Category: On This Day

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

More Historical Events »

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

More Famous Birthdays »

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

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1940 – American John Sigmund begins swimming for 89 hours, 46 minutes from St. Louis to Caruthersville, Missouri in the Mississippi River; 292 miles, longest solo swim of all time
1943 – 1st warship named after an African American launched – USS Leonard Roy Harmon, a Buckley class destroyer
1961 – Roger Maris hits home runs 37, 38, 39 and 40 off of 4 Chicago White Sox pitchers in a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, NYC
1990 – Nadezhda Ryashkina of USSR sets 10K walk woman’s record (41:56.23)
1997 – Howard Stern is fired from radio station, KEGL Dallas
2014 – Both Israel and Hamas review US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and meetings in Cairo

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1865 – Jac[obus] P. Thijsse, Dutch biologist and educator (Contact with Plants), born in Maastricht, Netherlands (d. 1945)
1930 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian operatic contralto (Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2010)
1944 – Molly Bennett Aiken, American foundation administrator (riding for the handicapped), born in Hollywood, California
1954 – Walter Payton, American Pro Football HOF running back (NFL MVP 1977; 9 x Pro Bowl; 5 x First Team All Pro; Chicago Bears), born in Columbia, Mississippi (d. 1999)
1957 – Daniel W. Bursch, NASA astronaut (STS 51, 68, 77), born in Bristol, Pennsylvania
1971 – Billy Wagner, American MLB pitcher (Houston Astros), born in Tannersville, Virginia

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1580 – Baltazar Alvarez, Spanish Jesuit and writer, dies at 47
1759 – Johann Christoph Altnikol, German organist, bass singer, composer, and J.S. Bach’s son-in-law and copyist, dies at 39
1870 – Pierre Dupont, French songwriter (“Les Bœufs”; “Le Chant du pain”), dies at 49
2013 – Mike Shipley, Australian audio engineer, and record producer of rock and country music (Paper Airplane), dies of an apparent suicide at 56
2014 – Carlo Bergonzi, Italian operatic tenor, dies at 90
2016 – Benito Wogatzki, German radio and TV writer (My Best Friends), dies at 83

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1911 – Cleve’s League Park hosts 1st unofficial ML All Star game (benefit game for Addie Joss’ family). Cleveland Naps lose to All Stars 5-3
1923 – Allied Powers and Turkey sign peace treaty, Lausanne
1960 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Firestone CC: Jay Hebert wins his only major title by 1 stroke from Australian Jim Ferrier
1982 – “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” closes at E O’Neill NYC after 63 performances
1989 – Paula Gwynn, 22, crowned 21st Miss Black America
2005 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Aberdeen: Tom Watson wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Ireland’s Des Smyth

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1924 – Edward Digby, 12th Baron Digby, British Army (Coldstream Guards) officer (d. 2018)
1934 – Jimmy Holiday, American soul singer (“How Can I Forget”; Baby I Love You”), and songwriter (“Put A Little Love In Your Heart”), born in Sallis, Mississippi (d. 1987)
1935 – Pat Oliphant, Australian cartoonist (7 Pres: The Art of Oliphant)
1947 – Michael Coveney, English drama critic (The Observer, The Daily Mail), born in London, England
1954 – Philippe Alliot, French Formula One race driver, born in Voves, France
1961 – Paul Geary, American heavy metal drummer (Extreme), born in Medofrd, Massachusetts

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1712 – Cornelis earl of Nassau, general-major/mister of Woudenberg, dies
1756 – George Vertue, engraver, dies
1826 – Jacob Kimball, American pioneering composer and musician, dies at 65
1842 – John Sell Cotman, landscape painter, dies
1996 – Howard Vernon, Swiss actor (Love and Death, Delicatessen), dies at 82
1997 – Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer (Gianni Versace), commits suicide at 27

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1923 – 17th Tour de France won by Henri Pelissier of France
1933 – Caterina Jarboro sings “Aida” at the New York Hippodrome, becoming the 1st black female opera singer to perform in the US
1965 – Edward Heath succeeds Alec Douglas-Home as leader of the British Conservative party
1983 – MLB California Angels outfielder Brian Downing’s error ends his record streak at 244 games
2013 – 89 people are killed and 500 are injured by earthquakes in Gansu province, China
2019 – Air strikes have killed at least 31 people in Maarat al-Numan, north-western Syria, with Russian planes supporting Syrian government being blamed

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1848 – Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1914)
1878 – Janusz Korczak [Henryk Goldszmit], Polish-Jewish educator and pedagogue (ran an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto) [or born in 1879], born in Warsaw, Congress Poland (d. 1942)
1890 – Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, American matriarch, mother of JFK, RFK and Ted, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1995)
1928 – Orson Bean, American actor and comedian (To Tell the Truth), born in Burlington, Vermont (d. 2020)
1952 – Herbert Chang, West Indian cricket batsman (1979)
1953 – Jimmy Bruno, American jazz guitarist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1863 – Karl Schuberth, German cellist, and composer, dies at 52
1996 – Peter Ludwig, German businessman and art collector, dies at 71
1996 – Tamara Danz, German singer (Silly), dies of cancer at 43
2007 – Ulrich Mühe, German actor (b. 1953)
2013 – Dennis Farina, American actor, dies from a pulmonary embolism at 69
2021 – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1978, 80), dies from a heart attack at 84

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1919 – Dirigible crashes through bank skylight killing 13 in Chicago, Illinois
1964 – Last Dutch whaling ship Willem Barents Sea sold to Japan
1975 – NY Met Félix Millán hits 4 singles; erased by Joe Torres 4 double plays
1975 – Soyuz 19 returns to Earth
1991 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Australian 1-2 with Ian Baker-Finch winning his only major championship, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Mike Harwood
1996 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Lytham and St. Annes: American Tom Lehman wins his only major championship by 2 strokes from Mark McCumber and Ernie Els; first American to win at Lytham since Bobby Jones 70 years earlier

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1856 – Louise Blanchard Bethune, 1st American woman architect, born in Waterloo, New York (d. 1915)
1928 – Sky Low Low [Marcel Gauthier], Canadian professional wrestler, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1998)
1931 – Plas Johnson, American be-bop jazz and session saxophonist (sax solo on “The Pink Panther Theme”), born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
1956 – Michael Connelly, American crime writer (Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch novels), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1961 – Amar Singh Chamkila [Dhanni Ram], Punjabi folk singer “The Elvis of Punjab”, born in Dugri, Punjab, India (d. 1988)
1963 – Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1544 – René of Chalon [Renatus of Nassau], prince of Orange, slain in battle
1993 – Robert Glass, American film sound engineer (ET), is murdered at 53
1998 – Robert Young, American actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D.), dies at 91
2003 – Walter M. “Matt” Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American pianist and composer (The Twilight Zone; Planet Of The Apes), dies of colon cancer at 75
2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1712 – The Riot Act takes effect in Great Britain.
1940 – Billboard publishes its 1st singles record chart – “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey, with vocal by Frank Sinatra is #1
1942 – Time magazine puts Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich on its cover
1944 – Flying Fortresses of US 8th Air Force attack Leipzig/Dessau
1948 – Lou Thesz beats Bill Longson, to become NWA wrestling champion
1977 – Flash flood hits Johnstown, Pennsylvania, kills 80 and causes $350 million damage

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1744 – Henri Hamal, Belgian organist and composer, born in Liège (d. 1820)
1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
1908 – [Vincent] Mad Dog Coll, Irish-American mob hitman, born in Gweedore, Ireland (d. 1932)
1918 – Cindy Walker, American songwriter (“Dream Baby”; “You Don’t Know Me”) and country singer, born in Mart, Texas (d. 2006)
1924 – Hans Lodeizen [Johannes A. Frederik], Dutch poet (Inner Self), born in Naarden, Netherlands (d. 1950)
1945 – Paul Valéry [Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry], French author, philosopher and poet (La Jeune Parque), born in Sète, Hérault (d. 1945)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1160 – Peter Lombard, French theologian
1636 – John Oldham, English-born Puritan settler in Massachusetts, murdered by Indians at 44
1908 – Federico Chueca, Spanish composer, dies at 62
1940 – Y G Van de Peat, Dutch director of employment, commits suicide
1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German antifascist colonel (attempted to assassinate Hitler), dies by firing squad at 36
1968 – Joseph Keilberth, German conductor (Bayreuther Festival), dies at 60

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1875 – Emma Abbott, a floating hospital for sick children, makes trial trip, NYC
1937 – Joris Ivens’ “Spanish Earth” premieres in Hollywood
1952 – India all out 82 in 2nd innings after making 52 earlier in the day
1967 – US launches Explorer 35 for lunar orbit (800/7400 km)
1992 – 30th Tennis Fed Cup: Germany beats Spain in Frankfurt Germany (2-1)
2017 – Investigators using DNA identify 16 year-old James Byron Haakenson as a victim of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, 41 years after his disappearance

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1895 – Xu Beihong, Chinese painter, born in Yixing, China (d. 1953)
1922 – George McGovern, American politician and Presidential candidate (D-1972), born in Avon, South Dakota (d. 2012)
1924 – Arthur Rankin, Jr, American director, producer, and screenwriter (Rankin/Bass Productions -The Year Without A Santa Claus; Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer; Frosty The Snowman), born in New York City (d. 2014)
1963 – Sandor Wladar, Hungarian 200m backstroke swimmer (Olympic gold 1980), born in Budapest, Hungary
1964 – Gina Procaccio, American long and middle distance runner, born in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
1982 – Jared Padalecki, American actor (Supernatural), born in San Antonio, Texas

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1545 – George Carew, English admiral, drowns
1986 – Alfredo Binda, Italian road cyclist (first to win Giro d’Italia x 5; World Road Race C’ship 1927, 30, 32), dies at 83
2001 – Judy Clay [Guions], American soul and gospel singer, dies from complications from a car accident at 62
2002 – Spec Shea, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star, World Series 1947; NY Yankees, Washington Sens), dies after heart surgery at 81
2014 – Skye McCole Bartusiak, American actress, dies at 21
2016 – Garry Marshall, American TV writer (The Dick Van Dyke Show), TV producer (The Odd Couple; Happy Days; Laverne and Shirley), and film director (Pretty Woman; Runaway Bride; The Princess Diaries), dies at 81

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1896 – Indian born K S Ranjitsinhji completes an unbeaten 154 on Test cricket debut for England in 2nd Test against Australia at Old Trafford
1915 – WWI: Second Battle of Isonzo begins with Kingdom of Italy offensive against Austria-Hungary, ends 2-1/2 weeks later with over 91,000 combined casualties
1936 – Spanish Civil War: General Francisco Franco issues manifesto and leads an uprising in the Spanish army stationed in Morocco
1943 – British assault on Catania, Sicily
1944 – 7:45 Operation Goodwood: British assault east of Caen
1970 – Ron Hunt gets hit by a pitch for a record 119th time

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1898 – John Stuart, Scottish actor (Kittie, Superman, Number Seventeen), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1979)
1921 – John Glenn, American astronaut (1st American to orbit the earth) and politician (Senator D-Ohio), born in Cambridge, Ohio (d. 2016)
1946 – Tim Lynch, rocker (Flaming Groovies)
1949 – Wally Bryson, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Fotomaker; Raspberries), born in Gastonia, North Carolina
1957 – Nick Faldo, English golfer (US Masters 1989, 90, 96; British Open 1987, 90, 92), born in Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire
1975 – Torii Hunter, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 2002, 07, 09, 10, 13; Gold Glove Award 2001–09; Minnesota Twins, LA Angels of Anaheim, Detroit Tigers), born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1931 – Oskar Minkowski, German Biologist (pancreas and diabetes), dies at 73
1961 – Kit Guard, Danish actor (El Diablo Rides, Kid Courageous), dies of cancer at 67
1987 – Gilberto Freye, Brazilian sociologist (Regionalist Manifesto), dies at 87
1996 – Hans Fellner, bookseller, dies at 71
2009 – Henry Allingham, British supercentenarian and World War I veteran, dies at 113
2016 – Billy Name [William Linich Jr], photographer (Andy Warhol’s factory), dies at 76

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1894 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Blanche Bingley-Hillyard beats Edith Austin 6-1 6-1 for her 3rd of 6 Wimbledon singles titles
1959 – “North by Northwest” directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint premieres in Los Angeles
1970 – 30,000 attend Randall’s Island Rock Festival, NYC
1981 – USSR performs nuclear Test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1987 – Dow Jones closes above 2,500 (2,510.04) for 1st time
1989 – Paul McCartney releases single “This One”, from his album “Flowers In The Dirt”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1913 – Roger Garaudy, French philosopher and communist (convicted for Holocaust denial), born in Marseille, France (d. 2012)
1940 – Phyllis Davis, Port Arthur Tx, actress (Love American Style, Vega$)
1963 – John Ventimiglia, American actor (The Sopranos), born in Queens, New York
1967 – Kevin Pritchard, American NBA guard and basketball executive (Washington Bullets), born in Bloomington, Indiana
1972 – Eric Williams, American NBA forward (Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics), born in Newark, New Jersey
1973 – Horacio Llamas, Mexican NBA center (Phoenix Suns), born in Rosario, Mexico

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1943 – Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-general of the Union of South Africa (1937 to 1943), dies at 72
1961 – Ty Cobb, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (AL MVP 1911; Triple Crown 1909; 12 × AL batting champion; Detroit Tigers) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1921-26), dies of cancer at 74
1966 – August Baeyens, Flemish composer (Piranesi Suite), dies at 71
2004 – Julian Hodge, British financier and multi-millionaire (Hodge Group), dies at 99
2009 – Walter Cronkite, American broadcast journalist and news anchor (CBS Evening News 1962-81), dies of cerebrovascular disease at 92
2009 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish philosopher and writer (Conversations with the Devil), dies at 81

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1956 – Detroit Tigers and Briggs Stadium sold for then record $5.5 million
1980 – Ronald Reagan nominated for US President by Republicans in Detroit
1989 – US Open Women’s Golf, Indianwood G and CC: Betsy King wins the first of her 2 consecutive titles, 4 strokes ahead of runner-up Nancy Lopez
1990 – The ANC send a report on police violence to President F. W. de Klerk and demanded an end to “the shocking inhumanity” of police action in rural areas of South Africa
2015 – Shootings in Chattanooga at a US military recruitment centre and a naval reserve training center kill 5 and injure others
2017 – Senior Players Championship Men’s Golf, Caves Valley GC: Scott McCarron wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from Brandt Jobe and Germany’s Bernhard Langer

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1746 – Giuseppe Piazzi, Italian astronomer (found 1st asteroid-Ceres), born in Ponte in Valtellina, Italy (d. 1826)
1888 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, invented phase-contrast microscope (Nobel 1953), born in Amsterdam (d. 1966)
1907 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (Dynasty II, Big Valley, Thorn Birds), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1990)
1960 – Eus van Someren, Dutch pop guitarist (Scene, Blaauw), born in Beverwijk, Netherlands
1979 – Chris Mihm, American basketball player (Chicago Bulls), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1989 – Gareth Bale, Welsh soccer winger (Tottenham, Real Madrid, Wales), born in Cardiff, Wales

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1594 – Thomas Kyd, English dramatist (The Spanish Tragedy), dies at 35
1796 – George Howard, British field marshal, dies at 78
1980 – Robert Brackman, American artist, dies at 81
1996 – John Panozzo, American rock drummer (Styx), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 47
2020 – Tony Taylor, Cuban baseball second baseman (MLB All Star 1960²; Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers), dies from stroke complications at 84
2020 – Brigid Berlin, American actress (Andy Warhol films), dies at 80

More Famous Deaths »