Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1665 – Robert Hooke’s landmark work “Micrographia” with drawings using a microscope and coining the word “cell” is published by the Royal Society
1914 – German-British naval battle at Coronel, Chile
1951 – Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella wins first of his 3 National League MVP awards
1956 – Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is formed
1956 – Karnataka (then known as Mysore State) is formed from the merge of Kannada-speaking regions in India
1971 – Eisenhower dollar put into circulation

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Famous Birthdays

1946 – Dennis Muren, American special effects artist (Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi), born in Glendale, California
1972 – Glen Murray, Canadian ice hockey right wing (1,009 NHL games; All Star 2003-04; Boston Bruins), born in Halifax, Nova Scotia
1972 – Toni Collette, Australian actress (The Sixth Sense), born in Sydney, New South Wales
1972 – Paul Dickov, Scottish soccer striker and manager (10 caps; Manchester City, Leicester City), born in Livingston, West Lothian
1974 – V. V. S. Laxman, Indian cricket batsman (134 Tests; 8,781 runs @ 45.5; best 281, 2001), born in Hyderabad, Telangana
1992 – Joe Donovan, British pop-indie-rock drummer (Blossoms), born in Stockport, England

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Famous Deaths

1986 – Serge Garant, Canadian composer and conductor (Anerca), dies at 57
1996 – J. R. [Junius Richard] Jayawardene, 2nd President of Sri Lanka (1978-89) and 7th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1977-78), dies at 90
2000 – George Armstrong, English soccer winger and manager (Arsenal 500 games; Kuwait 1988-89), dies of a brain haemorrhage at 56
2008 – Jacques Piccard, Swiss deep sea explorer (one of the first to explore the Mariana Trench), dies at 86
2020 – Billy Tubbs, American college basketball coach (Southwestern Uni, Lamar Uni, Uni of Oklahoma, Texas Christian Uni), dies from leukemia at 85
2022 – Takeoff [Kirsnick Ball], American rapper (Migos), shot and killed at 28

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Historical Events

1968 – Linda Eastman moves to UK permanently
1976 – Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad scores 206 v NZ, aged 19 yrs 141 days (29 fours 1 six)
1984 – Howard Goodall and Melvyn Bragg’s musical “Hired Man” premieres in London
1993 – German unemployment hits national record of 3.5 million
2016 – Lebanon parliament elects Michel Aoun President after 2 1/2 years without a leader
2017 – John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff comments in TV interview that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War”, draws criticism

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Famous Birthdays

1835 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist (Nobel 1905), born in Berlin (d. 1917)
1922 – Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia (1941-55 and 1993-2004), Chief of State (1960-70), independence campaigner and film producer, born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (d. 2012)
1929 – Bud Spencer, Italian actor (Aladdin, Extralarge, Go For It), born in Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples, Italy (d. 2016)
1960 – Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rican delegate to Congress, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970 – Rogers Stevens, American rock guitarist (Blind Melon), born in West Point, Mississippi
1970 – Steve Trachsel, American baseball pitcher (Chicago Cubs), born in Oxnard, California

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Famous Deaths

1659 – John Bradshaw, English judge (b. 1602)
1945 – Wincenty Witoz, Polish politician (Prime Minister of Poland 1920-21, 1923, 1926), dies at 71
1971 – Gerhard von Rad, German old testament expert (Deuteronomium), dies at 70
1990 – Graig Russel, Canadian travel expert/transvestite, dies
2001 – Art Wall Jr, American golfer (Masters 1959), dies of respiratory failure at 77
2020 – Marius Žaliūkas, Lithuanian soccer centre back (25 caps; Hearts, Leeds, Rangers), dies from motor neurone disease at 36

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Historical Events

1270 – The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis ended by agreement between Charles I of Sicily (brother to King Louis IX of France, who had died months earlier) and the sultan of Tunis.
1864 – Treaty of Vienna signed to end the Second Schleswig War – Denmark loses control of Schleswig to Prussia, and of Holstein to Austria
1943 – Soviet forces under Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin commenced offensive on the 4th Ukrainian Front
1967 – USSR Kosmos 186 and 188 make 1st automatic docking and Venmera 13 launch
1975 – NY Daily News runs headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead”
1978 – Laura Nickel and Curt Noll find 25th Mersenne prime, 2 ^ 21701-1

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Famous Birthdays

1893 – Charles Atlas [Angelo Siciliano], Italian-American bodybuilder, born in Acri, Cosenza, Italy (d. 1972)
1912 – Preston Lockwood [Reginald], British actor (Time Bandits, Jeeves and Wooster), born in West Ham, Essex (d. 1996)
1928 – Michael Andrews, British painter, born in Norwich, England (d. 1995)
1953 – Kathleen Cody, American actress (Charley and the Angel), born in The Bronx, New York
1954 – Mario Testino, Peruvian-born English fashion photographer, born in Lima, Peru
1969 – Masanori Hikichi, Japanese video game music composer, born in Saitama, Japan

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Famous Deaths

1986 – Andrzej Markowski, Polish composer, dies at 62
1991 – Johan Mekkink, painter, dies
1992 – Joan Mitchell, American painter and printmaker dies of cancer aged 67
1993 – Paul Grégoire, French Canadian Archbishop of Montreal, dies at 82
1998 – Bulldog Turner, American Pro/College Football HOF center (Hardin–Simmons Uni; 7 × First-team All-Pro; 4 x Pro Bowl; Chicago Bears), dies at 79
2020 – Herb Adderley, American Pro Football HOF cornerback (Super Bowl 1967, 68, 71; 5 x Pro Bowl; 4 × First-team All-Pro; Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys), dies from COVID-19 at 81

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Historical Events

1910 – Hamilton running back / kicker Ben Simpson lands CFL record 11 singles in Tigers 14-7 win over Montreal at Montreal AAA Grounds
1950 – British Chancellor of the Exchequer (Minister of Finance) Stafford Cripps resigns
1958 – Dr F Mason Sones is first doctor to perform a coronary angiogram
1967 – Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado’s hippie musical “Hair” opens off-Broadway at the Public Theatre, NYC, for a limited 6-week run
1974 – Law bans discrimination of sex or marital status in credit application
1997 – Iraq’s Revolution Command Council announces that it will no longer allow US citizens and US aircraft to serve with UN arms inspection teams

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Famous Birthdays

1917 – Henry Carlsson, Swedish soccer (Olympic gold 1948), born in Falköping, Västra Götalands län, Sweden (d. 1999)
1923 – Dietrich Manicke, German composer, born in Wurzen, Saxony, Germany (d. 2013)
1951 – Guy Gelso, American rock drummer (Zebra), born in Oakland, California
1973 – Adam Bacher, South African cricket batsman (19 Tests; 13 ODIs), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
1980 – B.J. Sams, American NFL player, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1990 – Kritidi Kharbanda, Indian actress (Googly), born in New Delhi, India

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Famous Deaths

1856 – Carel Sirardus Willem van Hogendorp, Dutch colonial director, dies at 68
1968 – Marius Ulfrstad, Norwegian composer, dies at 78
1981 – William O. Walker, American publisher of Cleveland Call Post, dies at 85
1994 – Andrew Miller-Jones, British TV pioneer (Picture Page; Dressing Up), dies at 84
2010 – George Hickenlooper, American documentary filmmaker, dies at 47
2020 – Slaven Zambata, Croatian soccer forward (31 caps Yugoslavia; Dinamo Zagreb), dies at 80

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Historical Events

1776 – Battle of White Plains: George Washington retreats to New Jersey
1886 – Statue of Liberty dedicated by US President Grover Cleveland, celebrated by first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City
1915 – Richard Strauss’ tone poem “Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony)” premieres in Berlin
1953 – Red Barber, resigns as Dodger sportscaster to join Yankees
1955 – Egypt and Saudi Arabia sign defense treaty
1965 – Pope Paul VI proclaims Jews not collectively guilty for crucifixion

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Famous Birthdays

1913 – Peter Glenville, English stage and screen actor and director (Hotel Paradiso, Becket), born in London (d. 1996)
1922 – Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwean politician (1st Vice-President of Zimbabwe), born in Gutu district, Southern Rhodesia (d. 2003)
1936 – Ted Hawkins, American singer and guitarist (“The Next Hundred Years”), born in Biloxi, Mississippi (d. 1995)
1959 – Neville Henry, British rock saxophonist (Blow Monkeys – “Wicked Ways”), born in England
1965 – Jami Gertz, actress (Less the Zero, Crossroads, Solarbabies), born in Chicago, Illinois
1967 – Kevin Macdonald, Scottish film director

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Famous Deaths

1646 – William Dobson, English portrait painter, dies at about 35 (b. 1610)
1877 – Robert Swinhoe, British naturalist (b. 1835)
1879 – Marie Roch Louis Reybaud, French writer (b. 1799)
1997 – Toni Carabillo, writer (Feminist Chronicles), dies of lymphoma at 71
2020 – Miguel Ángel Castellini, Argentine boxer (WBA, lineal light middleweight titles 1976-77), dies from COVID-19 at 73
2020 – Bobby Ball [Harper], British comic, actor, singer and television host (Cannon and Ball; The Last of Summer Wine), dies at 76

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Historical Events

1935 – SDAP and NVV launches “Plan for Work” in Utrect, Netherlands
1985 – Anthony Carter begins NFL streak of 100+ consecutive game receptions
1986 – Paul McCartney releases single “Pretty Little Head”
1992 – Great Britain issues postage stamp on 100th anniversary of JRR Tolkien
2014 – Taylor Swift releases her 5th studio album “1989” (2015 Billboard Album of the Year, Grammy Award for Album of the Year 2016)
2020 – A record 69.5 million Americans have already voted, a week before election day, 50.4% of 2016 total vote

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Famous Birthdays

1811 – Isaac Singer, American inventor (1st practical home sewing machine), born in Pittstown New York (d. 1875)
1865 – Charles Spencelayh, English painter (Why War), born in Rochester, Kent (d. 1958)
1874 – Owen D. Young, American industrialist (RCA) and diplomat (Young Plan), born in Stark, New York (d. 1962)
1942 – Mike Appel, American musician, songwriter and producer (Sir Lord Baltimore; Bruce Springsteen), born in Flushing, Queens, New York
1945 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (Diary of Mad Housewife), born in Barrington, Illinois (d. 2004)
1980 – Tanel Padar, Estonian singer-songwriter (46th Eurovision Song Contest winner, 2001 – “Everybody”), born in Uhtna, Estonia

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Famous Deaths

1617 – Ralph Winwood, English politician (b. 1563)
1864 – Andreas Randel, Swedish composer, dies at 58
1949 – Ginette Neveu, French child prodigy and concert violinist, dies in a plane crash on São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal at 30
1964 – Sammee Tong, actor (Bachelor Father, Mickey), dies at 63
1977 – Peg Leg Sam [Arthur Jackson], American country blues harmonica player, singer and comedian, dies at 65
1979 – Father Charles Coughlin, Canadian-American Roman Catholic priest and pro-Fascist radio broadcaster, dies at 88

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Historical Events

1529 – Thomas More appointed Lord Chancellor of England
1951 – Winston Churchill re-elected British Prime Minister at the age of 76
1962 – US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Johnston Island
1968 – Striker Antal Dunai scores twice as Hungary outclasses Bulgaria 4-1 to take the men’s football gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
2012 – China blocks the New York Times from searches and social media in response to an investigation into Premier Wen Jiabao
2015 – World Health Organization classifies processed meat as carcinogenic

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Famous Birthdays

1800 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian general and fieldmarshal, born in Parchim, Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1891)
1934 – Hans-Joachim Rödelius, German composer and musician (Cluster; Harmonia), born in Berlin
1946 – Keith Hopwood, British rock guitarist (Herman’s Hermits – “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter”), born in Davyhulme, Manchester, England
1953 – Jennifer Roberson, American sci-fi author (Shapechangers, Sword-Maker), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1962 – Steve Wren, British pop-rock drummer (Then Jericho – “The Motive”), born in Lambeth, London, England
1970 – Bert Emanuel, American NFL wide receiver (Atlanta Falcons), born in Kansas City, Missouri

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Famous Deaths

1671 – Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet, English politician (b. 1593)
1678 – John Jenkins, English composer, dies at about 86
1909 – Itō Hirobumi, Japanese samurai, 1st Prime Minister of Japan (4 terms between 1885 and 1901) and Resident-General of Korea (1905-09), assassinated by a Korean nationalist at 68
1923 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, German-American electrical engineer (development of alternating current), dies at 58
2018 – György Károly, Hungarian poet and author, dies of cancer at 65
2019 – Robert Evans, American producer and actor (Love Story, The Godfather, Chinatown), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1953 – Cleveland Browns’ QB Otto Graham sets club record with 4 fumbles
1962 – American author John Steinbeck awarded Nobel Prize for Literature
1968 – American swimmer Claudia Kolb wraps up the women’s individual medley double in Mexico City, winning the 400m I/M in Olympic record 5:08.5; she also won the 200m I/M in OR 2:24.7
1984 – King Boudouin opens Museum for Modern Art in Brussels
1985 – Angels announce that they will not offer Rod Carew a new contract
1987 – Baseball World Series: Minnesota Twins beat St Louis Cardinals, 4-2 at HHH Metrodome for 4-3 series win and franchise first in Minneapolis; MVP: Twins pitcher Frank Viola

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Famous Birthdays

1877 – Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer (Hertzsprung-Russell diagram), born in Oyster Bay, New York (d. 1957)
1881 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter (The Three Dancers, Guernica) and sculptor who co-founded the Cubist movement, born in Malaga, Andalusia, Spain (d. 1973)
1898 – Sidney James van den Bergh, Dutch businessman and politician, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1977)
1951 – Richard Lloyd, American guitarist (Television), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1960 – Hong Sang-soo, South Korean filmmaker (Right Now, Wrong Then), born in Seoul
1979 – Milena Roucka, Canadian model and professional wrestler, born in Vancouver, British Columbia

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Famous Deaths

1907 – Edmund Hart Turpin, English composer, dies at 72
1921 – Bat Masterson, American gunfighter in the Wild West, dies of a heart attack at 67
1939 – Cornelis JK van Aalst, president Dutch Business Society, dies at 73
1954 – Marika Stiernstedt, Swedish author (Ulla Bella), dies at 79
1984 – Pascale Ogier, actress (Ghost Dance), dies of a heart attack at 24
1988 – Johnnie Richardson, American RandB musician (Johnnie and Joe), dies at 53

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Historical Events

1931 – Gangster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years for tax evasion
1944 – US aircraft carrier Princeton sinks at Philippines
1963 – Sandy Koufax is unanimous winner of Cy Young Award
1971 – Harry Drake sets longest arrow flight by a footbow (1 mile 268 yds)
1980 – Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
2004 – 10 people including NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick and 4 family members are killed in a plane crash near Martinsville Speedway in Virginia; plane owned by NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports

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Famous Birthdays

1863 – Manuel Manrique de Lara, Spanish composer (The Oresteia), born in Cartagena, Murcia (d. 1929)
1886 – Delmira Agustini, Uruguayan poet (El Libro Blanco), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 1914)
1887 – Octave Lapize, French cyclist (Tour de France 1910), born in Paris, France (d. 1917)
1904 – Moss Hart, American playwright (You Can’t Take it With You, Act 1), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1961)
1954 – Malcolm Turnbull, Australian politician, Prime Minister (2015-18), born in Sydney, Australia
1988 – Joshua Shalikar, American actor (Honey I Blew Up the Kid), born in East Brunswick, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1949 – Joaquín Nin, Cuban composer and pianist, father of Anaïs Nin, dies at 70
1966 – Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1896)
1993 – Tonino Nardi, Italian cinematographer (Porte Manifest), dies at 54
1998 – Mary Calderone, American physician and founder (planned parenthood), dies at 94
2003 – Ross Taylor [Robert Murray Taylor], Scottish transplant surgeon who pioneered kidney transplantations in the U.K., dies from cancer of the stomach at 70
2016 – Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, Uruguayan politician, President of Uruguay (2000-2005), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1813 – The Pacific Fur Company trading post in Astoria, Oregon is turned over to the rival British North West Company (the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest was dominated for the next three decades by the United Kingdom).
1819 – 1st ship sails through the Erie Canal from Rome, New York to Utica, New York
1886 – “World Championship” Baseball Series, Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis: St.L Browns edge Chicago White Stockings, 4-3 in 10 innings in Game 6 to take series, 4-2
1973 – Yankee GM and President Lee MacPhail named AL president
1989 – Browns’ Bernie Kosar sets club record with a 97-yard TD pass
1996 – New York Yankees set record recovering from 0-6 in Baseball World Series game to beat Braves, 8-6 in Game 4 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium; record 7th straight post-season road win

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Famous Birthdays

1805 – Adalbert Stifter, Austrian author and painter (Nachsommer), born in Oberplan, Bohemia (d. 1868)
1869 – Jacobus H “Koos” Speenhoff, Dutch cabaret singer, born in Kralingen, Holland (d. 1945)
1876 – Franz Schlegelberger, German judge and politician (d. 1970)
1936 – Barry Sinclair, New Zealand cricket batsman and captain (21 Tests, 3 x 100s; Wellington CA), born in Wellington, New Zealand (d. 2022)
1965 – Al Leiter, American pitcher (Florida Marlins, NY Mets), born in Toms River, New Jersey
1987 – Seo In-Guk, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (The Master’s Sun), born in Ulsan, South Korea

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Famous Deaths

1890 – Charles Verlat, Flemish painter, dies at 65
1899 – Penn Symons, British Major General during Second Boer War, dies in battle during the Battle Of Talana Hill at 56
1978 – Maybelle Carter, American country singer (Johnny Cash Show), dies at 69
2001 – Ronald William Kirby, British artist, dies at 72
2003 – Tony Capstick, English actor, comedian, and musician. dies of an aneurysm at 59
2009 – Lou Jacobi, Canadian actor and comedian (Irma la Douce, The Dean Martin Show), dies at 95

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