadcaster (Pac-12 Network), born in Bellflower, California

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Famous Deaths

1914 – A J Jean Jaurès, French socialist (L’Humanité/Les Preuves), murdered=
1953 – Robert A. Taft, American politician (U.S. Senator from Ohio), dies at 63
1968 – Gertrude Short, actress (Stella Dallas, Blonde Venus), dies at 66
1978 – Enoch Light, American orchestra leader (Gulf Road Show with Bob Smith), dies at 70
1995 – Genevieve Tobin Keighley, actress (Zaza, Great Gambini), dies at 83
2002 – Jerome Beatty Jr., American author of children’s literature (Matthew and Maria Looney books), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1870 – The Republic of Klipdrift is proclaimed by Transvaal President Andries Pretorius after the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1866 resulted in a flood of treasure hunters; ownership of the diamond fields was contested by the Boer republics
1908 – Around the World Automobile Race ends in Paris
1985 – Valerie Lowrance, of Texas, 18, crowned America’s Junior Miss
1988 – Harry Drake shoots arrow record 1873m
2012 – General Motors (Chevrolet) sign a record breaking 7 year $559 million sponsorship deal with EPL club Manchester United
2022 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for mandatory evacuation of civilians from eastern Donetsk region amid fierce fighting

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Famous Birthdays

1747 – Antonio Benedetto Maria Puccini, Italian composer, born in Lucca, Italy (d. 1832)
1868 – Alfred Weber, German economist and sociologist, born in Erfurt, Prussian Saxony (d. 1958)
1936 – Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, daughter of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, born in Cannes, French Third Republic
1963 – Chris Mullin, American NBA forward (Warriors, Pacers, Olympic gold 1992), born in Brooklyn, New York
1974 – Radostin Kishishev, Bulgarian footballer, born in Burgas, Bulgaria
1975 – Tifini Hale, American pop singer (Party – “Rodeo”; “That’s Why”), born in Palm Springs, California (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1771 – Thomas Gray, English poet (Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard), dies at 54
1957 – Sem Dresden, Dutch composer and conductor, dies at 76
1978 – Umberto Nobile, Italian aviator and polar explorer (designed and flew 1st airship across the polar air cap), dies at 93
1978 – Aasan Ferit Alnar, Turkish classical composer, dies at 72
2004 – Jan Hanus, Czech composer, dies at 89
2004 – Andre Noble, Canadian actor (b. 1979)

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Historical Events

1902 – Union of Orthodox Rabbis of US and Canada forms
1914 – Austrian-Hungary bombs Belgrade
1930 – 115°F (46°C), Holly Springs, Mississippi (state record)
1935 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: 3rd straight GB title as Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey beat Americans Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn 6-2, 1-6, 6-8, 6-3, 6-3 for unassailable 3-0 lead; ends 5-0
1948 – King George VI opens the XIV Summer Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium in London
1993 – Walter Koenig (Chekov in Star Trek) suffers a mild heart attack

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Famous Birthdays

1887 – Komako Kimura, Japanese suffragette, actress and editor (d. 1980)
1906 – Thelma Todd [Alison Loyd], American actress (Dangerous Female), born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (d. 1935)
1911 – Stephen McNally, American attorney and actor (Split Second, 30 Seconds over Tokyo), born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
1937 – Charles Schwab, American investor and entrepreneur (Charles Schwab Corporation), born in Sacramento, California
1945 – Mike Garson, American session and touring rock and jazz pianist (David Bowie, 1972-2006; Mick Ronson; Smashing Pumpkins), born in New York City
1956 – Patti Scialfa, American singer-songwriter (“As Long As I Can Be (With You)”), wife of Bruce Springsteen, born in Deal, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1808 – Selim III, Turkish sultan (1789-1808) poet and composer, assassinated at 46
1838 – Jonathan Huntington, American composer, dies at 66
1918 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian painter (b. 1863)
1958 – Charles O’Malley, American actor in silent westerns (Iron Horse), dies at 61
1963 – Dorian Le Gallienne, Australian composer, dies at 48
1996 – Jason Thirsk, American punk rock bassist (Pennywise), dies of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot at 28

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Historical Events

1911 – 96°F (35.6°C) in De Bilt, Netherlands
1920 – Sigmund Romberg and Alex Gerber’s musical “Poor Little Ritz Girl”, with additional songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (marking their Broadway debut), opens at the Central Theatre, NYC; runs for 93 performances
1928 – IX Summer Olympic Games open in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1972 – 39th NFL Chicago All Star Game: Dallas 20, All Stars 7 (54,162)
1997 – NY Ranger center Mark Messier signs with Vancouver for $20M for 3 yrs
2021 – Japanese swimmer Yui Ohashi wins women’s individual medley double with victory in 200m at the Tokyo Olympics; 3 days earlier she won the 400m IM gold medal

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Famous Birthdays

1824 – Jacopo Foroni, Italian opera composer (I gladiatori; Advokathen Panthelin), and conductor, born in Verona, Italy (d. 1858)
1863 – Hussein Khan Nakhichevanski, Russian general (d. 1919)
1933 – Charlie Hodge, French Canadian ice hockey goaltender (Montreal Canadiens), born in Lachine, Quebec (d. 2016)
1934 – Ron Flowers, English soccer midfielder (49 caps; Wolverhampton Wanderers 467 games), born in Doncaster, England (d. 2021)
1938 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish soccer forward (11 caps; Atlético Madrid) and manager (Spain 2004-08; Atlético Madrid, Barcelona), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2014)
1979 – Birgitta Haukdal, Icelandic singer, born in Húsavík, Iceland

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Famous Deaths

1741 – Antonio Vivaldi, Italian Baroque composer (The Four Seasons), dies at 63
1971 – Myril Hoag, American baseball player, dies at 63
1972 – Charu Majumdar, Indian revolutionary leader, dies in custody at 53
1973 – Royal Butler [Edwin Richey], American actor (Zenobia), dies at 80
2004 – George Williams, American soul singer (The Tymes), dies at 68
2007 – Karl Gotch, Belgian professional wrestler (b. 1924)

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Historical Events

1927 – Mel Ott, 18, hits his 1st league home run (inside the park)
1987 – John Demjanjuk, accused Nazi “Ivan the Terrible”, testifies in Israel
1997 – 84th Tour de France won by Jan Ullrich of Germany
1997 – Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria; about 50 people killed.
1997 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Portrush GC: Gary Player of South Africa wins with birdie on 2nd playoff hole against countryman John Bland
2015 – Fiat Chrysler fined record $105 million by Us regulators over their number of car recalls

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Famous Birthdays

1849 – John Hopkinson, British physicist and electrical engineer (Hopkinson’s Law), born in Manchester (d. 1898)
1922 – Bob Thiele, American record producer (Impulse! Records), born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)
1957 – Hansi Muller, German footballer, born in Stuttgart
1960 – Jo Durie, English tennis player, born in Bristol
1963 – Karrin Allyson, American jazz singer (Wild for You), born in Great Bend, Kansas
1986 – Courtney Kupets, American gymnast (World Championships champion 2002, 2003), born in Bedford, Texas

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Famous Deaths

916 – Kliment/Clemens van Ohrid, Bulgaria bishop of Ohrid/saint, dies
1675 – Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Marshal of France, dies at 63
1934 – Louis HG Lyautey, French minister of Defense (1916-17), dies at 79
1968 – Babe Adams, baseball player (b. 1882)
1990 – Elizabeth Allan, actress (Tale of 2 Cities, Camille, Java Head), dies
2011 – Richard Rutt, English bishop of Leicester, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1755 – Giacomo Casanova is arrested in Venice for affront to religion and common decency and imprisoned in the Doge’s Palace
1931 – 25th Tour de France won by Antonin Magne of France
1945 – After Labour landslide in general election, Clement Attlee becomes British Prime Minister
2009 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Sunningdale: American Loren Roberts wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Mark McNulty and Fred Funk
2018 – Sir Paul McCartney performs a “secret” gig at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where the Beatles began
2021 – Dominant British breaststroke swimmer Adam Peaty successfully defends his 100m title at the Tokyo Olympics beating Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands and Italian Nicolò Martinenghi

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Famous Birthdays

1801 – John Drake Sloat, 1st Military Governor of California (Union Navy), born in Sloatsburg, New York (d. 1867)
1863 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer, born in Valmiera, Russian Empire (d. 1948)
1928 – Peter Lougheed, Canadian politician (10th Premier of Alberta), born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (d. 2012)
1931 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist and composer (Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2008)
1957 – Nana Visitor, American actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), born in NYC, New York
1974 – Dean Sturridge, English football striker, born in Birmingham, England

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Famous Deaths

1471 – Pope Paul II [Pietro Barbo], Italian Pope (1464-71), dies at 54
1926 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American politician, lawyer, Captain (Union Army), diplomat, businessman, and son of President Abraham Lincoln, dies in his sleep at 82
1941 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist (the relation of language to thinking and cognition), dies at 44
1992 – Mary Wells, American pop and soul singer (“My Guy”), dies of laryngeal cancer at 49
2005 – Betty Astell, British actress (b. 1912)
2012 – Franz West, Austrian artist, dies at 65

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