Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1843 – 1st time African-Americans participate in a national political convention (Liberty Party)
1918 – Czechoslovakia forms independent republic
1954 – Hurricane Carol kills 68 on the US East Coast
1983 – 8th NASA Space Shuttle Mission: Challenger 3 launches for a 6-day excursion
1986 – Soviet authorities arrested Nicholas Daniloff (US News World Report)
1987 – Yves Pol of France runs complete marathon backwards (3:57:57)

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Famous Birthdays

1809 – Adolf Friedrich Hesse, German composer, born in Wrocław, Poland (d. 1863)
1913 – Thomas F. Torrance, Scottish Protestant theologist, born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China (d. 2007)
1918 – Ted Williams, American Baseball HOF outfielder (last player to bat over .400 in single season; 19 x MLB All Star; AL MVP 1946, 49; Triple Crown 1942, 47 Boston Red Sox), born in San Diego, California (d. 2002)
1921 – Angelo Dundee, American boxing trainer and cornerman (Muhammad Ali 1960–81 and 15 other world boxing champions), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
1963 – Paul Oakenfold, British record producer and DJ, born in Mile End, London
1966 – Michael Michele, American actress (Nikki-Central Park West), born in Evansville, Indiana

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Famous Deaths

1580 – Emanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1553-80, regained lands of Savoy), dies at 52
1981 – Vera-Ellen [Westmeier Rohe], American actress and dancer (White Christmas; Big Leaguer; On the Town), dies of cancer at 60
1984 – Wesley Lau, American actor (Lt Anderson-Perry Mason), dies at 63
1989 – Joe Collins, American baseball first baseman (World Series 1949–53, 56; New York Yankees), dies at 66
2007 – Charles Vanik, American politician (Rep-D-Ohio 1955-81), dies at 94
2008 – Tommy Bolt, American golfer (US Open 1958), dies at 92

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Historical Events

1930 – The last 36 remaining inhabitants of St Kilda are voluntarily evacuated to other parts of Scotland.
1967 – Yanks longest day, Red Sox take 1st game 2-1 in 9, Yanks win 2nd game in 20, 4-3 a total of 8 hours and 19 minutes
1987 – Houston Astro MLB player Nolan Ryan passes the 200-strikeout barrier for record 11th time
1992 – Irish rock band U2 plays the 1st of two sold-out nights at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, NYC
2011 – “Tha Carter IV” 9th studio album by Lil Wayne is released
2012 – Banana Spider venom is found to be effective in relieving erectile dysfunction

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Famous Birthdays

1843 – David B. Hill, American politician and Governor of New York (1885-91), born in Montour Falls, New York (d. 1910)
1844 – Edward Carpenter, English poet and philosopher (Civilisation, Its Cause and Cure), born in Hove, Sussex, England (d. 1929)
1905 – Arndt Pekurinen, Finnish pacifist, executed without a trial for his beliefs, born in Juva, Finland (d. 1941)
1954 – Julio Fernandez, Cuban-American jazz guitarist (Spyro Gyra, 1984-present), born in Havana, Cuba
1963 – Elizabeth Fraser, Scottish singer (Cocteau Twins – “Heaven OR Las Vegas”), born in Grangemouth, Scotland
1974 – Jay Onrait, Canadian sports broadcaster (TSN, Fox Sports 1), born in Athabasca, Alberta

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Famous Deaths

1893 – Aleksey Apukhtin, Russian poet (Stichotvorenia), dies at 52 [OS=8/17]
1931 – David Abercrombie, Abercrombie and Fitch founder, dies at 64
1980 – Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, French politician and Nazi collaborator (anti-Semite minister in WWII Vichy government), dies at 92
1987 – Lee Marvin, American actor (Paint Your Wagon, Cat Ballou), dies of a heart attack at 63
2002 – Alan MacNaughtan, Scottish actor (To Serve Them All My Days), dies at 82
2007 – Pierre Messmer, French politician (Prime Minister of France 1972-74 under Georges Pompidou), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1862 – Belle Boyd released from Old Capital Prison in Washington, D.C.
1921 – Babe Ruth starts streak of an extra-base hit in 9 straight games
1967 – Boston signs 1st free-agent outfielder Ken Harrelson for $75,000 bonus
1987 – Mike Schmidt passes Ted Williams and Willie McCovey with 522 HRs
1990 – Stefan Edberg (#1 seeded player) loses in 1st round to Alex Volkov
1994 – 1st Japanese gay pride parade

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Famous Birthdays

1842 – Willem Linnig The Younger, Flemish painter and graphic artist, born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1890)
1881 – Arne Eggen, Norwegian organist and composer, born in Trondheim, Norway (d. 1955)
1931 – John Shirley-Quirk, British operatic bass-baritone (Death in Venice), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2014)
1938 – Maurizio Costanzo, Italian television journalist (Maurizio Costanzo Show), born in Rome, Italy (d. 2023)
1947 – Alice Playton, American actress (Who Killed Mary Whats ‘er Name), born in NYC, New York
1970 – Jaime Fields, NFL/WLAF linebacker (KC Chiefs, Scotland Claymores), born in Compton, California (d. 1999)

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Famous Deaths

1539 – Lieven Pain, Flemish, beheaded at about 75
1654 – Axel Oxenstierna, Swedish statesman (Lord High Chancellor and regent of Sweden), dies at 71
1678 – John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, English soldier (b. 1602)
1757 – David Hartley, English philosopher and Founder of the Associationist School of Psychology, dies at 51
1839 – William Smith, British geologist who is credited with creating the first nationwide geological map (Strata Identified by Organized Fossils), dies at 70
1953 – Nikolai Golovanov, Russian conductor and composer (Bolshoi Opera), dies at 61

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Historical Events

1601 – Olivier van Noort completes first Dutch exploration of new world
1832 – Black Hawk, leader of Sauk-indians, gives himself up
1892 – NYC’s Metropolitan Opera House (opened in 1883) catches fire; takes two years to restore
1908 – Calgary City Rugby Football Club re-organizes as the Tigers
1974 – NY Met Benny Ayala hits a HR in his 1st at bat
2004 – German kayaker Birgit Fischer wins gold in K-4 500m and silver in K-2 500m in Athens; first woman in any sport to win gold medals at 6 different Olympics, gold 24 years apart, and 1st person to win 2 or more medals in 5 different Games

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Famous Birthdays

1870 – Amado Nervo [Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo], Mexican writer and poet, born in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico (d. 1919)
1884 – Vincent Auriol, President of France (1947-53), born in Revel, France (d. 1966)
1886 – Rebecca Clarke, British-American violist and classical composer (Morpheus), born in Harrow, England (d. 1979)
1935 – Ernie Broglio, American baseball player
1947 – Peter Krieg [Wilhelm Gladitz], German documentary filmmaker, and writer (September Wheat), born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, West Germany (d. 2009)
1964 – Frankie Thorn, American actress

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Famous Deaths

1977 – George Merritt, English actor (I Monster, Canterbury Tale), dies at 86
1980 – Douglas Kenney, American humorist (co-founded the magazine National Lampoon), dies at 33
1991 – Gordon Heath, actor (Sapphire, Staircase, Animal Farm), dies
1996 – Abram Games, British graphic artist (“Blonde Bombshell” ATS poster), dies at 82
2001 – Abu Ali Mustafa, leader of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (assassinated) (b. 1938)
2022 – Milutin Šoškić, Serbian soccer goalkeeper (50 caps Yugoslavia; FK Partizan, 1. FC Köln), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1652 – Battle of Plymouth: General-at-Sea George Ayscue of the Commonwealth of England attacked a convoy of the Dutch Republic commanded by Vice-Commodore Michiel de Ruyter. Dutch victory
1940 – RKC soccer team forms in Waalwijk
1942 – Transport #24 departs with French Jews to nazi-Germany
1944 – Bulgaria announces withdrawal and German troops are to be disarmed
1973 – University of Texas (Arlington) is first accredited school to offer belly dancing
2018 – Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former US Vatican Ambassador, claims Pope Francis knew of and ignored sex abuse allegations against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

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Famous Birthdays

1931 – Guy Vander Jagt, American politician (Rep-R-MI, 1966-93), born in Cadillac, Michigan (d. 2007)
1935 – Cornelis B. Vaandrager [Cor Vaan], Dutch poet (Long Live Joop Massaker)
1936 – Francine York, American actress (Slattery’s People), born in Aurora, Minnesota (d. 2017)
1946 – Mark Snow [Martin Fulterman], American television and film composer (The X-Files theme), born in New York City
1969 – Adrian Young, American drummer (No Doubt – “Don’t Speak”), born in Long Beach, California
1985 – Brian Kelley, American country musician (Florida Georgia Line), born in Ormond Beach, Florida

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Famous Deaths

1486 – Ernst I, Elector of Saxony (1464-86), dies at 45
1595 – Antonio, Prior of Crato, claimant to the throne of Portugal (b. 1531)
1857 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (Tarimbekken, executed in Kashgar after being mistaken for a spy at 28
1865 – Marcellus Monroe Crocker, US attorney/Union brigadier general, dies at 35
1865 – Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer (Comet Encke), dies at 73
2009 – Dominick Dunne, American writer and producer (Panic in Needle Park), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1886 – 1st international polo meet (US vs England)
1924 – MLB Washington Senator Walter Johnson 2nd no-hitter beats Browns, 2-0 in 7 inn
1948 – Bradman scores 150 in 212 minutes in his last innings at Lord’s
2001 – Singer Aaliyah and 8 others killed in an air crash in the Bahamas
2012 – 85,000 people are displaced by severe floods in Myanmar
2018 – Afghan Islamic State leader Abu Saad Erhabi and 10 others killed in an air strike in province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – H. Trendley Dean, American dental surgeon who introduced fluoridation into water, born in Winstanley Park, Illinois (d. 1962)
1916 – Frederick Robbins, American pediatrician and bacteriologist (Nobel 1954), born in Auburn, Alabama (d. 2003)
1941 – Ludwig Müller, German soccer defender (6 caps; FC Nürnberg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hertha BSC), born in Haßfurt, Germany (d. 2021)
1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus, American country singer (Achy Breaky Heart; Old Town Road), born in Flatwoods, Kentucky
1964 – Marti Noxon, American television writer and producer, born in Los Angeles, California
1987 – Blake Lively, American actress (Gossip Girl), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1791 – Pietro Domenico Paradisi, composer, dies
1924 – Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general (b. 1818)
1950 – Earl Caddock, professional wrestler (b. 1888)
1975 – Frans van Amelsvoort, Dutch choir conductor, dies at 75
1999 – Rob Fisher, British rock keyboardist (Naked Eyes), dies at 42
2018 – John McCain, American war hero and Republican politician (Rep-Arizona, 1983-2018, Presidential candidate, 2008), dies of brain cancer at 81

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Historical Events

1542 – Conquistador Francisco de Orellana returns to Spain
1833 – HMS Beagle reaches Bahia Blanca, Argentina
1978 – USSR performs underground nuclear test
1992 – Diplomatic relations are established between the People’s Republic of China and South Korea.
1992 – Screw magazine superimposed a gunsight over a picture of Larry Flint
2017 – Largest-ever lottery jackpot win in the US – $758.7m won by Mavis Wanczyk of Massachusetts in US Powerball Jackpot

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Famous Birthdays

1872 – Max Beerbohm, English caricaturist, writer and parodist (Saturday Review), born in London (d. 1956)
1947 – Roger De Vlaeminck, Belgian racing cyclist, born in Eeklo, East Flanders, Belgium
1947 – Anne Archer, American actress (Fatal Attraction, Patriot Games), born in Los Angeles, California
1953 – John Cowan, American rock, progressive bluegrass session and touring bass player, and vocalist (New Grass Revival, 1974-89; Doobie Bothers, 1993-95), born in Minerva, Ohio
1957 – Jeffrey Daniel, American dancer and singer (Shalamar), born in Los Angeles, California [some sources give year as 1955]
1977 – Per Gade, Danish footballer, born in Nibe, Denmark

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Famous Deaths

1680 – Ferdinand Bulb, Dutch painter and etcher, buried
1977 – Soewarsih Djojopoespito, Indonesian writer (Toe the Line), dies at 65
1985 – Paul Creston [Giuseppe Guttoveggio], Italian-American composer (Zanoni), educator, and music theorist (Creative Harmony), dies at 78
1991 – Mike Sokoll, Hungarian-American cowboy actor, dies at 97
1999 – Alexandre Lagoya, Greek-Italian-French classical guitarist and composer, dies at 70
2006 – Cristian Nemescu, Romanian film director (b.1979)

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Historical Events

1595 – Michael the Brave confronts the Ottoman army in the Battle of Calugareni.
1910 – Fred Clarke makes a record 4 outfield assists for Pittsburgh
1975 – Classical Way wins Championship Cup at Roosevelt Raceway
1979 – Iranian army opens offensive against Kurds
2009 – Solheim Cup Women’s Golf, Rich Harvest Farms: US wins 3rd consecutive Cup 16-12; win 8 of 12 singles to dominate final day
2022 – In US domestic terrorism case two men found guilty of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Witmer

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Tex Williams, American country-western singer, born in Ramsey, Illinois (d. 1985)
1922 – Brian Young, Chairman (Christian Aid), born in Sri Lanka (d. 2016)
1927 – Peter Wyngarde [Cyril Goldbert], British actor (Department S and Jason King), born in Marseille, France (d. 2018)
1930 – Jack Bannister, English cricket commentator (BBC; Talksport radio) and bowler (Warwickshire 1,198 wickets), born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands (d. 2016)
1960 – Rodney Alan Greenblat, American graphic artist, born in San Francisco, California
1986 – Neil Cicierega, American cartoonist and musician, born in Boston, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1305 – Scottish patriot William Wallace is hanged, disemboweled and beheaded at Smithfield, London
1519 – Philibert Berthelier, Swiss patriot
1591 – Luis de Leon, Spanish scholar and poet, dies at 64
1965 – Jan Antonín Bata, Czech shoe manufacturer (Bata), dies at 67
2006 – Jacques Wildberger, Swiss composer (In My End is My Beginning), dies at 84
2019 – Sheila Steafel, South African British actress (The Frost Report), dies at 84

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Historical Events

1654 – Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan) aboard the Peartree, one of the first Jewish colonists
1914 – WW1: Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg move into East Prussia enroute to Russia
1972 – Rhodesia is expelled by the International Olympic Committee for its racist policies.
1985 – Airtours Boeing-737 crashes at Manchester airport, 55 killed
1992 – FBI HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi shoots and kills Vicki Weaver during an 11-day siege at her home at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
2019 – Bielefeld in Germany offers €1m prize to anyone in who can prove the town doesn’t exit to disprove 25-year-old conspiracy theory

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Famous Birthdays

1867 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician and nutritionist, born in Aarau, Switzerland (d. 1939)
1915 – Hugh Paddick, English actor (Round the Horne), born in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England (d. 2000)
1937 – Pat Gillick, American Baseball HOF executive (GM Toronto Blue Jays World Series 1992, 93, Philadelphia Phillies 2008), born in Chico, California
1937 – Max Hebditch, British director (Museum of London), born in Yeovil, England
1956 – Paul Molitor, American Baseball HOF infielder (7 x MLB All-Star Milwaukee Brewers; World Series MVP 1993 Toronto Blue Jays) and manager (Minnesota Twins 2015-18), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
1968 – Henrik Holm, Swedish tennis star, born in Täby, Sweden

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Famous Deaths

1572 – Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (b. 1528)
1920 – Anders Zorn, Swedish painter, etcher and sculptor (Gustavus Vasa), dies at 60
1990 – Merlin Marston, American actor (Blue Sky), dies of non-Hodgkins lymphoma at 46
2015 – Andy Mapple, English water skier (World Slalom C’ship 1981, 89, 95, 97, 99, 2001), dies at 52
2020 – Peder Holm, Danish composer, dies at 93
2021 – Brian Travers, British rock saxophonist (UB40 – “Red, Red Wine”), dies of cancer at 62

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Historical Events

1821 – Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances
1944 – Germans storm up Hill 262 (Mont Ormel) Normandy
1975 – Rick and Paul Reuschel become 1st brothers to pitch a combined shut out
1995 – Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 crashes near Carrollton, Georgia, killing 9 crew and passengers
2013 – 21 people are killed in flash floods in Qinghai province, China
2015 – Terrorist attack on train between Amsterdam and Paris thwarted by 4 passengers overpowering gunman

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Famous Birthdays

1670 – James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, French military leader, born in Moulins, France (d. 1734)
1821 – William Barksdale, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Smyrna, Tennessee (d. 1863)
1825 – Kate Loder, British composer and pianist, born in Bathwick Street, Bathwick, England (d. 1904)
1927 – Wilhelm Killmayer, German composer, born in Munich, Germany (d. 2017)
1941 – Jackie DeShannon [Sharon Lee Myers], American singer-songwriter (“What the World Needs Now Is Love”; “When You Walk In The Room”), born in Hazel, Kentucky
1951 – Bernhard Germeshausen, German bobsledder (Olympic gold x 4 GDR 1976, 80), born in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany (d. 2022)

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Famous Deaths

1905 – Mary Mapes Dodge, American children’s author (St. Nicholas Magazine), editor and writer (Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates), dies at 74
1943 – (Abraham) A. Merritt, American magazine editor and sci-fi author (The Moon Pool; Burn, Witch, Burn!), dies from a heart attack at 59
1960 – David Barnard Steinman, American civil engineer and bridge designer (Hudson, Triborough), dies at 74
1977 – Danny Lockin, American actor and dancer (Hello Dolly), dies after being stabbed at 34
2005 – Robert Moog, American engineer (Moog synthesizer, Moog Music), dies of a brain tumor at 71
2005 – Martin Dillon, American opera singer, dies of cardiac arrest at 48

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