Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1935 – Military coup by General Pons and President Ibarra in Ecuador
1942 – Dim-out regulations implemented in San Francisco
1989 – Said Aouita runs world record 3,000 m (7:29.45)
2016 – Chinese diver Chen Aisen does the Olympic 10m platform double in Rio de Janeiro; having already won the synchronised event, he wins the individual gold by a comfortable margin
2016 – Rio de Janeiro Olympics: team sports – China beats Serbia, 3-1 for the women’s indoor volleyball gold; in the men’s water polo final, Serbia downs Croatia, 11-7 for first Olympic title
2020 – Kamala Harris accepts her nomination for vice-president, becoming the 1st US woman of color on a major-party ticket saying “there is no vaccine for racism”

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Famous Birthdays

1710 – Thomas Simpson, English mathematician (rule of Simpson), born in Sutton Cheney, Leicestershire (d. 1761)
1719 – Charles-François de Broglie, French soldier and diplomat, marquis de Ruffec, born in Paris (d. 1791)
1860 – Raymond Poincaré, French President (1913-20) and three time Prime Minister (1912-13, 1922-24, 1926-29), born in Bar-le-Duc, France (d. 1934)
1937 – El Fary, Spanish singer and actor, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2007)
1947 – David Lasley, American session vocalist and songwriter, born in Branch, Michigan
1954 – Tawn Mastrey, American disc jockey and music video producer, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2007)

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Famous Deaths

1643 – Anne Hutchinson, English Puritan preacher, killed in Native American uprising (b. 1591)
1961 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist (Nobel 1946 – physics of high pressure), dies at 79
1996 – Rio Reiser, German rock singer (“Ton Steine Scherben”), dies at 46
2008 – Margaret Douglas, chief political adviser (BBC), dies at 73
2018 – Charles Blackman, Australian figurative artist (Heide circle), dies at 90
2021 – Peter Ind, British jazz double bassist, dies at 93

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Historical Events

1939 – 37.6 cm rainfall at Tuckerton, NJ (state record)
1957 – NY Giants board of directors vote 8-1 to move their baseball franchise to San Francisco in 1958
1958 – NAACP Youth Council begin sit-in at “whites-only” lunch counter at Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1962 – Homer Blancos plays finest round in golf, shooting a 55
1998 – South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission chairperson, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, releases documents revealing an alleged plot by Western countries to assassinate UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden
2015 – US Food and Drug administration approves Female Viagra libido pill Addyi

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Famous Birthdays

1557 – Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg, born in Montbéliard, France (d. 1608)
1558 – Paulus Merula, Dutch lawyer and historian (Historia Belgica), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands (d. 1607)
1686 – Eustace Budgell, English writer (The Spectator, writing 37 numbers signed X), born in Saint Thomas, Exeter, England (d. 1737)
1904 – June Collyer, American actress (Before Midnight, Charley’s Aunt), born in NYC, New York (d. 1968)
1967 – Tabitha Soren, American MTV reporter (This Week in Rock), born in San Antonio, Texas
1975 – Chynna Clugston Flores, American comic book creator (Blue Monday), born in Fresno, California

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Famous Deaths

1186 – Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (b. 1158)
1931 – Aristides Agramonte y Simoni, Cuban-American Physician, Pathologist and Bacteriologist (yellow fever), dies at 63
1950 – Giovanni Giorgi, Italian physicist and electrical engineer (Giorgi system of measurement), dies at 78
1975 – Jim Londos, Greek-American wrestler, dies at 81
2003 – Carlos Roberto Reina, President of Honduras (b. 1926)
2017 – Bea Wain, American pop singer (“Deep Purple” (the song, not the group); “Heart and Soul”), and radio host, dies at 100

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Historical Events

440 – St Sixtus III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1840 – American Society of Dental Surgeons founded (NY)
1891 – Hurricane hits Martinique, about 700 die
1965 – Dutch soccer team FC Den Bosch (successor to BVV 1906 and Wilhelmina 1890) is established at ‘s-Hertogenbosch
1983 – Hurricane Alicia battered Houston and Galveston, Texas
1989 – Bucky Dent replaces Dallas Green as NY Yankee manager

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Famous Birthdays

1900 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist, born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1964)
1902 – Adamson-Eric, Estonian painter, born in Tartu, Estonia (d. 1968)
1958 – Madeleine Stowe, American actress (Tropical Snow, Bad Girls), born in Los Angeles, California
1964 – Craig Bierko, American actor, born in Rye Brook, New York
1966 – Kang Soo-yeon, South Korean actress (The Surrogate Woman, Come Come Come Upward), born in Seoul, South Korea (d. 2022)
1969 – Masta Killa [Elgin Turner], American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan), born in Brooklyn, New York

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Famous Deaths

1815 – Chauncey Goodrich, American politician (b. 1759)
1940 – Walter Chrysler, American automotive pioneer (Chrysler Corporation) and thoroughbred breeder, dies at 65
1945 – Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian revolutionary and nationalist, dies of injuries from a plane crash at 48
1989 – Luis Carlos Galan, Colombian presidential candidate, murdered
2010 – Benjamin Kaplan, American copyright scholar, dies at 99
2014 – Jim Jeffords, American politician (Senator-R+I-Vermont 1989-2007, Rep-R-VT, 1975-89), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1796 – British defeat Batavian navy in Saldanha Bay, South Africa
1960 – Indonesia drops diplomatic relations with Netherlands
1987 – Muhammad Ali elected to “Ring” magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame
1991 – Royals Warren Cromartie’s 1st major league HR since 1983
2008 – German swimmer Britta Steffen beats American Dara Torres by 0.01 in the 50m to wrap up the 50/100m double at the Beijing Olympics
2016 – German pair Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst upsets Brazilian hometown favourites Ágatha Bednarczuk and Bárbara Seixas 21–18, 21–14 to win the Olympic women’s beach volleyball gold in Rio de Janeiro

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Famous Birthdays

1753 – Josef Dobrovský, Czech linguist (d. 1828)
1888 – Monty Wooley, American actor (Pied Piper, The Man Who Came to Dinner), born in NYC, New York (d. 1963)
1906 – Marcello Caetano, last Portuguese prime minister of the Estado Novo regime (1968-1974), born in Graça, Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1980)
1952 – (Terry) “Topper” Price, American blues, jazz and rock vocalist and harmonica player (The Upsetters). born in Plateau, Alabama (d. 2007)
1963 – Jackie Walorski, American politician (Rep-R-Indiana 2013-22), born in South Bend, Indiana (d. 2022)
1986 – Tyrus Thomas, American basketball player, born in Batton, Rouge, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1153 – Eustace IV of Boulogne, son of Stephen of England (b. 1130)
1635 – Francisco de Moncada, Spanish earl of Osuna, dies at 48
1875 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (Father of Bantu Philology), dies at 48
1972 – Alexander Vampilov, Russian playwright (Elder Son), drowns at 34
1995 – Marjorie Sykes, British educator, peace activist, and Indian independence campaigner, dies at 90
2013 – John Hollander, American poet and literary critic, dies at 83

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Historical Events

1864 – Federal assault on 4th day of battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia
1944 – 2nd Canadian Division occupies Falaise, Normandy, during Operation Intractable
1948 – Arabs blow up Latrun pumping station in Jerusalem
1955 – Fiat Motors orders 1st private atomic reactor
1987 – Northwest Airlines 255 plane crashes in Detroit, 156 die (1 lives)
2012 – 113 people are killed and over 200 wounded in a series of attacks across Iraq

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Famous Birthdays

1915 – Al Hibbler, American singer (Unchained Melody), born in Tyro, Mississippi (d. 2001)
1933 – Reiner Kunze, German writer (The Lovely Years), born in Oelsnitz, Saxony
1937 – David Anderson, Canadian politician
1948 – Pierre Reid, Canadian politician and teacher
1969 – Andy Milder, American voice actor
1974 – Iván Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer, born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador

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Famous Deaths

1864 – Victor Girardey, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 27
1920 – Sir Norman Lockyer, English physicist, co-founder of helium gas, founder and editor of “Nature” magazinem dies at 84
1969 – Russ Bender, American actor and writer (Amazing Colossal Man; Space Monster, It Conquered the World), dies at 59
1973 – Veda Ann Borg, American model and actress (Kid Galahad, Avalanche, Accomplice), dies of cancer at 58
2006 – Herschel Green, American pilot (b. 1920)
2020 – Georg Volkert, German soccer striker (12 caps, FRG; 1. FC Nürnberg, Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart), dies from heart attack complications at 74

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Historical Events

1940 – Heavy dogfights above England: 75 German aircraft damaged
1944 – Allied air raid on train in North Netherlands, 32 killed
1960 – CFL’s Calgary Stampeders move into McMahon Stadium
1990 – Phils Terry Mulholland no-hits Giants 6-0 (8th no hitter of 1990)
2008 – German swimmer Britta Steffen beats Australian Libby Trickett by 0.04 to win the blue ribband 100m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics
2021 – Petrol tanker explosion kills 27 and injures 79 in al-Tleil, Lebanon, amid the country’s continuing economic crisis

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Famous Birthdays

1907 – Paul Vincze, Jewish-Hungarian designer of coins and medal, born in Galgagyörk, Hungary (d. 1994)
1917 – Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman catholic priest who was murdered, born in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador (d. 1980)
1926 – Georgann Johnson, American actress (Marge-Mr Peepers, Star Trek, Midnight Cowboy), born in Decorah, Iowa (d. 2018)
1927 – Wesley Mouzon, American boxer / trainer (Roy Jones Jr), born in Kingstree, South Carolina (d. 2003)
1965 – Rob Thomas, American writer, screenwriter and director (Veronica Mars), born in Sunnyside, Washington
1974 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress (Species), born in Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador

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Famous Deaths

1918 – Heinrich Köselitz [Peter Gast], German composer, dies at 64
1975 – Clay Shaw, American businessman and alleged John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracist, dies of lung cancer at 61
2007 – Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor (Canadian Opera Company, 1989-2007), dies of a heart attack at 63
2010 – James J. Kilpatrick, American newspaper journalist and columnist (60 Minutes), dies at 89
2017 – Vernon “Vern” Ehlers, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives), dies of complications from Alzheimers disease at 83
2020 – Henk Wullems, Dutch soccer manager (NAC Breda, SBV Vitesse, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ; Indonesia 1996-98), dies from a Cerebral infarction at 84

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Historical Events

1960 – Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
1967 – Radio Scotland and Radio Swinging Holland go off the air
1990 – Denver vote for a 1% sales tax to pay for a baseball franchise
2008 – A popular Chinese 1-2 in the 200m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics with Liu Zige swimming world record 2:04.18 to beat teammate Jiao Liuyang
2018 – Italy’s Morandi Bridge collapses in Genoa, taking 30 vehicles with it and killing 43
2021 – Calder Fire, near Lake Tahoe, begins in California, goes on to destroy 1000 structures and over 218,000 acres

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Famous Birthdays

1552 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian church historian and statesman, born in Venice (d. 1623)
1882 – Gisela Richter, English art historian, born in London (d. 1972)
1937 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer and British welterweight champion (1960-1964), born in Swansea, Wales (d. 2012)
1946 – Marga van Praag, Dutch radio hostess, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1960 – Cecilia Gasdia, Italian soprano, born in Verona, Italy
1983 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-British tennis player, born in Kyiv, Ukraine (d. 2014)

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Famous Deaths

1928 – Klabund [Alfred Henschke], German writer (Spuk, Rasputin), dies at 37
1961 – Guido Alberto Fano, Italian composer and pianist, dies at 86
1972 – Pierre Brasseur [Espinasse], French actor (Eyes Without a Face, Children of Paradise), dies from a heart attack at 66
1996 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic, 1945-57; Munich Philharmonic, 1979-96), and educator, dies at 84
2008 – Lita Roza, British singer (“How Much is That Doggie in the Window”), dies at 82
2021 – R. Murray Schafer, Canadian composer (Patria), music educator, and environmentalist, dies of complications Alzheimer’s disease at 88

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Historical Events

1415 – King Henry V of England lands his army at the mouth of Seine River in France
1942 – The ‘Manhattan Project’ commences, under the direction of US General Leslie Groves: its aim – to deliver an atomic bomb
1988 – Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit opens
2004 – 28th Olympic Games opens at Athens, Greece
2006 – Canadian Open Women’s Golf, London Hunt CC: Christie Kerr wins by 1 shot from Angela Stanford
2017 – Gunmen kill at least 18 at a cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Islamic extremists blamed

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Famous Birthdays

1655 – Johann Christoph Denner, German musician and inventor (clarinet), baptized in Leipzig, Germany (d. 1707)
1662 – Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician, born in Wiltshire, England (d. 1748)
1934 – Gary Davidson, American sports league founder (ABA, WHA, WFL)
1938 – Dave “Baby” Cortez [Clowney], American pop keyboardist (“The Happy Organ”; “Rinky Dink”), born in Detroit, Michigan
1943 – Gary Ilman, American 100m freestyle (Olympic-4th-1964), born in Glendale, California
1954 – Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass player, born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2001)

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Famous Deaths

662 – Maximus Confessor, Greek theologian and court secretary to the Emperor, dies soon after his conviction for heresy when his hand and tongue were cut off (b. c. 580)
1278 – Daikaku, Zen teacher Rinzai line/head of Kenchoji, dies in Japan at 65
1744 – John Cruger, Dutch-born Mayor of New York (b. 1678)
1826 – René Laënnec, French physician who invented the stethoscope, dies of tuberculosis at 46
1965 – Ikeda Hayato, Japanese politician, Prime Minister of Japan (1960-64), dies at 65
1971 – W. O. Bentley, English engineer and motoring pioneer who founded Bentley Motors Limited, dies at 82

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Historical Events

1831 – Dutch troops conquer Leuven
1952 – Hussein ibn Talal proclaimed King of Jordan
1984 – Carlos Lopes of Portugal wins the men’s marathon at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2:09:21, an Olympic record that stands for 24 years
1995 – Lara completes 6th Test Cricket century, 152 at Trent Bridge
2008 – Russo-Georgian War: Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, negotiates ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia, ending a brief war hostilities after 5 days
2020 – Yemen authorities say at least 172 people died in floods caused by torrential rains, which have also destroyed historic buildings in Sanaa, a Unesco World Heritage Site

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Konrad Ekhof [Hans Konrad Dieterich Eckhof], German actor and director, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1778)
1852 – Fr. Michael J. McGivney, Irish-American Catholic priest, and founder the Knights of Columbus fraternal organization, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 1890)
1881 – Václav Vačkář, Czech composer, known for his marches, conductor, and musicologist, born in Dobřejovice, Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1954)
1904 – Alexei Nikolaevich, son of Tsar Nicholas II, and last Tsarevich of Russia, born in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire (d. 1918)
1924 – Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani military officer and politician (President of Pakistan 1978-88) (d. 1988)
1957 – Amanda Redman, British stage and screen actress (At Home with the Braithwaithes; New Tricks; The Good Karma Hospital (2017–present), borne in Brighton, Sussex, England

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Famous Deaths

1158 – Anselm of Havelberg, Brandenburg bishop of Havelberg (1129-55), dies at about 58
1809 – Mikhail Kamensky, Russian field marshal, dies at 71
1812 – Jean-Joseph Rodolphe, Alsatian composer, dies at 81
1900 – James Edward Keeler, American astronomer (rings of Saturn), dies at 42
1934 – Hendrik P. Berlage, Dutch architect (Stock exchange Amsterdam), dies at 78
1982 – Henry Fonda, American stage and screen actor (Mr. Roberts; 12 Angry Men; On Golden Pond), dies of heart disease at 77

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Historical Events

1949 – Gaston Eyskens forms Belgian government
1952 – Hussein Ibn Talal I, proclaimed King of Jordan
1965 – “Help!” a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US
1984 – A British 1-2 in the 1,500m at the Los Angeles Olympics with Sebastian Coe edging teammate Steve Cram to become the only man to successfully defend his Olympic 1,500m title
2015 – Greek Debt crisis: European Commission announces a bailout with Greece and its creditors has been agreed “in principle”
2016 – A Greenland shark declared oldest vertebrate animal in the world at 392 years by international team of scientists

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Famous Birthdays

1904 – Jess Stacy, American jazz pianist (Benny Goodman, 1935-39; the Great Gatsby), born in Bird’s Point, Missouri (d. 1995)
1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)
1928 – Richard Barratt, former Chief Inspector of Constabulary
1947 – Catherine Collard, French concert pianist (Schumann; Brahms), and teacher, born in Paris (d. 1993)
1961 – Craig Ehlo, American NBA basketball guard (Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and 2 other teams), born in Lubbock, Texas
1968 – Alan Kelly, England-born Irish footballer

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Famous Deaths

1857 – Marshall Hall, English physician, physiologist and early neurologist (physiology of reflex function), dies of a throat infection at 67
1868 – Thaddeus Stevens, US Radical Republican congressional leader (Rep-R-Pennsylvania 1849-53 1859-68), dies at 76
1954 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Sicilian-American mobster, dies at 68
1975 – Howard Wendell, American actor (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Murder Your Wife), dies at 67
1991 – Jef Contryn, Flemish pioneer puppet theatre, dies at 89
2015 – Harald Nielsen, Danish soccer forward (14 caps; Olympic silver 1960; Frederikshavn fI, Bologna FC), dies at 73

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