Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1943 – Allies conquer Soussa, North-Africa
1954 – Belgian Van Houtte government resigns
1982 – 3 CBS employees shot to death in NYC parking lot
2002 – Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the military coup against Hugo Chávez.
2024 – Music festival Coachella kicks off, headlined by Lana Del Ray, Tyler The Creator, Doja Cat and No Doubt

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Famous Birthdays

1777 – Henry Clay, American politician known as “the Great Compromiser”, Speaker of the House, Senator and Secretary of State (1825-29), born in Hanover County, Virginia (d. 1852)
1839 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian naturalist and explorer (East and Central Asia), born in Kimborovo, Russia (d. 1888) (OS 31 March)
1899 – Chief Thundercloud [Victor Daniels], Cherokee actor (The Lone Ranger; Colt .45), born in Muskogee, Indian Territory (d. 1955)
1912 – Harold Maguire, British air marshal, born in Kilkishen, Ireland (d. 2001)
1953 – Tony James, English rock bassist (Sigue Sigue Sputnik – Love Missile F-111), born in Shepherds Bush, London

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Famous Deaths

352 – Julius I, pope (337-52), dies
1788 – Carl Joseph Toeschi, German composer, dies at 56
1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Quebec, dies at 78
1981 – Hans Chemin-Petit, German composer, dies at 78
1996 – Marthe Robert, French essayist and translator who influenced Sigmund Freud, dies at 82

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Historical Events

1564 – Liege Prince-Bishop Robert van Bergen resigns
1868 – The Shogunate is abolished in Japan
1972 – Fantasy Records releases “Mardi Gras”, the seventh and final studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival
1999 – Neil Jenkins converts a Scott Gibbs try to give Wales a famous, 32-31 win over England at Wembley Stadium; allows Scotland to win final Five Nations Rugby Championship; reverts to 6 teams in 2000
2019 – Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft, the first privately-funded mission to the moon, crashes on the moon

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Famous Birthdays

1838 – Joseph Leopold Röckel, German-British composer, music publisher, and teacher, born in London, England (d. 1908)
1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian Prime Minister (1970-72), born in Potenza, Basilicata (d. 2013)
1930 – Joseph Burnett-Stuart, British CEO (Robert Fleming Holdings), born in the UK (d. 2010)
1951 – Françoise Hampson, British academic and human rights lawyer, born in Bolton, England (d. 2025)
1955 – Michael Callen, American AIDS activist, singer-songwriter, and author, born in Rising Sun, Indiana (d. 1993)

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Famous Deaths

1839 – John Galt, Scottish novelist (Annals of the Parish), dies at 59
1961 – Francis de Bourguignon, Belgian pianist (accompanist to Nellie Melba), and contemporary classical composer, dies at 70
1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian post-war communist leader and dictator of Albania (1944-85), dies at 76
1991 – Tom Rosqui, American stage and screen character actor (The Godfather – “Rocco Lampone”), dies of cancer at 62
2016 – Emile Ford, Caribbean-born British singer and engineer (first black male singer to top UK charts), dies at 78

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Historical Events

1916 – The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) is founded in New York City
1962 – Houston Colt .45s make their MLB debut with an 11-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Colt Stadium; outfielder Román Mejías hits a pair of 3-run homers
1974 – Golda Meir resigns as Israel’s Prime Minister
2005 – At 16 years, 271 days James Vaughan scores for Everton in a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park; becomes youngest goalscorer in EPL history
2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board including President Lech Kaczyński

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Famous Birthdays

1569 – Emilia van Nassau, daughter of William I of Orange and Anna of Saxony, born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1629)
1704 – Benjamin Heath, English classical scholar, born in Exeter, Devon, England (d. 1766)
1833 – James Edward Rains, American lawyer and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1862)
1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Montreal, Quebec
1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano and UNICEF ambassador, born in Christchurch, New Zealand

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Famous Deaths

1956 – Clarence Beaumont, 1st batter in 1st World Series, dies at 75
1968 – Gustavs Celmins, Latvian politician, dies at 69
1989 – Joan Barry, dies at 85
1992 – Cecil “Cec” Linder, Polish-Canadian actor (Goldfinger, Quatermass and the Pit), dies at 71
2010 – Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish statesman is killed in the crash of a Polish Air Force Tu-154 at 90

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Historical Events

1595 – Spanish Mendaña and Queirós Expedition departs Callao, Peru, led by Alvaro de Mendan accompanied by 378 men, women and children in four ships to colonise the Solomon Islands (find Marquesas instead)
1914 – “World, the Flesh and the Devil,” the first color film, is shown in London
1973 – Otto Kerner, former governor of Illinois, convicted for his role in an illegal racetrack scheme
2017 – Suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia kills at least 17, Al-Shabaab group claim responsibility
2024 – Simon Harris becomes Ireland’s youngest taoiseach at 37 after the resignation of Leo Varadkar

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Famous Birthdays

1773 – Étienne Aignan, French writer, born in Beaugency, France (d. 1824)
1895 – Rudolf Kattnigg, Austrian composer, born in Carinthia, Austria (d. 1955)
1917 – Vincent O’Brien, Irish racehorse trainer (6 x Epsom Derby; 2 x British champion trainer; only British Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky 1970), born in Churchtown, Ireland (d. 2009)
1946 – Alan Knott, English cricket wicket-keeper (1967-81), born in Belvedere, Kent
1967 – Graeme Lloyd, Australian baseball pitcher (World Series 1996, 98 NY Yankees; Olympic silver 2004), born in Geelong, Australia

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Famous Deaths

1865 – Thomas Alfred Smyth, Irish/US Union general-major, dies at 32
1879 – Ernst Richter, German musical theorist and composer, dies at 70
1882 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English Pre-Raphaelite poet and painter, dies at 53
1992 – Ruth Hammond, American Broadway actress, dies in her sleep at 96
2020 – Jocelyn Barrow, British race relations campaigner (Card) and 1st black female governor of the BBC, dies at 90

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Historical Events

1796 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, proves the quadratic reciprocity law (the ability to determine the solvability of any quadratic equation in modular arithmetic)
1963 – Detroit Tigers claim young pitcher Denny McLain on waivers from the Chicago White Sox; McLain goes on the win Cy Young Award 1968, 69 and American League MVP 1968
1964 – Unmanned Gemini 1 launched
1966 – American Football League votes in 36-year-old Al Davis as commissioner after Joe Foss resigns; appointment lasts 3 months when AFL merges with NFL
2007 – 71st US Masters Tournament: Zach Johnson wins his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods

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Famous Birthdays

1902 – Arthur Wellard, English cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 7 wickets, BB 4/81; Somerset CCC), born in Southfleet, England (d. 1980)
1921 – Jan Novák, Czech classical composer and contemporary Latin poet, born in Nová Říše, Moravia, First Czechoslovak Republic (d. 1984)
1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh, actor (Family Way, Shelley), born in Garnant, Wales (d. 2017)
1966 – Mark Blundell, British auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1992), born in London, England
1984 – Kirsten Storms, American actress (General Hospital; Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century), born in Orlando, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1537 – Willem Aerts, Flemish architect and sculptor (Bruges School), dies
1942 – Alfred Mombert, German poet, dies at 70
1994 – François Rozet, French Canadian actor (b. 1899)
1997 – Charles Hayes, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1983-93), dies at 79
1997 – Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter (“Wedding Bell Blues”; “Stoned Soul Picnic”; “And When I Die”), dies of ovarian cancer at 49

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Historical Events

611 – Forces from Maya city Calakmul invade and conquer the neighbouring city of Palenque, holding it as a vassal state for five years
1865 – Battle of Farmville, Virginia
1979 – Houston Astro Ken Forsch no-hits Atlanta Braves, 6-0, becoming with his brother Bob Forsch the only MLB siblings to accomplish the feat
1983 – WIBC Championship Tournament in Las Vegas, attracts 75,480 women bowlers for 83-day event
2022 – Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi transfers power to an eight-member council to negotiate with the Houthis in attempt to end country’s seven-year civil war

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Famous Birthdays

1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist known for his work on plant classifications, born in Aix-en Provence, France (d. 1806)
1873 – John McGraw, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder/manager (manager NY Giants World Series champions 1905, 21-22), born in Truxton, New York (d. 1934)
1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricket spin bowler (14 Tests; 74 wickets @ 17.97; Queensland, Victoria), born in Pine Mountain, Australia (d. 1971)
1889 – Gabriela Mistral [Lucila Godoy Alcayaga], Chilean poet (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1945), educator and diplomat, born in Vicuña, Chile (d. 1957)
1909 – Robert Charroux, French writer (Legacy of the Gods, The Mysterious Past), born in Payroux, France (d. 1978)

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Famous Deaths

1880 – Diederich Krug, German pianist and composer (Le petit Chevalier), dies at 60
1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian Soviet economist (Father of linear programming, Nobel Prize for Economics 1975), dies at 74
1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban baseball player, dies at 73
2020 – Herb Stempel, American game show contestant and television industry whistleblower (Twenty-One), dies at 93
2023 – Ian Bairnson, Scottish session and touring guitarist (Alan Parsons Project; Kate Bush), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1924 – Italy fascists receives 65% of vote of parliament
1976 – 1st quadrophonic movie track: “Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones”
1977 – Judge rules Beatles 1962 Hamburg album can be released
1987 – Middleweight World Boxing Championship bout: Sugar Ray Leonard upsets Marvelous Marvin Hagler at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada
1997 – The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Gil Morgan wins first of 3 Champions Tour majors by 6 strokes from Isao Aoki

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Leonora Carrington, British-Mexican Surrealist artist, born in Clayton-le-Woods, England (d. 2011)
1928 – James Watson, American molecular biologist who co-discovered DNA’s structure, with Francis Crick (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, 1962), geneticist and zoologist, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2025)
1929 – Art Taylor, American jazz drummer (Bud Powell, Red Garland, John Coltrane, Donald Byrd), bandleader (Taylor’s Wailers), and writer (Notes and Tones), born in New York City (d. 1995)
1968 – Vanessa Lann, American composer (Dancing to an Orange Drummer), born in Brooklyn, New York
1996 – Myha’la [Herrold], American actress (Industry, Leave the World Behind), born in San Jose, California

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Famous Deaths

1348 – Laure de Noves, “Petrarch’s Laura”, Italian muse of poet Petrarch, wife of Count Hugues II de Sade, dies of the plague at about 38 (b. 1310)
1998 – Tammy Wynette [Virginia Pugh], American country singer (“Stand By Your Man”), dies at 55
2004 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets), dies of a heart attack at 66
2019 – Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, American Democratic Senator from South Carolina (1966-2005) and Governor of South Carolina (1959-63), dies at 97
2020 – James Drury, American actor (The Virginian), dies of natural causes at 85

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Historical Events

1881 – Transvaal regains independence under British suzerainty
1946 – 100th Grand National: Capt. Robert Petre wins aboard 25/1 shot Lovely Cottage; first true GN since 1940 due to World War II; last on a Friday
2012 – Severe storms in Argentina kill 14 people
2012 – International internet group Anonymous hack several Chinese bureaus in opposition to censorship
2016 – 35th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut defeats Syracuse, 82–51; Huskies’ power forward Breanna Stewart, 24 points

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Famous Birthdays

1830 – Alexander Muir, Scottish-Canadian composer (The Maple Leaf Forever), born in Lesmahagow, Scotland (d. 1906)
1920 – Rafiq Zakaria, Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric, born in Nala Sopara, British India (d. 2005)
1943 – Max Gail, American Emmy Award winning actor (Barney Miller – “Wojo”; D.C. Cab: General Hospital; 42), born in Detroit, Michigan
1950 – Paul Oscher, American blues musician (Muddy Waters Blues Band), born in Brooklyn, New York
1973 – Spencer Folau, Tongan, American football offensive lineman (Baltimore Ravens), born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

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Famous Deaths

1723 – Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Austrian Baroque architect under the Habsburgs (Schönbrunn Palace), dies at 66
1735 – William Derham, English clergyman, natural theologian and scientist, dies at 77
1935 – Emil Młynarski, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 64
2023 – Ian McIntosh, Zimbabwean rugby union coach (South Africa 1993-94; Natal), dies at 84
2025 – Heikki Hasu, Finnish Nordic skier (Olympic gold individual 1948, 4×10k relay 1952; silver individual 1952), dies at 99

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Historical Events

1655 – Battle of Porto Farina: English fleet defeats Barbary corsairs in Tunis
1974 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s home run record by hitting his 714th in Cincinnati against Jack Billingham
1983 – 45th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston, 54-52; Wolfpack win with buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation 30 foot shot from Dereck Whittenburg
2022 – Economist Rodrigo Chaves elected President of Costa Rica defeating current president José María Figueres
2022 – Ukrainian government begins a war crimes investigation after 410 civilians found killed after the withdrawal of Russian forces from around Kyiv

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Famous Birthdays

1802 – Dorothea Dix, American pioneering nurse and social activist who created the first American mental asylums, born in Hampden, Maine (d. 1887)
1933 – Frits Bolkestein, Dutch politician (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), born in Amsterdam
1953 – Susan Alcorn, American pedal steel guitarist and avant garde composer, born in Allentown, Pennsylvania (d. 2025)
1977 – Omarr Smith, American football defensive back, born in Chicago, Illinois
1983 – Angelle Tymon, American journalist and TV game show host (PlayMania Block), born in Lutcher, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1994 – Olga Lowina, Dutch yodeler (Edelweisskapel), dies at 69
1999 – Early Wynn, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Cy Young Award 1959 Chicago WS; MLB wins leader 1954, 59; 9 x MLB All Star; Cleveland Indians), dies of a stroke at 79
2015 – Elmer Lach, Canadian Hockey HOF center (Stanley Cup 1944, 46, 53 Montreal Canadiens; Hart Trophy 1945; Art Ross Trophy 1948; 5 x NHL All Star), dies of a stroke at 97
2018 – Gertrude Jeannette, African American taxi driver, playwright and film and stage actress (Shaft, Cotton Comes to Harlem), dies at 103
2023 – Craig Breedlove, American auto racer (5 x world land speed record holder; first to reach 500mph (800km/h) and 600mph (970km/h), dies of cancer at 86

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Historical Events

1956 – German war criminals Hinrichsen, Ruhl, Siebens and Viebahn freed
1960 – 7.0 earthquake felt in Havre, Belgium
1964 – The Beatles hold top 6 spots on the record chart in Sydney, Australia
1989 – New York Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener 8-4 over the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium
2016 – ANA Inspiration Women’s Golf, Mission Hills CC: Lydia Ko of New Zealand wins by 1 from Charley Hull and Chun In-gee for her second major title

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Famous Birthdays

1922 – Ted Ashley [Theodore Assofsky], American talent agent and chairman of Warner Brothers (1969-80), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1941 – Joel Krosnick, American cellist and member of the Juilliard String Quartet (1974-2016), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2025)
1941 – Carl Boenish, American father of BASE jumping, born in New Castle, Pennsylvania (d. 1984)
1944 – Barry Pritchard, British rock guitarist (Fortunes – “You’ve Got Your Troubles”; “Here It Comes Again”; “This Golden Ring”), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1999)
1960 – Marie Denise Pelletier, Canadian pop singer (Entre la tête et le cœur), born in Montréal, Québec

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Famous Deaths

1876 – Henriette Davidis, German cookery writer (Practical Cookbook), dies at 75
1993 – Pinky Lee, American children’s show host (Pinky Lee Show), dies of a heart attack at 85
2002 – Fad Gadget [Francis Tovey], English singer and musician, dies of a heart attack at 45
2007 – Marion Eames, Welsh novelist, dies at 86
2015 – Sarah Brady, American gun-control activist, dies at 73

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