Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1848 – Alfred Russel Wallace departs the U.K. for South America, beginning four years of travel, collecting, and research in the region
1904 – Bell Telephone Company of Antwerp Belgium forms
1925 – Artist Diego Rivera resigns from the Mexican Communist Party
1991 – 23 killed in Kansas and Oklahoma by tornadoes
2018 – Serial killer “Golden State Killer” identified after 40 years as a former police officer, responsible for 12 killings, 50 rapes in California
2022 – Russia says it will stop supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria, after the countries refused to pay in rubles, escalating the energy supply standoff between Russia and Europe

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and etcher (Journal), born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, Île-de-France, France (d. 1863)
1827 – Charles Edward Hovey, American lobbyist and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Thetford, Vermont (d. 1897)
1863 – Charles Haslewood Shannon, English lithographer and painter, born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire (d. 1937)
1883 – Harry Sothern, British actor (Blind Wives, Buck Rogers), born in London, England (d. 1957)
1922 – Mike Kellin [Myron Kellin], American actor (Pipe Dream, American Buffalo), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1983)
1981 – Caro Emerald [Caroline van der Leeuw], Dutch singer (“On A Night Like This”), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1660 – Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, German princess and consort of Brandenburg as the wife of George William, dies at 62
1944 – Violette Morris, French athlete and spy for Nazi Germany, dies at 51
1976 – Allan Jackson, American newscaster (Youth Takes a Stand), dies at 60
1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (Broadway Melody, Isadora), dies at 87
1989 – Lucille Ball, American comedienne and actress (I Love Lucy; Mame), dies of a heart attack at 77
1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer (Bugler’s Dream), dies at 86

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1792 – “La Marseillaise”, later the national anthem of France, is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg
1945 – Clandestine Radio 1212, used to hoax Nazi Germany’s final transmission
1945 – 45 countries convene UN Conference on Intl Organization in San Francisco
1983 – Portugal’s Mário Soares’ Partido Socialista wins parliamentary election
1993 – NFL Draft: Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe first pick by New England Patriots
2018 – Danish inventor Peter Madsen found guilty of killing and desecrating body of journalist Kim Wall aboard submarine, sentenced to life imprisonment

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1824 – Gustave Boulanger, French painter, born in Paris (d. 1888)
1897 – Paula Trueman, American actress (Dirty Dancing), born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
1906 – Zoltán Gárdonyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1986)
1907 – Vasily Pavlovich Solov’yov-Sedoy, Russian composer, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1979)
1969 – Gina Torres, American actress (Firefly, Suits), born in NYC, New York
1977 – Matthew West, American Christian musician and singer (“Happy”), born in Downers Grove, Illinois

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1926 – Ellen Key, Swedish author and feminist (Courageous Woman), dies at 76
1960 – Ilmari Krohn, Finnish composer, dies at 92
1988 – Carolyn Franklin, American singer-songwriter, sister of Aretha, dies of cancer at 43
2013 – Jacob Avshalomov, Russian-American composer (Symphony of Songs; The Oregon), conductor (Portland Youth Philharmonic, 1954-91), and pedagogue, dies at 94
2013 – Virginia Gibson, American actress, dies at 88
2020 – Richard Divila, Brazilian motorsports designer (Fittipaldi Automotive; Ligier, Nissan), dies at 74

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1823 – Eugene Scribes opera “Le Menteur Veridique” premieres in Paris
1899 – Transvaal British Uitlanders ask Queen Victoria for aid
1917 – Yankee lefty George Mogridge no-hits Red Sox 2-1 at Fenway
1969 – Car firm British Leyland launch the Austin Maxi in Oporto Portugal
2007 – Iceland announces that Norway will shoulder the defense of Iceland during peacetime
2018 – Ed Sheeran’s “÷” is the best-selling album of 2017, selling 6.1 million copies, according to IFPI

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1706 – Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian Conventual Franciscan friar and composer, born in Bologna, Italy (d. 1784)
1766 – Robert Bailey Thomas, American journalist and founder (The Farmer’s Almanac), born in Grafton, Massachusetts (d. 1846)
1845 – Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet (Prometheus and Epimetheus; Nobel 1919), born in Liestal, Switzerland (d. 1924)
1927 – Seymour Bernstein, American concert pianist, teacher, and composer, born in Newark, New Jersey
1933 – Claire Davenport, English actress (The Elephant Man), born in Sale, Cheshire, England (d. 2002)
1945 – Larry Tesler, American computer scientist (invented copy, cut, paste), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2020)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1185 – Antoku Taira, emperor of Japan (1180-85), drowns
1928 – Ferdinand Hummel, German composer, dies at 72
1998 – Mel Powell [Epstein], American composer (Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra – Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1990), dies from liver cancer at 75
2004 – Estée Lauder [Josephine Esther Mentzer], American entrepreneur (Estée Lauder cosmetics), dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at 97
2016 – Jan Henrik Kayser, Norwegian concert pianist (Grieg Prize, 1978), dies at 83
2017 – Benjamin Barber, American political theorist (Jihad vs. McWorld), dies at 77

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1798 – Dutch emperor accepts new Constitution
1919 – US Major League Baseball opens a reduced 140-game season
1959 – 1st heliport in Britain opens in London
1967 – Soyuz 1 launched; Vladimir Komarov becomes 1st in-flight casualty
1969 – ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Jim Chestney
1997 – 32nd Academy of Country Music Awards: Brooks and Dunn, George Strait, and Patty Loveless win

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1629 – Jan Commelin, Dutch botanist and director of Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1692)
1747 – Abbé Alexandre-Auguste Robineau, French composer and painter, born in Paris (d. 1828)
1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator (Fleischer Studio), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2006)
1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author (Les Ombres), born in Verneuil-sur-Avre, Eure, France
1949 – Joyce DeWitt, American actress (Janet Wood-Three’s Company), born in Wheeling, West Virginia
1988 – Alistair Brownlee, British triathlete (Olympic gold 2012, 16), born in Dewsbury, England

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1014 – Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, dies in battle at Clontarf
1728 – Tomas de Torrejon y Velasco, Spanish composer based in Peru, dies at 83
1880 – Raden Saleh [Raden Saleh Sjarif Boestaman], Indonesian romantic painter, dies at about 69
1915 – Rupert Brooke, British WW I poet (Lithuania, The Soldier), dies at 27
1929 – Rudolf Nilsen, Norwegian poet (Hverdagen), dies of tuberculosis at 28
2006 – Susan Browning, American actress (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman – “Pat”), dies at 65

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1526 – 1st slave revolt in North America at San Miguel de Gualdape, a Spanish settlement (now part of South Carolina)
1964 – World’s Fair at Flushing Meadow, Corona Park, NY opens
1983 – Stern mag announces major historical find-discovery of 60 volume personal diaries written by Adolf Hitler (turned out to be a hoax)
2010 – NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford first pick by St. Louis Rams
2018 – Monte Carlo Tennis Masters: Rafael Nadal beats Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 to extend his Open-era record for most wins at the same event (11)
2019 – Marvel film “Avengers: Endgame” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and an ensemble cast, premieres in Los Angeles

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1844 – Lewis Powell, American Confederate soldier who was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln and who attempted to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward, born in Randolph, Alabama (d. 1865)
1935 – Dick Conway, New Zealand rugby union flanker/#8 (10 Tests; Otago RFU, Bay of Plenty RU), born in Whakatāne, New Zealand (d. 2022)
1939 – Jason Miller, American actor and writer (Exorcist, Light of Day), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania (d. 2001)
1967 – Sherri Shepherd, American comedian, actress, and television personality The View, 2007-14), born in Chicago, Illinois
1969 – Bobby Olive, NFL wide receiver (Indianapolis Colts)
1978 – Jason Stollsteimer, American singer (The Von Bondies)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1833 – Richard Trevithick, English inventor (steam locomotive), dies at 62
1883 – Octave Fouque, French pianist and composer, dies at 38
1951 – Stanley Ridges, British-born actor (possessed, Sgt York, Mr Ace), dies at 59
1967 – Tom Conway {Sanders], British radio and screen actor (The Falcon’s Brother; I Cheated The Law; The Betty Hutton Show), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 62
1990 – Albert Salmi, American stage and screen character actor (Caddyshack; The Brothers Karamazov; Bus Stop), kills terminally ill wife and self at 62
2001 – Ludvig Nielsen, Norwegian organist, composer, choir director, and conductor (Nidaros Cathedral, 1935-76), dies at 95

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1796 – Napoleon and the French defeat the Piedmontese at Battle of Mondovi
1961 – Dirk Stikker chosen as secretary general of NATO
1965 – New York World’s Fair reopens for 2nd and final season
1970 – The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) is formed; it attempts to appeal to Catholics and Protestant to unite in support of moderate policies
1987 – Dow Jones Average soared 664.7; 2nd biggest one-day gain in history
1996 – PGA Seniors’ Championship Men’s Golf, PGA National GC: Hale Irwin beats Japan’s Isao Aoki by 2 strokes for his first of 4 Senior PGA Championships

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1488 – Ulrich von Hutten, German knight, scholar and poet (led Imperial Knights against Roman Catholic Church), born in Schlüchtern, Hesse (d. 1523)
1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter, born in Bologna, Italy (d. 1619)
1936 – Anthony Joseph Gnazzo, American electronic composer (First Things First), born in Plainville, Connecticut
1947 – John Weider, bassist (Family-Family Entertainment)
1971 – Alexander Kravchenko, Russian professional poker player
1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand 200m and 400m swimmer (2 Olympic gold medals 1996), born in Dunedin, New Zealand

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1719 – Philippe de la Hire, French mathematician and historian (b. 1640)
1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet (Testament of beauty) and British Poet Laureate (1913-30), dies at 85
1993 – Hal Schumacher, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1933; MLB All-Star 1933, 35; New York Giants), dies at 82
1996 – A H Kardar, cricketer (3 Tests for India and 23 for Pak 1946-58), dies
2017 – Ugo Ehiogu, English soccer defender (4 caps; Aston Villa, Middlesborough), dies from cardiac arrest at 44
2018 – Verne Troyer, American actor (Mini-Me in Austin Powers movies), dies at 49

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1810 – The Governors of Caracas declares the national sovereignty from Spain
1871 – US 3rd Enforcement Act (President can suspend writ of habeas corpus)
1899 – David Beatty is appointed executive officer of the HMS Barfleur, a small battleship and flagship of the China Station
1942 – German occupiers forbids Dutch access to their beach
1968 – Pierre Trudeau sworn in as Canada’s 15th Prime Minister
1972 – Virgil Thomson’s final opera, “Lord Byron”, with libretto by Jack Larson, first performance at Lincoln Center, New York City

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1705 – Balthasar Schmid, German composer and printer, born in Nuremberg, Bavaria (d. 1749)
1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist, born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 1997)
1963 – Aubrey de Grey, British biomedical gerontologist, born in London
1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor (Gollum in Lord of the Rings), born in London, England
1965 – Kostas Hatzidakis, Greek politician (New Democracy Party), born in Rethymno, Greece
1965 – Adrian Fernández, Mexican racing driver and co-owner of the Fernandez Racing team, born in Mexico City

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Egyptian statesman (b. 1826)
1912 – Bram Stoker, Irish theater manager and author (Dracula), dies at 64
1971 – Cecil Parker, British actor (The Lady Vanishes, Indiscreet, Tale of 2 Cities), dies at 73
1973 – Elisabeth Hauptmann, German writer (co-author of The Threepenny Opera), dies at 75
1995 – Tessie O’Shea, Welsh stage and screen entertainer, dies at 81
1996 – Christopher Robin Milne, bookseller, dies at 75

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1775 – New England militiamen begin the siege of Boston, hemming in the British army garrison
1825 – 33 patriotic exiles return to Uruguay
1924 – “National Barn Dance” premieres on WLS Chicago
1953 – WAFB TV channel 9 in Baton Rouge, LA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1982 – 86th Boston Marathon: American Alberto Salazar claims men’s title in 2:08:51; Charlotte Teske of West Germany wins women’s section in 2:29:33
2018 – US Senator Tammy Duckworth (Illinois (D)) is the first parent to bring a baby into the Senate chambers, a day after the Senate votes to allow babies on the chamber’s floor

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1939 – Ali Khamenei [Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei], 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran (1989-) and the 3rd President of Iran (1981-89), born in Mashhad, Khorasan, Iran
1950 – Marc Demeyer, Belgian road racing cyclist (Paris-Brussel 1974), born in Avelgem, Belgium (d. 1982)
1950 – Earl Gardner, American jazz trumpeter (Saturday Night Live), born in NYC, New York
1964 – Scott Kamienicki, American baseball pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Mount Clemens, Michigan
1968 – Brent Mayne, American baseball catcher (NY Mets), born in Loma Linda, California
1977 – Lucien Mettomo, Cameroonian footballer (2002 World Cup), born in Douala, Cameroon

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1768 – Filippo della Valle, Italian sculptor, dies at about 70
1862 – Louis Powell Harvey, US governor of Wisconsin, drowns
1930 – Charles Scribner II, American magazine and book publisher, dies at 75
1987 – Maxwell D. Taylor, American army general, (WWII Commander 101st airborne), Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff 1962-64), dies at 85
2005 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish jazz bassist (b. 1946)
2008 – Alfonso López Trujillo, Colombian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, dies at 72

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1676 – Sudbury, Massachusetts, attacked by Indians
1946 – US recognizes Tito’s Yugoslavia government
1964 – Artisans strike in Belgium ends
1987 – Pat Knauff, France sets 1-leg downhill ski speed record (115.012 mph)
2017 – British Prime Minister Teresa May announces she will seek a “snap” election
2021 – 12-team European Super League is announced to widespread condemnation amongst governments, non-involved clubs, press and fans; amidst the furore all 6 EPL clubs withdraw within 3 days

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1918 – Róbert Zimonyi, Hungarian rowing coxswain (Olympic gold USA men’s eight 1964; bronze Hungary coxed pair 1948), born in Sárvár, Hungary (d. 2004)
1923 – Leif Panduro, Danish writer (‘k Have varnish on traditions), born in Frederiksberg, Denmark (d. 1977)
1923 – Beryl Platt, Baroness Platt of Writtle, British engineer, politician and CEO (Equal Opportunities Comm), born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (d. 2015)
1928 – Howard S. Becker, American sociologist, born in Chicago, Illinois
1947 – Walt Richmond, American rock keyboardist (The Tractors; J.J. Cale; Bob Seger; Eric Clapton), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1987 – Sandra Lyng Haugen, Norwegian singer (Play My Drum), born in Mosjøen, Norway

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1800 – Pieter Fouquet, Dutch art merchant (Atlas of Fouquet), dies at 71
1928 – Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor, dies of a heart attack at 58
1938 – Richard Terry, English organist and musicologist, dies at 73
1996 – Michael Leander, English songwriter and record producer, dies at 54
2020 – François Lafortune Jr., Belgian rifle shooter (7 x Olympic Games 1952-1976, 50m Rifle, Prone Position), dies from Parkinson’s disease at 87
2022 – Harrison Birtwistle, British contemporary classical composer (The Minotaur; The Mask of Orpheus), dies at 87

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1941 – Egyptian steamer SS Zamzam attacked and later scuttled by German cruiser Atlantis (all on board rescued)
1960 – American Samoa sets up a constitutional government
1983 – 1st National Coin Week begins
1984 – Braves pitcher Pascual Perez suspended due to cocaine usage
1993 – STS-56 (Discovery) lands
2018 – Protests across India at the rape and murder of an 8-year old Muslim girl in Kathua, Bengalu

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1710 – Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, British Freemason (d. 1767)
1863 – Johannes Petrus Boskaljon, Curacaoian composer and conductor, born in Willemstad (d. 1936)
1905 – Arthur Lake [Arthur William Silverlake], American actor (Blondie, Topper), born in Corbin, Kentucky (d. 1987)
1938 – David Dilks, British historian and vice-chancellor (Hull U), born in Foleshill, Coventry
1954 – Roddy Piper, Canadian pro wrestler (WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight C’ship 1992; World Tag Team C’ship [Ric Flair] 2006), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2015)
1961 – Norman Cowans, Jamaican cricketer (England fast bowler in 19 Tests 1982-85), born in St. Mary, Jamaica

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

818 – Bernhard I, King of Italy, dies
1630 – Christian I, German Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg who led an army of 21,000 Bohemians at the Battle of White Mountain, dies at 61
1713 – David Hollatz, Pomeranian dogmatician (b. 1648)
1835 – William Henry Ireland, English forger (Shakespearean manuscripts), dies
1996 – Jose Luis Lopez Aranguren, philosopher, dies at 86
2004 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer (L’histoire de Jonas), dies at 95

More Famous Deaths »