Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1661 – Isaac Newton admitted as a student to Trinity College, Cambridge
1879 – 13th Belmont: George Evans riding Spendthrift wins in 2:42.75
1884 – William Sherman refuses Republican presidential nomination saying “I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected”
1913 – Dutch Disability laws go into effect
1957 – NY narcotics investigator, Dr Herbert Berger, urges AMA to investigate use of stimulating drugs by athletes
1993 – “Livin’ On The Edge” by Aerosmith hits #18

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Famous Birthdays

1736 – Corneille-François de Nélis, Flemish scholar and bishop of Antwerp, born in Mechelen, Belgium (d. 1798)
1819 – John Couch Adams, English astronomer (co-discoverer of Neptune), born in Laneast, Launceston, Cornwall (d. 1892)
1884 – Ivy Compton-Burnett, English novelist (Manservant and Maidservant), born in Pinner, Middlesex, England (d. 1969)
1935 – Peter Schat, Dutch opera composer (Labyrint, Houdine, Symposion), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 2003)
1949 – Ken Follett, Welsh spy author (Eye of the Needle, Lie Down with Lions), born in Cardiff, Wales
1973 – Gella Vandecaveye, Belgian judoka, born in Kortrijk, Belgium

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Famous Deaths

1017 – Sanjō, 67th Emperor of Japan (1011-16), dies at 42
1568 – Philips van Montmorency count of Horne, admiral/statesman, beheaded
1825 – Odysseas Androutsos, hero in the Greek War of Independence (Chani of Gravia,), executed for supposedly collaborating with the Ottomans at 37
1999 – Mel Tormé, American singer (The Velvet Fog) and composer (The Christmas Song), dies at 73
2002 – Gwen Plumb, Australian actress (The Young Doctors), dies at 89
2015 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi politician and close adviser to Saddam Hussein, dies at 79

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Historical Events

1892 – Oil City and Titusville, Pennsylvania, destroyed by oil tank explosion; 130 die
1928 – French Championship Women’s Tennis: Helen Wills beats England’s Eileen Bennett 6-1, 6-2 for her first of 4 French singles titles
1928 – President of the Republic of China Zhang Zuolin is assassinated by Japanese agents
1940 – 1st night game at Forbes Field (Pirates 14, Braves 2)
1966 – Novelty single “Batman and His Grandmother” by Dickie Goodman hits #70
1988 – 42nd Tony Awards: “M. Butterfly” (play) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (musical) win

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Famous Birthdays

1754 – Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach, Austrian astronomer, born in Pest, Hungary (d. 1832)
1803 – Gabriel J. Rains, American army officer, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in New Bern, North Carolina (d. 1881)
1914 – Willy-August Linnemann, Danish writer and journalist, born in Harrislee, Germany (d. 1985)
1926 – Nan Leslie [Nan Coppage], American actress (Kings Row, The Californians), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2000)
1958 – Tony Pigott, English cricketer (England pace bowler in a Test v NZ 1984), born in Fulham, London, England
1966 – Cecilia Bartoli, Italian mezzo-soprano, born in Rome, Italy

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Famous Deaths

1135 – Huizong, 8th Emperor of Song Dynasty of China, dies at 53
1983 – Ivan Tors, Hungarian TV producer (Sea Hunt, Flipper), dies at 66
1997 – Ronnie Lane, British rock bassist (Small Faces), dies of multiple sclerosis at 51
2007 – Clete Boyer, American MLB baseball infielder, 1955-71 (New York Yankees, and 2 other teams), dies at 70
2007 – Freddie Scott, American singer and songwriter (“Cry To Me”), dies at 74
2007 – Jim Clark, American sheriff and segregationist (b. 1922)

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Historical Events

1658 – Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France
1861 – 1st American Civil War land battle: Union forces defeat the Confederacy at Philippi in modern-day West Virginia
1913 – Dutch 1st Chamber accepts Health laws
1925 – Goodyear airship “Pilgrim” is the first to have an enclosed cabin
1948 – Musical “Sleepy Hollow”, based on Washington Irving’s novel, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances
2014 – President Obama announces his plan for a $1 billion fund to increase deployment of US troops to Europe

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Famous Birthdays

1868 – (Ivar) Henning Mankell, Swedish pianist and composer, born in Härnösand, Sweden (d. 1930)
1888 – Tom Brown, American dixieland jazz trombonist, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1958)
1900 – Gerard den Brabander [Jan G Jofriet], Dutch poet (Nothing New) (d. 1968)
1923 – Igor Shafarevich, Russian mathematician, born in Zhitomir, Ukraine (d. 2017)
1936 – David Nicholls, English Anglican priest, theologian and political theorist, born in Woking, England (d. 1996)
1947 – Mike Burgmann, Australian racing driver (d. 1986)

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Famous Deaths

1844 – Louis Antoine, French Duke of Angoulême and General of France, dies at 68
1881 – Japanese giant salamander, dies in Dutch zoo at 55; oldest amphibian
1898 – Samuel Plimsoll, English politician and social reformer (invented Plimsoll line for ships), dies at 74
1959 – Ole Windingstad, Norwegian conductor (Brooklyn’s Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra, 1913-39), pianist and composer, dies after a heart attack at 73
1994 – Jack Cowie, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (9 Tests, 45 wickets; Auckland CA) and umpire (3 Tests 1956–59), dies at 82
2017 – Jimmy Piersall, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1954, 56; his bipolar disorder subject book and film, “Fear Strikes Out”), dies at 87

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Historical Events

1901 – Benjamin Adams arrested for playing golf on Sunday (NY)
1932 – Fisherman George W. Perry catches the world record largemouth bass, weighing in at 22 pounds, 4 ounces, at Lake Montgomery, Georgia
1943 – German assault on Sebastopol, Crimea, begins
1947 – Monte Carlo and Alma Sanders’ musical “Louisiana Lady” opens at Century Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
1990 – “Turtle Power” by Partners In Kryme hits #13
1991 – Three Andrettis finished 1-2-3 in the Miller 200 at Wisconsin

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Famous Birthdays

1802 – Adrian van der Hoop Jr, Dutch poet and critic (d. 1841)
1936 – Sally Kellerman, American actress (M*A*S*H (film); Back to School; The Player), and singer, born in Long Beach, California (d. 2022)
1943 – Maarten B Engwirda, Dutch 2nd Chamber member (D66)
1956 – Malcolm Garrett, English graphic designer
1963 – Norm Lewis, American stage and screen actor and singer, born in Tallahassee, Florida
1972 – Wayne Brady, American actor and comedian (The Wayne Brady Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), born in Columbus, Georgia

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Famous Deaths

1873 – François George-Hainl, French cellist and composer, dies at 65
1940 – Willem Roelofs, Dutch painter and cartoonist, dies at 66
1974 – Hiroshi Kazato, Japanese racing driver, dies at 25
1988 – Horace Hildreth, American politician (Gov-Maine, 1945-49) and U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan (1953-57), dies at 85
1990 – Robert Noyce, American inventor (co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation in 1968), dies at 62
2013 – John Gilbert, British politician and Minister (Labour), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1848 – Revolutionary newspaper “Neue Rheinische Zeitung” founded by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and the Communist League in Cologne
1923 – New York Giants rout Philadelphia Phillies, 22-5 at the Baker Bowl; first time in 20th century a MLB team has scored in every inning
1939 – Retired German Colonel-general Gerd von Runstedt returns to service
1943 – Germany shoots down a civilian flight from Lisbon to London, 13 passengers, included actor Leslie Howard, and 4 crew die
1953 – WDAY TV channel 6 in Fargo, ND (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
2022 – Turkey officially changes its name to Türkiye at the United Nations and internationally

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Famous Birthdays

1503 – Wilhelm von Grumbach, German adventurer (tried to incite German Knights against Holy Roman Empire), born in Rimpar (d. 1567)
1833 – John Marshall Harlan, American lawyer and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1877-1911), born in Boyle County, Kentucky (d. 1911)
1892 – Samuel L M Barlow II, American composer (Mon Ami Pierrot), born in NYC, New York (d. 1982)
1917 – William S. Knowles, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate, (d. 2012)
1979 – Markus Persson, Swedish video game programmer (Mojang; Minecraft), born in Stockholm, Sweden
1981 – Carlos Zambrano, Venezuelan baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 2004, 06, 08; NL wins leader 2006; no-hitter 2008), born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela

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Famous Deaths

1935 – Alberto Cametti, Italian composer, dies at 64
1943 – Leslie Howard [Stainer], British actor (Gone With The Wind; Of Human Bondage), dies after Nazis shoot down his plane at 50
1952 – John Dewey, American philosopher (Common Faith), dies at 92
1968 – [Johan] Erik Lindegren, Swedish poet/interpreter, dies at 57
1969 – Michiyo Tsujimura, Japanese agricultural scientist and biochemist (components of green tea), dies at 81
1997 – Nikolai Tikhonov, Soviet politician (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union 1980-85), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1868 – 1st Memorial Day parade held in Ironton, Ohio
1880 – League of American Wheelmen (1st US bicycle association), forms in Newport, Rhode Island
1953 – Lebanese president Camille Shamun disbands government
1961 – US President John F. Kennedy visits Charles de Gaulle in Paris
1992 – 46th Tony Awards: “Dancing at Lughnasa” (play) and “Crazy For You” (musical) win
2018 – Danish government bans garments that cover the face, including the niqab and burqa

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Famous Birthdays

1921 – Robert Arthur Ley, English sci-fi author (Telepath, Power of X) (d. 1968)
1955 – Joe Longthorne, English singer, impressionist, and television presenter, born in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 2019)
1962 – Sebastian Koch, German actor
1983 – David Hernandez, American pop singer (American Idol), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player (first three-time slam dunk champion), born in Seattle, Washington
1986 – Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian pop-electronic singer, born in Batumi, Adjara, Georgian SSR

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Famous Deaths

1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French writer (b. 1805)
1981 – Barbara Ward, English economist and writer (Only One Earth), dies at 67
2010 – William A. Fraker, American cinematographer (b. 1923)
2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealander filmmaker (Mauri, Patu!), dies at 67
2013 – Tim Samaras, American tornado chaser, dies from tornado injuries at 55
2020 – Bob Bennett, American College Baseball Hall of Fame coach (Fresno State 1970-2002; record 1,302-759-4), dies at 86

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Historical Events

1868 – “Decoration Day”, later called Memorial Day is first observed in Northern US states
1913 – Treaty of London signed by the Great Powers, the Ottoman Empire and the victorious Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Kingdom of Bulgaria, and Montenegro) bringing an end to the First Balkan War
1933 – Patent on invisible glass installation
1954 – Hector Villa-Lobos’ “Odisseia de Uma Raca” premieres
1981 – Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman is shot by group of rebel officers
1993 – Indianapolis 500: Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi passes reigning F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell with 16 laps to go for his second race win

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Famous Birthdays

1901 – Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and writer (When Our Hearts Were Young and Gay), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1979)
1902 – Seton Lloyd, English Archaeologist (Arzawa civilization, Turkey), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1996)
1910 – Inge Meysel, German actress (None, Ida Rogalski), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2004)
1926 – Edouard Van Remoortel, Belgian conductor (1958-62 St Louis Symphony), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1977)
1963 – Helen Patricia Sharman, Great Britain, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-12)
1964 – Andrea Montermini, Italian racing driver

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Famous Deaths

1940 – Y de Smit-Rog, oldest citizen of Netherlands, dies at 104
1989 – Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (Ljubljana Opera 1927, NY Metropolitan Opera), dies of a stroke at 83
1992 – Daniel Addes, actor (Victor-Sunst Grill), dies at 59
1995 – Lofty England, English automotive engineer and race team manager (b.1911)
1997 – West Arkeen, American musician, best known for co-writing several Guns N’ Roses songs (It’s So Easy, The Garden), dies of a drug overdose at 36
2019 – Leon Redbone [Dickran Gobalian], American blues and jazz musician (“Seduced”; Theme to Mr. Belvedere), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1576 – Spanish army under Cristóbal de Mondragón conquers Zierik sea
1721 – South Carolina formally incorporated as a royal colony
1971 – “Court Room” by Clarence Carter hits #61
1983 – Yuri Dumchev of USSR throws discus a record 71.86 m
2018 – Heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan, kills 65 as temperatures soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit
2019 – Transgender no longer classified as a mental health illness by the World Health Organization

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian road cyclist, politician (multi-distance world records), born in Rochester, Victoria (d. 1996)
1907 – Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide), born in Dublin (d. 1995)
1911 – James Marjoribanks, British ambassador to the European Economic Community, born in Colinton, Scotland (d. 2002)
1953 – Big Daddy Graham [Edward Gudonis], American comedian, writer, actor, recording artist, and radio personality, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2021)
1975 – Mel B {Melanie Brown], English pop singer “Scary Spice” (Spice Girls), and television personality (America’s Got Talent; X-FActor), born in Leeds, England
1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player (Davis Cup 2001; world #4 2002), born in Marseille, France

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Famous Deaths

1968 – Jacques Chardonne [Boutelleau], French writer (l’Epithalame), dies at 84
1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician (b. 1893)
1979 – John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (b. 1916)
1994 – Erich Honecker, German politician, Head of State of East Germany (1971-89), dies in Chile at 81
2003 – David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer, dies at 30
2004 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and special prosecutor (Watergate), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1937 – Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic
1953 – Premier of 1st animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor-“Melody”
1961 – Amnesty International founded in London (Nobel Peace Prize 1977)
1974 – 26th Emmy Awards: M*A*S*H, Alan Alda and Mary Tyler Moore win, 1st Daytime Award presentation and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” wins 5 awards, including Cicely Tyson for Dramatic Performance
1989 – Indianapolis 500: Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil first foreign winner since 1966; completes final lap under caution after crashing with Al Unser Jr
1993 – 200,000 demonstrate against mafia terror

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Famous Birthdays

1851 – Dick Barlow, English cricket all-rounder (17 Tests, 2 x 50, 34 wickets, BB 7/40; Lancashire CCC), born in Bolton, England (d. 1919)
1928 – Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and band leader, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2019)
1957 – Ben Howland, American college basketball coach, born in Lebanon, Oregon
1959 – Bernardine Evaristo, English writer (“Girl, Woman, Other” – 1st woman of Black heritage to win the Booker Prize), born in London, England
1970 – Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (d. 2002)
1986 – Seth Rollins [Colby Lopez], American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Buffalo, Iowa

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Famous Deaths

1672 – John Trevor, English politician (b. 1626)
1685 – Pieter de la Court, economist/historian, dies at about 67
1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dies at 67
1996 – Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83
2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (b. 1920)
2008 – David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938)

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Historical Events

308 – Marcellus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope, serving until his death in 309
1960 – Military coup overthrows democratic government of Turkey
1965 – 10th European Cup Final, San Siro, Milan: Jair da Costa scores winner as defending champions Internazionale beat Benfica, 1-0
1967 – James Lipton and Laurence Rosenthal’s musical “Sherry!”, based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s play “The Man Who Came to Dinner” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 72 performances
1981 – 34th Cannes Film Festival: “Man of Iron” directed by Andrzej Wajda wins the Palme d’Or
2018 – IPL Cricket Final, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets; Shane Watson top scores, 117 no (57); SK’s 3rd IPL title

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Famous Birthdays

1861 – Victoria Earle Matthews, American author and activist, born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1907)
1884 – Max Brod, Czech-born Israeli composer, writer, and biographer of Kafka, born in Prague (d. 1968)
1911 – Torolf Elster, Norwegian journalist and writer (Frihet och demokrati), born in Kristiania, Norway (d. 2006)
1947 – Liana Alexandra, Romanian pianist and composer, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2011)
1967 – Doug West, NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
1970 – Tim Farron, British politician

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Famous Deaths

1580 – Jonker Barthold Entens van Mentheda until Middelstum, dies
1902 – Jan Ferguut [Jan van Droogenbroeck], Belgian poet, dies at 67
1972 – Roy K. Marshall, American astronomer and TV scientist (Nature of Things), dies at 64
2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese pop singer (Zard – “Makenaide (Please Don’t Lose)”), dies from head injuries after a fall, while undergoing cancer treatments at 40
2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-born British economist (Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences 2003), dies at 74
2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (b. 1974)

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