CoM Moderators

1666 - Hurricane hits Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Christopher, killing thousands 1693 - Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Pérignon's invention of Champagne 1917 - Pravda calls for the killing of all capitalists, priests, and officers 1948 - Hungary's Olga Gyarmati wins the first ever Olympic women's long jump competition at the London Games 1983 - 16th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Hotel San Diego 1992 - In its debut at the Barcelona Olympics the badminton singles gold medals are both won by Indonesian athletes, whilst both men's and women's doubles go to South Korea 2019 - Car explosion kills 20 and injures 47 in Cairo, Egypt, in a terrorist-related incident 2019 - British Open Women's Golf, Woburn GC: Hinako Shibuno of Japan wins her maiden major title in her first LPGA event; beats American Lizette Salas by 1 stroke More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1347 - English troops under Edward III conquer Calais, becomes strategic town for the English during Hundred Years' War 1636 - Johan Maurits is appointed governor of Dutch Brazil 1936 - American athlete Jesse Owens wins his second gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, defeating German Luz Long in the long jump final with an Olympic record 1964 - North Vietnam purportedly engages US Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin for a second time, resulting in US Congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting authority to assist any Southeast Asian nation facing "communist aggression"; a later investigation deems the second attack never happened as shipboard communications were misinterpreted 2019 - Gunman kills 9 and injures 27 at a bar in Dayton, Ohio, in the second mass shooting in 24 hours in the US More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1805 - William Rowan Hamilton, Irish astronomer and mathematician, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1865) 1932 - (Calvin) "Scotty" Stoneman, American bluegrass fiddler (The Stoneman Family; The Kentucky Colonels), born in Galax, Virginia (d. 1973) 1943 - Laura Biagiotti, Italian fashion designer known as the "Queen of Cashmere", born in Rome, Italy (d. 2017) 1955 - Charles D. Gemar, American former NASA astronaut (STS-38, 48, 62) and lieutenant colonel (United States Army), born in Yankton, South Dakota 1962 - Joey Huffman, American rock keyboard and organ player (Soul Asylum), born in Pikeville, Kentucky More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1204 - Boniface of Montferrat, margrave of Montferrat, murdered 1578 - Sebastian, King of Portugal (1557-78), assumed killed at the Battle of Three Kings in Morroco at 24 1904 - Arnold Krug, German composer, dies at 54 1995 - Dick Bartell, American baseball shortstop (MLB All Star 1933, 37; Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 87 1996 - Geoff Hamilton, English gardener and journalist (BBC Gardener's World), dies of a heart attack at 59 More Famous Deaths »

1650 - Dutch Stadtholder William II and Amsterdam reach an accord about a standing army 1692 - Battle of Steenkerque: French defeat William III's combined English/Dutch army 1948 - An American 1-2 in the men's 200 m at the London Olympics with Mel Patton (21.1) defeating teammate Barney Ewell 1948 - Franklin D. Roosevelt advisor Alger Hiss is accused of being a "communist" 1954 - The Convair XFY-1 Pogo, a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, makes its first successful flight 1958 - MLB Baltimore Orioles manager Paul Richards is ejected from both games of a doubleheader at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan 1987 - Discovery in the Orbital Processing Facility is powered up for STS-26 2015 - The Athens Stock Exchange reopens after a month and falls by 22% More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1778 - Teatro alla Scala opens in Milan 1798 - Battle of the Nile: British Admiral Horatio Nelson forces the remnants of the French fleet to surrender, concluding a decisive victory for the British, who capture or destroy 11 French ships of the line and 2 frigates 1936 - American sprinter Jesse Owens wins the 100 m in 10.3 seconds in front of Adolf Hitler in a famous race at the Berlin Olympics, the first of four gold medals he wins at the Games 1970 - The second NFL work stoppage ends with NFL and Players' Association agreeing to a 4-year, $19.1 million deal 1979 - Sam Snead, at 67 years, 2 months, and 7 days, sets the record for the oldest player to make the cut in a major - PGA Championship at Oakland Hills CC More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1938 - Terry Wogan, British broadcaster (Eurovision Song Contest, Blankety Blank), born in Limerick, Ireland (d. 2016) 1964 - Kevin Elster, American baseball infielder (Texas Rangers), born in San Pedro, California 1976 - Troy Glaus, American baseball infielder (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Tarzana, Los Angeles 1979 - Kris Jenkins, American NFL defensive tackle (Pro Bowl (20-03, 06, 08; All-Pro 2002-03; Carolina Panthers, New York Jets), born in Ypsilanti, Michigan 1986 - Charlotte Casiraghi, Daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, born in Princess Grace Hospital Centre, La Colle, Monaco More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1993 - James Donald, Scottish actor (Bridge on River Kwai, Vikings, In Which We Serve, Way Ahead), dies of stomach cancer at 76 1994 - Hidalgo Moya, American architect and designer (Skylon), dies at 74 2006 - Warren Barker, American Emmy Award-winning composer (My World and Welcome To It), dies at 83 2018 - Moshe Mizrahi, Israeli film director (Madame Rosa), dies of pneumonia at 86 2021 - Jocelyne Bourassa, Canadian golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1972; Canadian Open 1973), dies at 74 More Famous Deaths »

1819 - First parachute jump in US by Frenchman Louis-Charles Guille over Jersey City 1870 - Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London 1920 - Marcus Garvey presents his "Back to Africa" program in NYC 1941 - Thousands of Jews are expelled from Subcarpathian Ruthenia 1967 - US Lunar Orbiter 5 is launched and enters lunar orbit on August 5 1975 - 104°F (40°C) in Providence, Rhode Island (state record) 2013 - 40 people are killed after an ammunition depot explodes in Homs, Syria 2015 - British Open Women's Golf, Turnberry: Inbee Park of South Korea shoots final found 65 (−7) to win her 7th major title, 3 strokes ahead of compatriot Ko Jin-young More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1057 - Frederick of Lorraine elected as the first Belgian Pope Stephen IX [X] 1914 - German and Ottoman empires sign a secret treaty of alliance after the outbreak of WWI 1948 - Italians Adolfo Consolini and Giuseppe Tosi go 1-2 in the men's discus final at the London Olympics 1990 - 23rd San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Holiday Inn 2015 - British Open Women's Golf, Turnberry: Inbee Park of South Korea shoots final found 65 (−7) to win her 7th major title, 3 strokes ahead of compatriot Ko Jin-young More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1945 - John T. Ward Jr., American racehorse trainer (Kentucky Derby 2001 Monarchos; Breeders' Cup Distaff 1999 Beautiful Pleasure), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 2021) 1955 - Tim Dunigan, American actor (Captain Jonathan Power in "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future"), born in St. Louis, Missouri 1955 - Anne Lacaton, French architect (Lacaton and Vassal; Pritzker Prize, 2021), born in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, France 1957 - Jacky Rosen, American politician (Senator-D-Nevada 2019-), born in Chicago, Illinois 1958 - Arshad Ayub, Indian cricketer (Indian off-spinner of the late 1980's), born in Hyderabad, India More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1849 - Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Albanian-born Pasha and viceroy of Egypt (founder of modern Egypt), dies at 80 1859 - Horace Mann, American educator, author, abolitionist and politician who pioneered public schools, dies at 63 1979 - Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician and author (founder of Peruvian Aprista Party), dies at 84 2022 - Buddy Arrington, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series 103 x top 10 finishes), dies at 84 2025 - Gregory C. O’Connell, American police detective and property developer known for revitalizing the Red Hook area, dies of cancer at 83 More Famous Deaths »

1883 - A papyrus is offered to the British Museum for £10,000, later revealed to be a forgery 1941 - Luftwaffe bombs German 23rd Infantry Division 1944 - Polish resistance fighters of the Home Army launch the Warsaw Uprising, the largest military effort undertaken by a resistance movement in occupied Europe 1957 - Gil Hodges hits his 13th MLB career grand slam, a National League record and the last by a Brooklyn Dodgers player 2014 - USA and UN announce a 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, though it quickly breaks down 2014 - Indiana Pacers NBA superstar Paul George suffers a gruesome compound fracture of his lower right leg during a Team USA scrimmage 2018 - Australian Rugby League's "Immortals" tally increases to 13 as pre-war stars Dally Messenger, Frank Burge, and Dave Brown, along with latter-day giants Norm Provan and Mal Meninga, are added 2024 - Tunisian human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine is arrested and imprisoned for “conspiracy against state security” More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1498 - Christopher Columbus lands for the first time in South America near the mouth of the Orinoco River in modern-day Venezuela 1883 - Amsterdam's Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky integrates modern electric lighting 1987 - Music video channel MTV Europe launches with Elton John throwing the switch; "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits is the first video presented 1992 - NBC's "Saturday Today" premieres, extending the Today franchise to broadcasting seven days a week 2020 - Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens after Musk tweets in support of a conspiracy theory that they were More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1909 - Nigel Henderson, British Royal Navy officer, 1927-71 (Admiral, 1964-71; Chairman of NATO Military Committee ,1968-71), born in the UK (d. 1993) 1932 - Ron Friedman, American screenwriter (The Transformers: The Movie; Fantasy Island), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2025) 1957 - (Brad) "Taylor" Negron, American actor and writer (Fast Times at Ridgemont High; Easy Money; Punchline), born in Glendale, California (d. 2015) 1982 - Caroline Shaw, American violinist, singer, and Pulitzer Prize winning composer (Partita for 8 Voices), born in Greenville, North Carolina 1986 - Anton Strålman, Swedish ice hockey player, born in Tibro, Sweden More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1190 - Floris III, Count of Holland, dies at about 49 [born c. 1141] 1743 - Richard Savage, English poet and playwright, dies at about 46 1918 - John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy, dies at 64 1993 - Ewing Kaufman, founder/owner (KC Royals), dies of lung cancer at 76 2012 - Joan Bernard, British army officer in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and founding principal of Trevelyan College (1966-78), dies due to ill-health at 94 More Famous Deaths »

1658 - Aurangzeb appoints himself the sixth Mughal emperor; the Mughal Empire reaches its greatest extent under him 1969 - KWIH TV channel 44 in Winona, Minnesota (IND) begins broadcasting 1983 - Dutch July average temperature is 20.1°C (68.18°F), making it the warmest July since 1854 1991 - US Senate votes to allow women to fly combat aircraft 1997 - First baseman Mark McGwire becomes MLB's top home run hitter to be traded in the middle of a season when he moves from Oakland to the St. Louis Cardinals with 34 home runs and 81 RBIs 2016 - PGA Championship Men's Golf, Baltusrol GC: American Jimmy Walker wins his first major by one shot from defending champion Jason Day of Australia 2019 - Russian President Vladimir Putin orders the Russian army to help put out huge wildfires in Siberia covering 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) after 700,000 people sign a petition 2019 - US Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by 0.25%, the first cut since 2008 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1932 - German election (NSDAP gets 37.3%) 1967 - Rolling Stones' singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards are released from jail in England after serving 1 month on drug charges 1970 - Black Tot Day: the last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, which started in 1740 1980 - Crew of Soyuz 37 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 36 2022 - Women's Euro 2022: England defeats Germany 2-1 in extra time in front of the biggest-ever Euro crowd of 87,192 at Wembley, London More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1929 - José Santamaría, Uruguayan soccer defender (Uruguay 20, Spain 16 caps; Nacional, Real Madrid) and manager (Español, Spain), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 2026) 1932 - John Searle, American philosopher (Chinese Room Argument), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 2025) 1951 - Gerald Anthony, American actor (Marco Dane in "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital"), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2004) 1981 - M. Shadows [Matthew Sanders], American singer (Avenged Sevenfold), born in Huntington Beach, California 1988 - A. J. Green [Adriel Jeremiah Green], American NFL player (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Summerville, South Carolina More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1972 - Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, Secretary-General of NATO, 1957-61), dies at 73 1988 - André Navarra, French concert cellist (Jolivet's Cello Concerto), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1947-88), dies at 76 1997 - Edith Fore, American pitchwoman (ad for LifeCall alarm - I've fallen and I can't get up!), dies at 81 2015 - Howard W. Jones Jr., American physician who oversaw the birth of the first American 'test tube' baby and helped open the first sex-change clinic in a US hospital, dies at 104 2022 - Mo Ostin [Ostrofsky], American record company executive (Verve; Reprise; Warner Bros; Dreamworks), dies at 95 More Famous Deaths »

1678 - English troops land in Flanders 1939 - Tour de France: Sylvère Maes of Belgium wins his 3rd title from Frenchman René Vietto 1942 - German occupiers set a night curfew on Jews in the Netherlands 1968 - Washington shortstop Ron Hansen makes the eighth unassisted triple play in MLB history and the first in 41 years as the Senators lose 10-1 to the Cleveland Indians 1969 - KAEC TV channel 19 in Lufkin, Texas (ABC) begins broadcasting 1982 - Atlanta Braves remove Chief Noc-A-Homa to make room for more seating 1982 - USSR performs an underground nuclear test 2003 - Toronto Rocks - SARSStock benefit with performers including The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, and The Isley Brothers, at Downsview Park; largest concert in Canadian history attracts 450,000 spectators More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1653 - Johan de Witt is sworn in as the Grand Pensionary of Holland 1864 - Battle of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Confederate forces under McCausland burn the town of Chambersburg 1870 - Staten Island Ferry "Westfield" burns, killing 100 1907 - Filipinos elect their first legislature, which will meet on 16 October 1984 - Hollie Roffey, aged 10 days, is the youngest person to ever receive a heart transplant and survives 28 days More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1824 - Eugenio Terziani, Italian composer, born in Rome, Papal States (d. 1889) 1837 - Elon John Farnsworth, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Green Oak, Michigan (d. 1863) 1906 - Ľudovít Rajter, Slovak composer and conductor, born in Pezinok, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 2000) 1927 - Victor Wong, American actor (Big Trouble in Little China), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2001) 1974 - Jason Robinson, English dual-code rugby player, born in Leeds, United Kingdom More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1566 - Guillaume Rondelet, French naturalist famous for his study of marine animals, dies at 58 1966 - Edward Gordon Craig, British modernist actor, director and theorist (On the art of theatre), dies at 94 1976 - Emil Solomon "Solly" Sachs, South African socialist, dies in London 1983 - Lynn Fontanne, British Emmy Award-winning stage, screen, and radio actress, dies of pneumonia at 95 1993 - Frank L. Howley, American general (Commander of American sector of Berlin after WWII), dies at 90 More Famous Deaths »

238 - The Roman Senate and Praetorian Guard proclaim 13-year-old Gordian III as Emperor - the youngest-ever emperor of a united Rome 1566 - Great Britain executes Agnes Waterhouse, the first British woman convicted of witchcraft in Chelmsford, England 1773 - First schoolhouse west of the Allegheny Mountains is completed in Schoenbrunn, Ohio 1924 - Paul Runyan wins PGA the golf championship 1942 - Transport #12 departs Drancy, France, with 1001 French Jews sent to Auschwitz concentration camp; five survive until the war's end 1996 - MLB Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda retires, with a record of 1599-1439, four National League Pennants, and two World Series championships. 2015 - "Sweat" by Lynn Nottage premieres at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2017) 2019 - Prison riot kills 58, with 16 decapitated in a battle between rival factions at Altamira prison, Pará state, Brazil More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1560 - Turkish fleet recaptures Djerba from Spaniards 1751 - First international world title prizefight: Jack Stack of England defeats challenger M. Petit of France in 29 minutes in England 1983 - MLB San Diego Padres first baseman Steve Garvey ends his National League record of 1,207 consecutive games streak 2013 - 44 people are killed in a wave of car bombings in Iraq 2022 - Rebekah Vardy loses her UK libel trial against Coleen Rooney in the so-called Wagatha Christie trial over Rooney accusing Vardy of leaking stories to The Sun newspaper More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1933 - Cammie Smith, West Indian cricket batsman (5 Tests, 1 x 50; Barbados), born in Saint Michael, Barbados 1937 - Marian Robinson (née Shields), American 'First Grandma" of the Obama White House, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2024) 1973 - Wanyá Morris, American RandB and soul singer (Boyz II Men - "I'll Make Love to You"; "End Of The Road"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1977 - Danger Mouse [Brian Burton], American alternative rock and electronic hip-hop musician, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning record producer (The Grey Album; Gnarls Barkley; Black Keys), born in White Plains, New York 1984 - Chad Billingsley, American MLB baseball pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers), born in Defiance, Ohio More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1573 - John Caius, English physician, dies at 62 1984 - Woodrow Parfey, American actor (Time Express), dies at 61 of a heart attack 1994 - James Herman Barrett Jr, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel killed by anti-abortion extremist Paul Hill at 74 2001 - Alex Nicol, American actor (The Screaming Skull, Man From Laramie, Air Cadet), dies of natural causes at 85 2005 - Pat McCormick, American comedy writer (Red Skeleton; Get Smart; The Tonight Show; Don Rickles Show), and actor (Smokey and the Bandit), dies at 78 More Famous Deaths »

1330 - Battle of Velbuzd: Serbian forces defeat Bulgarian army 1563 - French army recaptures Le Havre after the English garrison surrenders after a siege 1794 - French Revolutionary figure Maximilien Robespierre and 22 other leaders of "the Terror" are guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris 1794 - Joséphine de Beauharnais, future Empress of the French and first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, is released from prison five days after the execution of her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais 1967 - Pirate radio station 390 (Radio Invicta) in England closes down 2013 - 39 people are killed after a bus veers off a bridge in Avellino Province, Italy 2018 - Carr Fire reaches Redding, California, with the death toll at 5, having burned 80,000 acres 2019 - Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is revealed as the first guest editor for UK Vogue in 103 years for its September 2019 issue More Historical Events »