Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1715 – Ottoman troops storm citadel of Acrocorinth in the Peloponnese, massacring a large part of the population and selling the rest into slavery. Inspires Lord Byron’s poem “The Siege of Corinth”
1908 – Niazi Bey, a chief organizer of the revolutionary movement in Turkey, raises the standard of revolt at Resna, Macedonia
1958 – J Pengel forms government/Emanuels premier of Suriname
1973 – Test cricket debut of English umpire Harold “Dickie” Bird v NZ at Leeds (66 Tests, 69 ODI)
1989 – “Seinfield” (originally titled The Seinfeld Chronicles” screens its pilot episode starring Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards on NBC
2017 – Shootout between drug cartels in Las Varas, Northern Mexico kills 14

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Famous Birthdays

1546 – Johann Steuerlein, German composer, born in Schmalkalden, Germany (d. 1613)
1654 – Antonio Maria Pacchioni, Baroque composer, born in Modena, Italy (baptized date) (d. 1738)
1755 – Sarah Kemble Siddons, English tragic actress (Fatal Marriage), born in Brecon, Wales (d. 1831)
1956 – James Lofton, American NFL wide receiver (Bills, Packers, Raiders), born in Fort Ord, California
1968 – Shahid Anwar, Pakistani cricketer (Pakistani all-rounder 1996 England tour), born in Multan, Pakistan
1981 – Jesse Crain, Canadian baseball player, born in Toronto, Ontario

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Famous Deaths

1803 – William Jackson [Jackson of Exeter], English composer and organist, dies at 73
1859 – Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist (b. 1777)
1920 – John Shuter, cricketer (scored 28 in only Test for England 1888), dies
1927 – Albrecht Kossel, German physician (Nobel 1910), dies at 73
1984 – Gaston Vandermeulen, Flemish actor (Heilig Experiment, The Arrival of Joachim Stiller), dies at 79
2004 – Hugh Shearer, Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1923)

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Historical Events

1779 – French fleet occupies Grenada
1838 – Iowa Territory is organised from Wisconsin Territory, lasting until 1846
1876 – 1st public exhibition of electric light in San Francisco
1939 – Red Sox 3rd baseman Jim Tabor hits record-tying 2 grand slams in one MLB game, 18-12 win v Phillies
1970 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: In an all-Australian thriller, John Newcombe beats Ken Rosewall 5,7 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
2006 – Space Shuttle program: STS-121 Mission – Space Shuttle Discovery launches at 18:37:55 UTC.

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Reuben Fenton, American merchant and politician (22nd Governor of New York), born in Carroll, New York (d. 1885)
1850 – Ole Olsen, Norwegian composer, organist, and military bandleader, born in Hammerfest, Finnmark, Norway (d. 1927)
1907 – Gordon Griffith, American actor (first actor to portray Tarzan on film) and director, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1958)
1909 – Madeleine Barot, French activist and theologian, born in Châteauroux, France (d. 1995)
1918 – Johnnie Parsons, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500, 1950; AAA/USAC Championship, 1949), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1984)
1973 – Michael Johnson, English-born Jamaican footballer, born in St. Louis, Missouri

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Famous Deaths

1307 – Rudolf I, Habsburg nobleman (King of Bohemia, 1306-07; Duke of Austria and Styria 1298-1307), dies of stomach issues at about 26
1623 – William Byrd, British composer (Ave verum corpus), dies at 80
1891 – Frédérick Louis Ritter, French composer, add eductator (Vassar, 1867-91), dies at 67
1958 – Adolf Herckenrath, Flemish playwright and poet (Avondvlam), dies at 79
1992 – Astor Piazzolla, Argentine composer (Tango Nuevo), dies at 71
1995 – Jacques Berque, French Islamic scholar, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1883 – SS Daphne sinks on Clyde River in Scotland; 195 die
1905 – American boxer Marvin Hart scores a 12th round KO of Jack Root in Reno, Nevada for the vacant world heavyweight title
1912 – NY Giants pitcher Rube Marquard ties Tim Keefe’s 1888 MLB record 19 game win-streak with 2-1 win v Brooklyn Dodgers; has 21 with 2 end-of-season in 1911
1943 – British Liberator bomber sinks German U-628 in Bay of Biscay
2004 – Official opening of Bangkok’s subway system.
2020 – MLB Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan announces he would review changing the organization’s name

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – Moses Leverock Crossley, Dutch bio-chemist, born in Saba, Dutch West Indies (d. 1971)
1936 – Anthony Lester, British barrister and Member of the House of Lords
1950 – Ewen Chatfield, New Zealand cricket medium pace bowler (43 Tests, 123 wickets; 114 ODIs, 140 wickets; Wellington), born in Dannevirke, New Zealand
1952 – Carla Olson, American rock performer, songwriter, performer (Textones; Have Harmony, Will Travel),a nd record producer, born in Austin, Texas
1961 – Pedro Romeiras, Portuguese dancer, born in Lisbon, Portugal
1964 – Gary Ryan [Moss], American rock bassist (Joan Jett and The Blackhearts), born in California

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Famous Deaths

1775 – Colonel Thomas Gardner, American heroic political figure and soldier, dies at 51
1960 – Alfred Henry Ackley, American composer, dies at 73
1988 – Gabriel Dell, American actor (The Bowery Boys, Steve Allen Show), dies of leukemia at 68
1993 – Don Drysdale, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (World Series 1959, 63, 65; 9 x MLB All Star; Cy Young Award 1962; Brooklyn/LA Dodgers), dies of a heart attack at 56
2008 – Larry Harmon, American entertainer and TV producer (Bozo the Clown), dies at 83
2015 – Boyd K. Packer, LDS church apostle, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1644 – Battle of Marston Moor, North Yorkshire: Parliamentary forces under Lords Fairfax and Manchester defeat royalists led by Prince Rupert
1947 – Military coup discovered in France
1955 – Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Louise Brough beats fellow American Beverly Fleitz 7-5, 8-6 for her 4th Wimbledon singles title
1972 – “Fiddler on the Roof” closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 3242 performances
1972 – India and Pakistan sign Simla Agreement peace accord
2020 – More than 160 people die after a landslide at a jade mine in northern Hpakant area of Myanmar

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Ken Curtis, American actor (Ripcord, Festus – Gunsmoke), born in Lamar, Colorado (d. 1991)
1935 – Ed Bullins, playwright, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1946 – Ron Silver, American actor (Reversal of Fortune, Timecop) and political activist, born in NYC, New York (d. 2009)
1947 – Larry David, American actor, comedian and screenwriter (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm), born in Brooklyn, New York
1952 – Linda M Godwin, Cape Girardeau Mo, PhD/astronaut (STS 37, 59, 76)
1975 – Erik Ohlsson, Swedish guitarist (Millencolin)

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Famous Deaths

1591 – Vincenzo Galilei, Italian composer (b. 1520)
1644 – William Gascoigne, English astronomer and mathematician (introduced telescopic sights), is killed in the Battle of Marston Moor at 24
1912 – Tom Richardson, England cricket fast bowler (14 Tests, 88 wickets, BB 8/94; Surrey CCC), dies of a heart attack at 41
1995 – George Seldes, American investigative journalist, dies at 104
1999 – Mario Puzo, American novelist (The Godfather, Cotton Club, Earthquake), dies at 78
2019 – Pat Crawford Brown, American actress (Desperate Housewives – “Ida”; General Hospital), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1946 – US drops atom bomb on Bikini atoll (4th atomic explosion)
1973 – 1st US-China basketball game, US collegiates beats Shanghai 96-61
1982 – 2,100 Unification church couples wed in NYC
1987 – WHN-AM in NY City changes call letters to WFAN (now WEVD) replacing WHN’s country music, WYNY-FM adopts country music format
1996 – WBSI TV replaces WNYC on channel 31 in NYC
2016 – Islamic militants storm a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 20 hostages and 2 police, country’s worse terror attack

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Famous Birthdays

1844 – Verney Lovett Cameron, English explorer (Tanganyika), born in Radipole, Dorset, England (d. 1894)
1899 – Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr., American fictional film character (Indiana Jones films)
1903 – Beatrix Lehmann, British actress (Candles at Nine, Staircase), born in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England (d. 1979)
1906 – Estée Lauder [Josephine Esther Mentzer], American entrepreneur (Estée Lauder cosmetics), born in Corona, Queens, New York City (d. 2004)
1925 – Frank Lowson, England cricket batsman (7 Tests, 2 x 50s; Yorkshire CCC), born in Bradford, England (d. 1984)
1948 – Wang Qishan, Chinese Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, born in Qingdao, Shandong

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Famous Deaths

1627 – Nathaniel Bacon, English painter, dies at 41
1681 – Oliver Plunkett, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and last Catholic martyr (later beatified) to die in England, hanged, drawn and quartered for treason at Tyburn at 55
1877 – William Henry Davenport, American stage magician, claimed to be a spirit medium, dies at 36
1974 – Juan Perón, Argentine military officer and President of Argentina (1946-55, 73-74), dies of a heart attack at 78
2014 – Walter Dean Myers, African-American author, dies at 76
2022 – Richard Taruskin, American musicologist (Oxford History of Western Music), and educator, dies of esophageal cancer at 77

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Historical Events

1909 – Jack Johnson fights Tony Ross to a no decision in 6 rounds at Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to retain his heavyweight boxing title
1966 – Vice Admiral William F. Raborn Jr., USN, ends term as 7th director of CIA
1979 – “Got To Go Disco” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 8 performances
1981 – Zwelakhe Sisulu, President of the Black Media Workers Association of South Africa, is detained
1989 – US Congressman Donald Lukens found guilty of having sex with a 16 year old girl
2002 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Caves Valley GC: Don Pooley wins by 1 stroke in a playoff with Tom Watson

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Famous Birthdays

1468 – Johann the Steadfast, Elector of Saxony (1525-32), born in Meissen, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1532)
1641 – Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, Irish general, born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1719)
1917 – Robert Vandekerckhove, Belgian politician, born in Ingelmunster, Belgium (d. 1980)
1933 – Lea Massari, Italian actress (Anna-L’avventura), born in Rome, Lazio, Italy
1936 – Assia Djebar [Fatma-Zohra Imalhayène], Algerian writer and filmmaker, born in Iol, Algeria (d. 2015)
1936 – Tony Musante, American actor (David Toma-Toma, Nowhere to Hide), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 2013)

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Famous Deaths

1607 – Caesar Baronius, Italian cardinal and historian, dies at 68
1662 – Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck, Dutch portrait painter, buried at about 64
1960 – Clarence Cameron White, American concert violinist, and composer (Elegy; Ouanga!), dies from cancer at 79
1992 – Nico Booken, Dutch director (Jewish Labor Social), dies at 72
1995 – Phyllis Hyman, American jazz singer (Prime of My Life), commits suicide at 45
2021 – Janet Moreau Stone, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1952), dies at 93

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Historical Events

1749 – New Governor Charles de la Ralière Des Herbiers arrives at Isle Royale (Cape Breton Island).
1929 – Mexico and Vatican sign Concord
1989 – Emmy 16th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 10th time
1990 – NY Mets tie their team career high 11 game winning streak
1992 – NHL arbitrator decides Eric Lindros goes to Philadelphia Flyers instead of New York Rangers, after Quebec traded him twice; Quebec received 6 player, two draft picks and $15M
1995 – Memphis Mad Dogs 1st CFL game (vs Calgary Stampeders)

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Famous Birthdays

1886 – George Frederick Boyle, Australian-American composer, born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1948)
1897 – Ottmar Gerster, German composer (rector of the Liszt Music Academy in Weimar), born in Braunfels, Germany (d. 1969)
1908 – Rene Gerber, Swiss composer, born in Travers (d. 2006)
1924 – Flo Sandon’s, Italian singer (won Sanremo Music Festival-Viale d’autunno), born in Vicenza, Italy (d. 2006)
1936 – David Jenkins, American figure skater (Olympic gold singles 1960; World C’ship gold singles 1957-59), born in Akron, Ohio
1968 – Theoren Fleury, Canadian NHL right wing (Calgary Flames, Canada), born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, Canada

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Famous Deaths

1779 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German Bohemian painter and one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting, dies at 51
1860 – Thomas Addison, English physician (A-Biermer Disease), dies at 67
1880 – George Willem Vreede, Dutch lawyer and politician, dies at 71
1964 – Eric Dolphy, American jazz saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute player, dies of insulin shock at 36
1996 – Alexander George Ogston, British biochemist, and educator (professor at Australian National University, 1959-70; president of Trinity College – Oxford, 1970-78), dies at 85
1997 – William Hickey, American actor (Prizzi’s Honor, The Nightmare Before Christmas), dies of emphysema at 69

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Historical Events

1902 – Germany, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire renew their Triple Alliance for six more years
1935 – Earl Averill’s consecutive-game streak ends at 673
1940 – Romania cedes Bessarabia to Soviet Union
1941 – German troops occupy Galicia, Poland
1942 – Col-gen Von Hoth’ 6th Pantser enters Voronezj
2007 – Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros becomes the 27th member of the 3000 hit club, going 5 for 5 against the Colorado Rockies

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Famous Birthdays

1787 – Harry Smith, English military commander and leader of British-Indian forces (Battle of Aliwal), born in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, England (d. 1860)
1892 – E. H. Carr, English historian (History of Soviet Russia), born in London (d. 1982)
1909 – Arnold Shaw, American writer on popular music and composer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1989)
1958 – Sergei Shakrai, Russian figure skater (Olympic silver 1980), born in Soviet Union
1962 – Anisoara Stanciu-Cusmir, Romanian long jumper (Olympic gold 1984), born in Brăila, Romania
1973 – Brian Maisonneuve, American soccer midfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Detroit, Michigan

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Famous Deaths

1776 – Thomas Hickey, American sergeant convicted of treason, hanged
1846 – Adriaan van den Ende, Dutch vicar and educationalist, dies at 77
1963 – John ‘Home Run’ Baker, American Baseball HOF third baseman (World Series 1910, 11, 13; AL HR leader 1911–14; AL RBI leader 1912, 13; Philadelphia A’s), dies at 77
1971 – Henri Puvrez, Belgian sculptor (Serenity), dies at 78
2007 – Kiichi Miyazawa, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (1991-93), dies at 87
2015 – Jack Carter [Chakrin], American comedian and actor, dies at 93

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Historical Events

992 – Battle of Conquereuil won by the Count of Anjou, Fulk the Black, defeating Conan I, Count of Brittany, in western France
1915 – Dutch SDAP demonstrates against conscription
1939 – 1st night game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Indians 5, Tigers 0)
1962 – In South Africa, the General Law Amendment Act (Sabotage Act) No 76 commences, increasing the state president’s power to declare organisations unlawful and to add further restrictions to banning orders
1976 – “Pacific Overtures” closes at Winter Garden NYC after 193 performances
1986 – South African Journalist and founder of the ‘New Nation’ newspaper, Zwelakhe Sisulu is abducted; he was released 721 days later on 2 December 1988

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Famous Birthdays

1833 – Władysław Zaremba, Ukrainian pianist and composer, born in Dunajowce, Ukraine (d. 1902)
1907 – Valerie Cossart, British actress (Hartmans), born in London, England (d. 1994)
1916 – Robert Normann, Norwegian jazz guitar pioneer, accordionist, and composer, born in Borge, Østfold, Norway (d. 1998)
1951 – Mary McAleese, 8th President of Ireland (1997-2011), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
1959 – Janusz Kamiński, Polish cinematographer (Schindler’s List), born in Ziębice, Poland
1971 – Brant Boyer, American football linebacker (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Ogden, Utah

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Famous Deaths

1627 – John Hayward, English historian
1785 – Egbert de Free Temminck, Amsterdam regent, dies at 84
1985 – Jane Ross [Breslaw], American actress (Star Trek, Rocket Attack U.S.A., Wild Is My Love), dies at 53
1999 – Marion Motley, American NFL fullback (all-time leading AAFC rusher), dies at 79
2012 – Don Grady [Agrati], American actor (Robbie Douglas-My Three Sons), dies from cancer at 68
2020 – Ilija Petković, Serbian soccer midfielder (43 caps, Yugoslavia; Troyes, OFK Beograd) and manager (Serbia and Montenegro), dies from COVID-19 at 74

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Historical Events

1925 – “The Gold Rush”, directed, starring and written by Charlie Chaplin, is released
1936 – 1st flight of Fw61 helicopter
1940 – End of USSR experimental calendar; Gregorian readopted 6/27
1964 – Moise Tsjombe forms government in Congo
1977 – Tim Severin aboard the Brendan reaches Newfoundland in attempt to prove sixth-century Irish monks could have voyaged across the Atlantic
2018 – Polio outbreak confirmed in New Guinea by WHO, 18 years after it was declared free of the disease

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – “Big” Bill Broonzy, American blues singer and guitarist (Blues by Broonzy), born in Scott, Mississippi (d. 1958)
1895 – George Hainsworth, Canadian ice hockey goaltender (first NHL goaltender to record 20 shutouts in one season; Montreal Canadiens), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 1950)
1895 – Jankel Adler, Polish painter and printmaker, born in Tuszyn, Łódź, Poland (d. 1949)
1915 – Willard “Home Run” Brown, American Baseball HOF outfielder (NgL World Series 1942; 6 x NgL All-Star Kansas City Monarchs; MLB: St. Louis Browns), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 1996)
1920 – June Preisser, American acrobatic dancer and actress (Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1984)
1979 – Walter Herrmann, Argentinian basketball player (Olympic 2004 gold), born in Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe, Argentina

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Famous Deaths

1541 – Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire is assassinated in Lima by the son of his former companion and later antagonist, Diego Almagro the younger. Almagro is later caught and executed.
1922 – Albert H K, monarch of Monaco (1889-1922), dies at 73
1946 – Yosuke Matsuoka, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (b. 1880)
1982 – Sandy Powell, English comedian, dies at 82
1993 – Jack Bittner, entertainer, dies
2009 – Erhard Karkoschka, German composer, conductor (Contac-Ensemble), educator, and music scholar, dies at 86

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