Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1827 – Race riots in Cincinnati (1,000 blacks leave for Canada)
1914 – WWI: French fall back at Alsace
1941 – FDR and Churchill’s 2nd meeting at Placentia, Newfoundland
1971 – Twins’ Harmon Killebrew is 10th to amass 500 HRs, and adds his 501st
1978 – USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya
1992 – Soyuz TM-15 lands

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Famous Birthdays

1720 – Franz Joseph Leonti Meyer of Schauensee, Swiss composer and organist, born in Lucerne, Switzerland (d. 1789)
1926 – Benjamin Ward, 1st African American NYC Police Commissioner (1984-89), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1966 – Roberta Donnay American jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter (“One World”), born in Washington, D.C.
1973 – Javier Zanetti, Argentinian footballer (Inter Milan), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1978 – Daniel Allsopp, Australian footballer (Manchester City), born in Melbourne, Australia
1994 – Bernardo Silva, Portuguese footballer (Manchester City), born in Lisbon, Portugal

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Famous Deaths

1784 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish painter, dies at 70
1875 – Karl Andree, German geographer and journalist (founded journal Globus), dies at 66
1929 – Aletta Jacobs, 1st Dutch female doctor and women’s suffrage activist, dies at 75
1945 – Robert H. Goddard, American rocket pioneer (invented and built the first liquid-fueled rocket), dies of throat cancer at 62
1967 – John Francis Larchet, Irish arranger (Irish national anthem), composer (By the Waters of Moyle), and musical director (Abbey Theatre – Dublin, 1908-35), dies at 83
1988 – Adela Rogers St John “The World’s Greatest Girl Reporter”, American journalist, screenwriter and author (Free Soul, Honeycomb), dies at 94

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Historical Events

1673 – Dutch under Admiral Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge recapture NY from English; regained by English in 1674
1936 – Helen Stephens claims the women’s sprint double at the Berlin Olympics having won the 100m and as part of the victorious American 4 x 100m relay team
1942 – Dmitri Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, dedicated to city of Leningrad, performed in Leningrad by starving musicians and broadcast to German forces over loudspeakers during siege by Nazi forces
1961 – James Benton Parsons is 1st African American to be nominated to a US Federal District Court
1967 – Biafran offensive against Nigerian army
1991 – British radio show “On the Hour” debuts on BBC Radio 4 with first appearance of Alan Partridge character

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Famous Birthdays

1834 – Elias Álvares Lobo, Brazilian composer, born in Itu, Brazil (d. 1901)
1892 – Charles Delaney, American actor (Air Police, Lonesome Trail), born in NYC, New York (d. 1959)
1942 – David Steinberg, Canadian comedian and director (End), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
1942 – Jack DeJohnette, American Jazz drummer (Skyline), born in Chicago, Illinois
1962 – Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, German politician, Leader of Christian Democratic Union (2018-), born in Völklingen, West Germany
1973 – Jimmy King, American NBA guard (Toronto Raptors, University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five), born in South Bend, Indiana

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Famous Deaths

1806 – Louis Ferdinand, Prussian prince and a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, dies at 33
1835 – Claus Nielsen Schali, Danish violinist and composer, dies at 78
1944 – Felix Nussbaum, German painter (Widerstandskunst), murdered at Auschwitz Concentration Camp at 39
1967 – Anton Walbrook [Adolf Wohlbrook], Austrian actor (Laura, I Accuse), dies of a heart attack at 66
1992 – Thomas J. McIntyre, American politician (Sen-NH, 1963-79), dies at 77
1995 – John Schofield, English BBC journalist, shot to death in Croatia at 29

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Historical Events

1576 – Cornerstone laid for Tycho Brahe’s observatory in Uraniborg, Denmark, will become the world’s then most advanced research institution
1700 – Denmark and Sweden sign peace treaty
1864 – Comet C/1864 N1 (Tempel) approaches within 0.0964 AUs of Earth
1882 – Snow falls on Lake Michigan
1925 – 1st national march of Ku Klux Klan (between 25,000 and 40,000 marchers) in Washington, D.C.
1988 – Renovated Central Park Zoo reopens after 4 years (New York City)

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Famous Birthdays

1571 – John Ward, English composer, born in Canterbury, England (d. 1638)
1922 – Gertrude Himmelfarb, American conservative historian, born in New York City (d. 2019)
1950 – Liberatori “Liberty” DeVitto, American rock drummer (Billy Joel, 1976-2006), born in New York City
1958 – Harry Crosby, American actor (Friday the 13th), born in Los Angeles, California
1965 – Angus Fraser, English cricketer (England right-arm pace bowler)
1977 – Kurt Bernard, Costa Rican footballer

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Famous Deaths

1694 – Antoine Arnauld [le grand Arnauld], French lawyer/theology, dies at 82
1705 – Willem Roukens, Dutch mayor of Nimegen (old Plooi faction), beheaded for trying to overthrow the new ruler of the city
1747 – Madeleine de Verchères, French Canadian heroine (repelling a raid on Fort Verchères when she was 14 years old), dies at 69
1918 – Gertrude E. Durden Rush, American composer and playwright, dies at 38
1994 – Henriette Santer, Dutch-English clinical psychologist, dies at 62
2008 – Frank Cornish, American NFL center/guard, 1990-95 (San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and 3 other teams), dies of heart disease at 40

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Historical Events

1954 – “Golden Apple” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 125 performances
1954 – Charles Mahoney becomes 1st US black to serve as a full UN delegate
1984 – Harmonica Frank [Floyd], American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player dies of lung cancer and diabetes complications at 75
1984 – David Rabe’s “Hurlyburly” premieres in NYC
1992 – The Orlando Magic signs NBA No. 1 draft pick Shaquille O’Neal
2009 – “Tik Tok” single released by Kesha (Billboard Song of the Year 2010)

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – (Mary) “Billie” Burke, American radio, stage, silent and sound film actress (Zieigfield Follies; The Wizard of Oz; Merrily We Live), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1970)
1932 – Edward Hardwicke, British actor (Sherlock Holmes), born in London, England (d. 2011)
1943 – Alain Corneau, French director (Choice of Arms), born in Meung-sur-Loire, France (d. 2010)
1947 – Mosibudi Mangena, South African black leader (On Your Own), born in Tzaneen, South Africa
1951 – Gary Hall, American swimmer (Olympic silver 400m medley 1968, 200m butterfly 1972, bronze 100m butterfly 1976; 5 x WR), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1964 – John Birmingham, Australian author, born in Liverpool, United Kingdom

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Famous Deaths

1821 – Caroline of Brunswick, Queen Consort of King George IV (1820-21), dies at 53
1848 – Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist, dies at 68
1912 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (b. 1841)
1943 – Gustav Schmidt, German army general, commits suicide to avoid capture by the Russian army at 49
2004 – Red Adair, American oil field firefighter, dies at 89
2020 – Lê Khả Phiêu, Vietnamese leader, General Secretary (1997-2001), dies at 88

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Historical Events

1890 – At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the 1st person to be executed by electric chair
1919 – 1st air flight over a major body of water in Australia (Harry Butler)
1940 – Estonia is annexed into Soviet empire
1967 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Dean Chance throws a perfect no-hitter vs Boston Red Sox, 2-0 in 5 innings before game is called because of weather
1983 – Supertanker Castillo de Bellvar catches fire and sinks northwest of Capetown, South Africa
1984 – 203.05 million shares traded in NY Stock Exchange

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Samuel Powhatan Carter, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Elizabethton, Tennessee (d. 1891)
1826 – Thomas Alexander Browne, Australian writer (Robbery Under Arms), born in London (d. 1915)
1874 – Charles Fort, American writer and researcher (specialized in anomalous phenomena), born in Albany, New York (d. 1932)
1915 – Jim Ameche [James Amici], American voice actor (Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
1925 – Leland Smith, American composer, bassoonist and computer coder who led music publishing into the digital age (SCORE), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
1945 – John Kongos, South African singer and songwriter (“He’s Gonna Step On You Again”), born in Johannesburg

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Famous Deaths

1866 – John Mason Neale, English divine, scholar and hymnwriter (b. 1818)
1945 – Hiram Johnson, American progressive politician, US Senator, Governor of California (1911-17), dies at 78
1945 – Prince Wu of Korea (b. 1912)
1956 – Johan Frans van Bemmelen, Dutch zoologist, dies at 96
2009 – John Hughes, American film director (Breakfast Club; Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), dies of a heart attack at 59
2011 – Mark Hatfield, American politician (29th Governor of Oregon), dies at 89

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Historical Events

1962 – 1st quasar located by radio
1973 – Arab terrorists open fire at Athens airport, kill 3 injure 55
1975 – Stevie Wonder signs a 7-year, 7 album, with $13 million advance contract with Motown Records
1978 – New Orleans Saints beat Philadelphia Eagles 14-7 in an NFL exhibition at Mexico City’s Olympic Stadium
2005 – NBA announces Las Vegas will host the 2007 All Star game; first time event will be held in a city without an NBA team
2022 – Actress Anne Heche crashes her car into a house in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, igniting a fire that puts her in a coma and destroys much of the house

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Famous Birthdays

1872 – Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician and epidemiologist, born in São Luis do Paraitinga, Brazil (d. 1917)
1890 – Naum Gabo [Pevsner], Russian-American sculptor (Stillife Flower), born in Bryans, Russian Empire (d. 1977)
1902 – Irene Rice Pereira, American abstract artist, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts (d. 1971)
1910 – Nan Gindele, US javelin thrower (World Record 1932-38), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1992)
1988 – Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer (world record 200 meters, Olympic Gold 2008), born in Mirano, Italy
1989 – Shanshan Feng, Chinese golfer (Women’s PGA C’ship 2012), born in Guangzhou, China

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Famous Deaths

1644 – J. Henry Alting, German theologist (Statenvertaling), dies at 61
1944 – Maurice Turnbull, Welsh cricketer (England) rugby player (Wales), dies fighting in WWII at 38
1950 – Emil Abderhalden, Swiss physiologist and biochemist, dies at 73
1993 – Randy Hobbs, American rock musician (Johnny Winter Band; McCoys), dies of heart failure at 45
2014 – Chapman Pincher, British journalist and author (about secret service), dies at 100
2015 – George Cole, English actor (Minder), dies at 90

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Historical Events

1916 – Denmark and the United States sign a treaty whereby the Danish West Indies, including the Virgin Islands, are to be ceded to the US in 1917 for $25 million
1916 – The Turks attack the British line at Romani in the northern Sinai (WWI)
1962 – Nelson Mandela captured by South African police
1984 – Prince’s “Purple Rain” album goes #1 and stays #1 for 24 weeks
1996 – Jim Bunning, Earl Weaver, Bill Foster and Ned Hanlon inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
2001 – Australian cricket spinner Shane Warne skittles England (162) with 6/33 to guide tourists to a 7 wicket 3rd Test victory at Trent Bridge; Aussies regain Ashes with record 7th straight Test win v England

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Arthur Haygarth, English cricket batsman (Middlesex and Surrey, cricket historian), born in Hastings, Sussex, England (d. 1903)
1927 – Jess Thomas, American tenor known for his singing in Richard Wagner operas, born in Hot Springs, South Dakota (d. 1993)
1930 – Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iranian shia cleric, born in Mashhad, Iran
1958 – Kym Karath, American actress (The Sound of Music – “Gretl”), born in Los Angeles, California
1962 – Joey Huffman, American rock keyboard and organ player (Soul Asylum), born in Pikeville, Kentucky
1983 – Greta Gerwig, American actress and film director (Lady Bird, Little Women, Barbie), born in Sacramento, California

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Famous Deaths

1873 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter, dies at 39
1875 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author of 150 fairy tales (The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen), dies at 70
1905 – Kinjikitile “Bokero” Ngwale, Tanzanian prophet and rebel leader, hanged for treason by German East African military
2004 – Sir Kenneth Couzens, British Deputy Chairman of British Coal Board and significant figure during Miners Strike, dies at 79
2019 – Nuon Chea, Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader ‘Brother Number Two’, dies at 93
2022 – Johnny Famechon, Australian boxer (WBC featherweight champion 1969-70), dies at 77

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Historical Events

1492 – Christopher Columbus with Juan de la Cosa second-in-command sets sail on his first voyage with three ships, Santa María, Pinta and Niña from Palos de la Frontera, Spain for the “Indies”
1897 – John McNally’s musical “Good Mr Best” premieres in NYC
1973 – National People’s party wins Dutch Antilles National elections
1977 – Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 personal computer, within weeks thousands were ordered
1996 – American Andre Agassi wins the men’s singles Tennis gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics beating Spaniard Sergi Bruguera 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
2004 – The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens after being closed since the September 11, 2001 attacks

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Famous Birthdays

1748 – Carl Ludwig Junker, German composer, born in Kirchberg an der Jagst, Germany (d. 1797)
1915 – Sal Santen, Dutch writer (You Are Jewish People), born in Amsterdam (d. 1998)
1936 – Vinko “Vice” Vukov, Croatian singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1963 and 1965), born in Šibenik, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (d. 2008)
1951 – Hans Schlegel, German astronaut (STS 55), born in Überlingen, Germany
1963 – Isaiah Washington, American actor (The 100), born in Houston, Texas
1999 – Brahim Díaz, Spanish footballer (Real Madrid), born in Málaga, Spain

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Famous Deaths

1958 – Peter Collins, English auto racer (British GP 1958), dies in race accident at German GP at 26
1983 – Carolyn Jones, American actress (Morticia-Addams Family), dies of colon cancer at 53
2000 – Michael Meyer, English novelist and translator, dies at 79
2003 – (John) Roger Voudouris, American singer and songwriter (Get Used To It), dies of liver disease at 48
2007 – John Gardner, English spy and thriller novelist (Boysie Oakes novels; James Bond continuation novels), dies of suspected heart failure at 80
2017 – Robert Hardy, British actor (Harry Potter, All Creatures Great and Small), dies at 91

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Historical Events

1578 – Battle of Rijmenam: Spanish Habsburg forces defeated by Dutch troops (Eighty Years’ War)
1953 – KCPQ TV channel 13 in Tacoma-Seattle, WA (IND) begins broadcasting
1964 – Race riot in Jersey City, New Jersey
1967 – “In the Heat of the Night” directed by Norman Jewison, based on John Ball’s novel of the same name, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1968)
1969 – US President Richard Nixon visits Romania
1994 – Explosion in lead/zinc mine in Guangxi China, 120+ killed

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Famous Birthdays

1775 – Jose Angel Lamas, Venezuelan composer, born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 1814)
1832 – Henry Steel Olcott, American military officer and co-founder of the Theosophical Society, born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1907)
1878 – Aino Kallas, Finnish writer (White Ship, Estonian Tales), born in Kiiskilä, Viipuri Province, Grand Duchy of Finland (d. 1956)
1945 – Eric Simms, Australian rugby league fullback (8 Tests; NSWRL points record [1,841] stood until 1983; South Sydney), born in Karuah, Australia
1952 – Paul David Crews, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in South Carolina (d. 2022)
1972 – Mohamed Al-Deayea, Saudi Arabian footballer, born in Hail, Saudi Arabia

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Famous Deaths

1100 – William II [Rufus], king of England, shot hunting in the New Forest at 44
1600 – Arent van Dorp, Dutch governor of East-Zealand, dies at about 70
1979 – Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician and author (founder of Peruvian Aprista Party), dies at 84
1996 – Michel Debre, French politician, Prime Minister of France (1959-62), dies at 84
1997 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian Afrobeat musician and composer, dies of an illness, disputedly AIDS related, at 58
2020 – Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold, light-flyweight 1980; World C’ship gold 1981), dies at 69

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Historical Events

1863 – Cavalry action near Brandy Station-End of Gettysburg Campaign
1932 – George Washington quarter goes into circulation
1976 – XXI Summer Olympic Games, Montreal, Canada: Officially close
1992 – British athlete Linford Christie (32) becomes the oldest man to win an Olympic 100m gold medal edging Frankie Fredericks in Barcelona
1997 – 6th Athletics World Championships open at Athens, Greece
2021 – 394 migrants rescued from a stricken vessel by humanitarian NGO ships in Tunisian waters

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Herman Melville, American author (Moby-Dick, Billy Budd), born in NYC, New York (d. 1891)
1903 – Thomas D’Alesandro Jr, American politician (US Representative for Maryland (D), 1939-47; Mayor of Baltimore, 1947-59), and father of Nancy Pelosi, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1987)
1932 – Meena Kumari, Indian film actress (Parineeta), born in Dadar, Mumbai, India (d. 1972)
1933 – Erwin Nypels, Dutch economist and Minister of Housing (D66), born in Bloemendaal, North Holland
1955 – Pierre Robert, American rock and roll radio DJ (same station in Philadelphia since 1981), and Deadhead, born in Truckee, California
1964 – Adam Duritz, American rock singer-songwriter, and keyboardist (Counting Crows – “Mr. Jones”; “Accidentally in Love”), born in Baltimore, Maryland

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Famous Deaths

1883 – Karl Wilhelm Dindorf, classic scholar, dies
1896 – William Robert Grove, Welsh physicist and inventor of the first fuel cell, dies at 85
1973 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer, pedagogue (Venice Liceo Musicale, 1932-52), and musicologist (Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi). s at 91
1990 – Norbert Elias, German-British sociologist and philosopher (Process of Civilization), dies at 93
2000 – Hugh Hood, Canadian author (White Figure, White Ground), dies at 72
2012 – Joan Bernard, English educator (Principal Trevelyan College, Durham) and army officer (WWII Auxiliary Territorial Service), dies at 94

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