Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1905 – Matumbi rebellion at Samanga, German East Africa
1922 – 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson rides world’s 1st water skis (Minnesota)
1934 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: Fred Perry beats American Frank Shields 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 15-13 to give Great Britain unassailable 3-1 lead to retain title; ends 4-1
1966 – Two Alabama radio hosts, Tommy Charles and Doug Layton of WAQY in Birmingham ask listeners to send in Beatles albums and merchandise to burn in response to John Lennon’s anti-Jesus remark that “Christianity will go”
1988 – Pittsburgh Pirates 1st baseman/left fielder and 7-time All Star Willie Stargell becomes 200th man inducted in Baseball’s Hall of Fame
1994 – Netherlands’ warmest July since 1783 – average 21.4°C

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Famous Birthdays

1843 – Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and Nobel Prize laureate, born in Krieglach, Austria (d. 1918)
1911 – George Liberace, American violinist (Liberace Show), born in Menasha, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
1920 – Rudolf Halaczinsky, German composer, born in Emma-Grube, Upper Silesia (d. 1999)
1950 – Lane Davies, American actor (Mason-Santa Barbara, Impure Thoughts), born in Dalton, Georgia
1967 – Tony Massenburg, American NBA forward who played for 12 different teams, born in Sussex, Virginia
1975 – Randy Flores, American baseball pitcher (World Series 2006, St. Louis Cardinals), executive (American director scouting SL Cardinals) and broadcaster (Pac-12 Network), born in Bellflower, California

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Famous Deaths

1914 – A J Jean Jaurès, French socialist (L’Humanité/Les Preuves), murdered=
1953 – Robert A. Taft, American politician (U.S. Senator from Ohio), dies at 63
1968 – Gertrude Short, actress (Stella Dallas, Blonde Venus), dies at 66
1978 – Enoch Light, American orchestra leader (Gulf Road Show with Bob Smith), dies at 70
1995 – Genevieve Tobin Keighley, actress (Zaza, Great Gambini), dies at 83
2002 – Jerome Beatty Jr., American author of children’s literature (Matthew and Maria Looney books), dies at 85

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Historical Events

1870 – The Republic of Klipdrift is proclaimed by Transvaal President Andries Pretorius after the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1866 resulted in a flood of treasure hunters; ownership of the diamond fields was contested by the Boer republics
1908 – Around the World Automobile Race ends in Paris
1985 – Valerie Lowrance, of Texas, 18, crowned America’s Junior Miss
1988 – Harry Drake shoots arrow record 1873m
2012 – General Motors (Chevrolet) sign a record breaking 7 year $559 million sponsorship deal with EPL club Manchester United
2022 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for mandatory evacuation of civilians from eastern Donetsk region amid fierce fighting

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Famous Birthdays

1747 – Antonio Benedetto Maria Puccini, Italian composer, born in Lucca, Italy (d. 1832)
1868 – Alfred Weber, German economist and sociologist, born in Erfurt, Prussian Saxony (d. 1958)
1936 – Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, daughter of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, born in Cannes, French Third Republic
1963 – Chris Mullin, American NBA forward (Warriors, Pacers, Olympic gold 1992), born in Brooklyn, New York
1974 – Radostin Kishishev, Bulgarian footballer, born in Burgas, Bulgaria
1975 – Tifini Hale, American pop singer (Party – “Rodeo”; “That’s Why”), born in Palm Springs, California (d. 2021)

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Famous Deaths

1771 – Thomas Gray, English poet (Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard), dies at 54
1957 – Sem Dresden, Dutch composer and conductor, dies at 76
1978 – Umberto Nobile, Italian aviator and polar explorer (designed and flew 1st airship across the polar air cap), dies at 93
1978 – Aasan Ferit Alnar, Turkish classical composer, dies at 72
2004 – Jan Hanus, Czech composer, dies at 89
2004 – Andre Noble, Canadian actor (b. 1979)

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Historical Events

1902 – Union of Orthodox Rabbis of US and Canada forms
1914 – Austrian-Hungary bombs Belgrade
1930 – 115°F (46°C), Holly Springs, Mississippi (state record)
1935 – International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Wimbledon: 3rd straight GB title as Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey beat Americans Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn 6-2, 1-6, 6-8, 6-3, 6-3 for unassailable 3-0 lead; ends 5-0
1948 – King George VI opens the XIV Summer Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium in London
1993 – Walter Koenig (Chekov in Star Trek) suffers a mild heart attack

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Famous Birthdays

1887 – Komako Kimura, Japanese suffragette, actress and editor (d. 1980)
1906 – Thelma Todd [Alison Loyd], American actress (Dangerous Female), born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (d. 1935)
1911 – Stephen McNally, American attorney and actor (Split Second, 30 Seconds over Tokyo), born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
1937 – Charles Schwab, American investor and entrepreneur (Charles Schwab Corporation), born in Sacramento, California
1945 – Mike Garson, American session and touring rock and jazz pianist (David Bowie, 1972-2006; Mick Ronson; Smashing Pumpkins), born in New York City
1956 – Patti Scialfa, American singer-songwriter (“As Long As I Can Be (With You)”), wife of Bruce Springsteen, born in Deal, New Jersey

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Famous Deaths

1808 – Selim III, Turkish sultan (1789-1808) poet and composer, assassinated at 46
1838 – Jonathan Huntington, American composer, dies at 66
1918 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian painter (b. 1863)
1958 – Charles O’Malley, American actor in silent westerns (Iron Horse), dies at 61
1963 – Dorian Le Gallienne, Australian composer, dies at 48
1996 – Jason Thirsk, American punk rock bassist (Pennywise), dies of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot at 28

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Historical Events

1911 – 96°F (35.6°C) in De Bilt, Netherlands
1920 – Sigmund Romberg and Alex Gerber’s musical “Poor Little Ritz Girl”, with additional songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (marking their Broadway debut), opens at the Central Theatre, NYC; runs for 93 performances
1928 – IX Summer Olympic Games open in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1972 – 39th NFL Chicago All Star Game: Dallas 20, All Stars 7 (54,162)
1997 – NY Ranger center Mark Messier signs with Vancouver for $20M for 3 yrs
2021 – Japanese swimmer Yui Ohashi wins women’s individual medley double with victory in 200m at the Tokyo Olympics; 3 days earlier she won the 400m IM gold medal

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Famous Birthdays

1824 – Jacopo Foroni, Italian opera composer (I gladiatori; Advokathen Panthelin), and conductor, born in Verona, Italy (d. 1858)
1863 – Hussein Khan Nakhichevanski, Russian general (d. 1919)
1933 – Charlie Hodge, French Canadian ice hockey goaltender (Montreal Canadiens), born in Lachine, Quebec (d. 2016)
1934 – Ron Flowers, English soccer midfielder (49 caps; Wolverhampton Wanderers 467 games), born in Doncaster, England (d. 2021)
1938 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish soccer forward (11 caps; Atlético Madrid) and manager (Spain 2004-08; Atlético Madrid, Barcelona), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2014)
1979 – Birgitta Haukdal, Icelandic singer, born in Húsavík, Iceland

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Famous Deaths

1741 – Antonio Vivaldi, Italian Baroque composer (The Four Seasons), dies at 63
1971 – Myril Hoag, American baseball player, dies at 63
1972 – Charu Majumdar, Indian revolutionary leader, dies in custody at 53
1973 – Royal Butler [Edwin Richey], American actor (Zenobia), dies at 80
2004 – George Williams, American soul singer (The Tymes), dies at 68
2007 – Karl Gotch, Belgian professional wrestler (b. 1924)

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Historical Events

1927 – Mel Ott, 18, hits his 1st league home run (inside the park)
1987 – John Demjanjuk, accused Nazi “Ivan the Terrible”, testifies in Israel
1997 – 84th Tour de France won by Jan Ullrich of Germany
1997 – Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria; about 50 people killed.
1997 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Portrush GC: Gary Player of South Africa wins with birdie on 2nd playoff hole against countryman John Bland
2015 – Fiat Chrysler fined record $105 million by Us regulators over their number of car recalls

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Famous Birthdays

1849 – John Hopkinson, British physicist and electrical engineer (Hopkinson’s Law), born in Manchester (d. 1898)
1922 – Bob Thiele, American record producer (Impulse! Records), born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)
1957 – Hansi Muller, German footballer, born in Stuttgart
1960 – Jo Durie, English tennis player, born in Bristol
1963 – Karrin Allyson, American jazz singer (Wild for You), born in Great Bend, Kansas
1986 – Courtney Kupets, American gymnast (World Championships champion 2002, 2003), born in Bedford, Texas

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Famous Deaths

916 – Kliment/Clemens van Ohrid, Bulgaria bishop of Ohrid/saint, dies
1675 – Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Marshal of France, dies at 63
1934 – Louis HG Lyautey, French minister of Defense (1916-17), dies at 79
1968 – Babe Adams, baseball player (b. 1882)
1990 – Elizabeth Allan, actress (Tale of 2 Cities, Camille, Java Head), dies
2011 – Richard Rutt, English bishop of Leicester, dies at 85

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Historical Events

1755 – Giacomo Casanova is arrested in Venice for affront to religion and common decency and imprisoned in the Doge’s Palace
1931 – 25th Tour de France won by Antonin Magne of France
1945 – After Labour landslide in general election, Clement Attlee becomes British Prime Minister
2009 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Sunningdale: American Loren Roberts wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Mark McNulty and Fred Funk
2018 – Sir Paul McCartney performs a “secret” gig at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where the Beatles began
2021 – Dominant British breaststroke swimmer Adam Peaty successfully defends his 100m title at the Tokyo Olympics beating Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands and Italian Nicolò Martinenghi

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Famous Birthdays

1801 – John Drake Sloat, 1st Military Governor of California (Union Navy), born in Sloatsburg, New York (d. 1867)
1863 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer, born in Valmiera, Russian Empire (d. 1948)
1928 – Peter Lougheed, Canadian politician (10th Premier of Alberta), born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (d. 2012)
1931 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist and composer (Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2008)
1957 – Nana Visitor, American actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), born in NYC, New York
1974 – Dean Sturridge, English football striker, born in Birmingham, England

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Famous Deaths

1471 – Pope Paul II [Pietro Barbo], Italian Pope (1464-71), dies at 54
1926 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American politician, lawyer, Captain (Union Army), diplomat, businessman, and son of President Abraham Lincoln, dies in his sleep at 82
1941 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist (the relation of language to thinking and cognition), dies at 44
1992 – Mary Wells, American pop and soul singer (“My Guy”), dies of laryngeal cancer at 49
2005 – Betty Astell, British actress (b. 1912)
2012 – Franz West, Austrian artist, dies at 65

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Historical Events

1940 – American John Sigmund begins swimming for 89 hours, 46 minutes from St. Louis to Caruthersville, Missouri in the Mississippi River; 292 miles, longest solo swim of all time
1943 – 1st warship named after an African American launched – USS Leonard Roy Harmon, a Buckley class destroyer
1961 – Roger Maris hits home runs 37, 38, 39 and 40 off of 4 Chicago White Sox pitchers in a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, NYC
1990 – Nadezhda Ryashkina of USSR sets 10K walk woman’s record (41:56.23)
1997 – Howard Stern is fired from radio station, KEGL Dallas
2014 – Both Israel and Hamas review US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and meetings in Cairo

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Famous Birthdays

1865 – Jac[obus] P. Thijsse, Dutch biologist and educator (Contact with Plants), born in Maastricht, Netherlands (d. 1945)
1930 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian operatic contralto (Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2010)
1944 – Molly Bennett Aiken, American foundation administrator (riding for the handicapped), born in Hollywood, California
1954 – Walter Payton, American Pro Football HOF running back (NFL MVP 1977; 9 x Pro Bowl; 5 x First Team All Pro; Chicago Bears), born in Columbia, Mississippi (d. 1999)
1957 – Daniel W. Bursch, NASA astronaut (STS 51, 68, 77), born in Bristol, Pennsylvania
1971 – Billy Wagner, American MLB pitcher (Houston Astros), born in Tannersville, Virginia

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Famous Deaths

1580 – Baltazar Alvarez, Spanish Jesuit and writer, dies at 47
1759 – Johann Christoph Altnikol, German organist, bass singer, composer, and J.S. Bach’s son-in-law and copyist, dies at 39
1870 – Pierre Dupont, French songwriter (“Les Bœufs”; “Le Chant du pain”), dies at 49
2013 – Mike Shipley, Australian audio engineer, and record producer of rock and country music (Paper Airplane), dies of an apparent suicide at 56
2014 – Carlo Bergonzi, Italian operatic tenor, dies at 90
2016 – Benito Wogatzki, German radio and TV writer (My Best Friends), dies at 83

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Historical Events

1911 – Cleve’s League Park hosts 1st unofficial ML All Star game (benefit game for Addie Joss’ family). Cleveland Naps lose to All Stars 5-3
1923 – Allied Powers and Turkey sign peace treaty, Lausanne
1960 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Firestone CC: Jay Hebert wins his only major title by 1 stroke from Australian Jim Ferrier
1982 – “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” closes at E O’Neill NYC after 63 performances
1989 – Paula Gwynn, 22, crowned 21st Miss Black America
2005 – British Senior Open Men’s Golf, Royal Aberdeen: Tom Watson wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Ireland’s Des Smyth

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Edward Digby, 12th Baron Digby, British Army (Coldstream Guards) officer (d. 2018)
1934 – Jimmy Holiday, American soul singer (“How Can I Forget”; Baby I Love You”), and songwriter (“Put A Little Love In Your Heart”), born in Sallis, Mississippi (d. 1987)
1935 – Pat Oliphant, Australian cartoonist (7 Pres: The Art of Oliphant)
1947 – Michael Coveney, English drama critic (The Observer, The Daily Mail), born in London, England
1954 – Philippe Alliot, French Formula One race driver, born in Voves, France
1961 – Paul Geary, American heavy metal drummer (Extreme), born in Medofrd, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1712 – Cornelis earl of Nassau, general-major/mister of Woudenberg, dies
1756 – George Vertue, engraver, dies
1826 – Jacob Kimball, American pioneering composer and musician, dies at 65
1842 – John Sell Cotman, landscape painter, dies
1996 – Howard Vernon, Swiss actor (Love and Death, Delicatessen), dies at 82
1997 – Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer (Gianni Versace), commits suicide at 27

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Historical Events

1923 – 17th Tour de France won by Henri Pelissier of France
1933 – Caterina Jarboro sings “Aida” at the New York Hippodrome, becoming the 1st black female opera singer to perform in the US
1965 – Edward Heath succeeds Alec Douglas-Home as leader of the British Conservative party
1983 – MLB California Angels outfielder Brian Downing’s error ends his record streak at 244 games
2013 – 89 people are killed and 500 are injured by earthquakes in Gansu province, China
2019 – Air strikes have killed at least 31 people in Maarat al-Numan, north-western Syria, with Russian planes supporting Syrian government being blamed

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Famous Birthdays

1848 – Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1914)
1878 – Janusz Korczak [Henryk Goldszmit], Polish-Jewish educator and pedagogue (ran an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto) [or born in 1879], born in Warsaw, Congress Poland (d. 1942)
1890 – Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, American matriarch, mother of JFK, RFK and Ted, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1995)
1928 – Orson Bean, American actor and comedian (To Tell the Truth), born in Burlington, Vermont (d. 2020)
1952 – Herbert Chang, West Indian cricket batsman (1979)
1953 – Jimmy Bruno, American jazz guitarist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Famous Deaths

1863 – Karl Schuberth, German cellist, and composer, dies at 52
1996 – Peter Ludwig, German businessman and art collector, dies at 71
1996 – Tamara Danz, German singer (Silly), dies of cancer at 43
2007 – Ulrich Mühe, German actor (b. 1953)
2013 – Dennis Farina, American actor, dies from a pulmonary embolism at 69
2021 – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1978, 80), dies from a heart attack at 84

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Historical Events

1919 – Dirigible crashes through bank skylight killing 13 in Chicago, Illinois
1964 – Last Dutch whaling ship Willem Barents Sea sold to Japan
1975 – NY Met Félix Millán hits 4 singles; erased by Joe Torres 4 double plays
1975 – Soyuz 19 returns to Earth
1991 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Australian 1-2 with Ian Baker-Finch winning his only major championship, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Mike Harwood
1996 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Lytham and St. Annes: American Tom Lehman wins his only major championship by 2 strokes from Mark McCumber and Ernie Els; first American to win at Lytham since Bobby Jones 70 years earlier

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Famous Birthdays

1856 – Louise Blanchard Bethune, 1st American woman architect, born in Waterloo, New York (d. 1915)
1928 – Sky Low Low [Marcel Gauthier], Canadian professional wrestler, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1998)
1931 – Plas Johnson, American be-bop jazz and session saxophonist (sax solo on “The Pink Panther Theme”), born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
1956 – Michael Connelly, American crime writer (Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch novels), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1961 – Amar Singh Chamkila [Dhanni Ram], Punjabi folk singer “The Elvis of Punjab”, born in Dugri, Punjab, India (d. 1988)
1963 – Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler

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Famous Deaths

1544 – René of Chalon [Renatus of Nassau], prince of Orange, slain in battle
1993 – Robert Glass, American film sound engineer (ET), is murdered at 53
1998 – Robert Young, American actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D.), dies at 91
2003 – Walter M. “Matt” Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American pianist and composer (The Twilight Zone; Planet Of The Apes), dies of colon cancer at 75
2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)

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