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Historical Events 1735 - First opera performed in America, "Flora," in Charleston, South Carolina 1856 - The American Party (Know-Nothings) convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate its first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore. 1900 - Battle at Paardeberg, 1,270 British killed/injured 1970 - US President Richard Nixon launches the "Nixon doctrine" 2019 - Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei says "There's no way the US can crush us" in interview with BBC, saying his daughter's arrest politically motivated More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1836 - Ramakrishna [Gadadhar Chatterji], Indian mystic and yogi (preached unity of religions), born in Kamarpukur, British India (d. 1886) 1884 - Burton "Burt" Mustin, American actor (All in the Family, The Andy Griffith Show), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1977) 1929 - Len Deighton, British spy novelist (The IPCRESS File; An Expensive Place to Die), cookbook writer, and illustrator, born in Marylebone, London 1939 - Maxine Clair, American poet and novelist (Rattlebone, October Suite), born in Kansas City, Kansas (d. 2025) 1957 - Vanna Marie White, American television host (Wheel of Fortune), born in Conway, South Carolina More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1861 - Louis C Luzac, Dutch minister of Internal Affairs, dies at 74 1915 - Frank James, American outlaw (member of the James-Younger gang), dies at 72 1933 - James J. Corbett, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1892-97), dies of liver cancer at 66 1993 - Kerry Von Erich, American professional wrestler, commits suicide at 33 1996 - Nicholas Beriozoff, Lithuanian-British dancer, choreographer and ballet master, dies at 89 More Famous Deaths »

1902 - A general strike in Barcelona and nearby towns leads to government-troop reprisals that leave 40 dead 1904 - Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" premieres at La Scala in Milan, Italy 1927 - Toronto Maple Leafs, in the team's first game since changing name from "St. Patricks", beat the visiting New York Americans, 4-1 at the Mutual Street Arena 1939 - Katwijk soccer team forms in the Netherlands 1974 - 16th Daytona 500: Richard Petty first driver to win back-to-back titles at Daytona; his 5th Great American race 1985 - 3rd person to receive an artificial heart (Murray Haydon) 1997 - Weekly Standard shows evidence Larry Flint sexually abused his daughter 2014 - US Secretary of State John Kerry claims climate change requires urgent action and that only a small "window of time" remained open More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1865 - Union forces led by William T. Sherman capture the state capital of Columbia, South Carolina. The city is ablaze by nightfall, fanned by high winds devastating much of the city. It is not known which side started the fires. 1955 - KTVF TV channel 11 in Fairbanks, AK (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting 1967 - Kosmos 140 (Soyuz Test) launches into Earth orbit 1987 - New York Yankees Don Mattingly wins highest salary arbitration ($1,975,000 per year) 2017 - Discovery of a new mostly underwater continent, Zealandia, in the South Pacific is announced in the research journal "GSA Today" More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1774 - Raphaelle Peale, American painter (After the Rain, 1823), born in Annapolis, Maryland (d. 1825) 1945 - Roy Black, American defense attorney known for representing William Kennedy Smith and Jeffrey Epstein, born in Forest Hills, New York (d. 2025) 1950 - Rickey Medlocke, American rock guitarist, vocalist, and drummer (Blackfoot, 1969-97 - "Highway Song"' "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1971-72 and 1996-present), born in Jackson, Florida 1968 - Aaron Blaise, American animator, painter, and film director (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Brother Bear, The Lion King), born in Burlington, Vermont 1969 - David Klingler, American NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders, Cin Bengals), born in Houston, Texas More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1612 - Ernest of Bavaria, Prince-elector-archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne, dies at 57 1951 - Nikoghayos Fadeyi Tigranyan, Armenian composer, dies at 94 1997 - Zein Isa, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter 2003 - Frank Thistlethwaite, English academic and Vice Chancellor (University of East Anglia), dies at 87 2025 - Gerd Stern, American poet of the Beat era, multi-media artist (USCO), and cheese monger, dies at 96 More Famous Deaths »

1900 - Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Montreal Shamrocks beat Winnipeg Victorias, 5-4 to take challenge series, 3-1 1942 - Bangka Island massacre: Japanese soldiers machine-gun 22 Australian Army nurses and 60 Australian and British soldiers and crew members from two sunken ships. Only one nurse and two soldiers survive. 1966 - Australian cricket batsman Bob Cowper makes a patient 307 (727 mins, 20 x 4s) in drawn 5th Test v England in Melbourne 1969 - "Andrei Rublev", Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Anatoly Solonitsyn and Ivan Lapikov, premieres in Moscow after a limited release in 1966 1972 - American guitar legend Chuck Berry and former Beatle John Lennon perform together, with Yoko Ono, on 'The Mike Douglas Show' TV program 1985 - Largest NBA crowd to date, 43,816, sees Philadelphia at Detroit 1999 - O.J. Simpson's 1968 Heisman Trophy is sold for $230,000 to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgement against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend 2021 - Athens and parts of Greece covered in unusual heavy snowfall More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1840 - American Charles Wilkes discovers the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Antarctica 1959 - Leonard Spigelgass' "Majority of One" premieres in NYC 1965 - Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors 1973 - West Indies v Australia at Kingston, 1st time since 1955 without Garfield Sobers 2021 - Athens and parts of Greece covered in unusual heavy snowfall More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1953 - André St. Laurent, Canadian NHL hockey forward, 1973-90 (New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, and 2 other teams), born in Rouyn, Quebec 1953 - George Martin, NFL defensive end, 1975-88 (NY Giants), born in Greenville, South Carolina 1958 - Ice-T [Tracy Marrow], American rapper ("O.G. Original Gangster"), and actor (New Jack City; Tank Girl; Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), born in Newark, New Jersey 1961 - Andy Taylor, British rock guitarist (Duran Duran - "Hungry Like the Wolf"; The Power Station), born in Tynemouth, England 1965 - Lucinda Riley, Northern Irish historical fiction and romance author (The Seven Sisters series, The Hidden Girl, The Italian Girl, The Angel tree), born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland (d. 2021) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1531 - Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer, dies at 78 1857 - Auguste-Gaspard-Louis Desnoyers, French engraver, dies at 77 1933 - Archie Jackson, Australian cricket batsman (8 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 164; NSWCA), dies from tuberculosis at 23 1968 - (James) Healey Willan, British-Canadian organist, composer, and educator, dies at 87 2023 - Chuck Jackson, American pop and RandB singer ("Any Day Now"; "I Don't Want to Cry"; "I Keep Forgettin'"), dies at 85 More Famous Deaths »

1898 - USS Maine sinks in Havana harbor, cause unknown, 258 sailors die 1933 - Social-democratic newspaper "Vorwarts" banned again in Berlin 1956 - Pirates and KC As cancel an exhibition game in Birmingham, Alabama, due to a local ordinance barring Black players from playing against White players 1959 - Antonio Segni forms Italian government 1985 - World chess championship match abandoned with Anatoly Karpov 25 leading Garry Kasparov 23 2000 - Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails 2001 - First draft of the complete human genome is published in the journal "Nature" 2002 - At the Tri-State Crematory in La Fayette, Georgia, investigators find uncremated bodies disposed of in the woods and buildings on crematorium's property. One of the worst incidents of abuse in the funeral service industry. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1764 - St. Louis, Missouri founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclède 1804 - New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery 1991 - Freighter with dynamite explodes in Phang Nga Thailand, 120 die 1991 - Daily market volatility as Hussein mentions withdrawal, but Bush calls his offer a "cruel hoax" 2018 - German figure skaters Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot set new ISU best free skating score of 159.31 on their way to pairs gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1835 - Alexander Stuart Webb, American Union general (medal for gallantry at Battle of Gettysburg), born in New York City (d. 1911) 1883 - Sax Rohmer [Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward], English author (Dr Fu Manchu novels), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1959) 1909 - Harold Beeley, British diplomat to the Arab world, born in Manchester, England (d. 2001) 1923 - Yelena Bonner, Soviet dissident and wife of Andre Sakharov, born in Merv, Turkmenistan, Soviet Union (d. 2011) 1968 - Axelle Red [Fabienne Demal], Belgian pop and soul singer-songwriter ("Sensualité", "Parce que c'est toi"),human rights activist, and UNICEF ambassador, born in Hasselt, Belgium More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1713 - Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician and philosopher, dies at 41 1839 - Chevalier de Lorimier, Quebec notary (b. 1803) 1943 - Victor Harris, American organist, composer, conductor (St. Cecilia Society, 1902-36), vocal coach, and educator, dies at 73 1961 - Maribel Vinson, American figure skater (9 time US National Champion) and coach, dies in a plane crash at 49 2025 - Gran Hamada [Hiroaki Hamada], Japanese professional wrestler (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), dies at 74 More Famous Deaths »

1896 - George Lohmann takes a hat-trick for England v South Africa, 8-7 for inning - their lowest ever 1952 - Giant slalom event for women debuts at the Winter Olympics at Oslo Games; American skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence wins gold ahead of Dagmar Rom of Austria and German Annemarie Buchner 1953 - "Trionfo di Afrodite (Triumph of Aphrodite)", the final work of Carl Orff's Trionfi trilogy premieres at La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy 1979 - Revival of Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn's musical comedy "Whoopee!" opens at ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 204 performances 2010 - America's Cup: Team USA defeats Alinghi 2-0 to win in Spain 2016 - 69th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "The Revenant" Best Film, and Best Director - Alejandro González Iñárritu 2018 - South African President Jacob Zuma resigns from office 2024 - Indonesian presidential election: Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto appears to win by significant margin (full results 20 March) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1804 - Karadjordje leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire 1992 - Kieren John Perkins swims world record 800m freestyle (7:46.60) 1998 - Authorities in the United States announce that Eric Robert Rudolph is a suspect in an Alabama abortion clinic bombing 2013 - A suicide bombing kills 4 police officer and injures 5 in Dagestan 2023 - Rapper and musician Pharrell Williams appointed menswear designer for Louis Vuitton More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1870 - Bob Quinn, American baseball executive (owner Boston Red Sox 1923–33; part owner Boston Braves 1936–45; President National Baseball Hall of Fame 1948–51), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 1954) 1932 - Peter Ball, British Church of England clergyman (Bishop of Gloucester. 1992-93; Bishop of Lewes, 1977-92), and convicted sex offender, born in West Sussex, England (d. 2019) 1941 - Donna Shalala, American educator and politician, US Secretary of Health under Bill Clinton (Rep-Florida 2019-21), born in Cleveland, Ohio 1953 - Wayne Siegel, American electro-acoustic contemporary classical composer, based in Denmark, born in Los Angeles, California 1994 - Becky Hill, English singer (The Voice UK, 2012; "Remember"), born in Bewdley, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1820 - Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, son of French King Charles X, assassinated by a Bonapartist at 42 1831 - Henry Maudslay, English inventor of the metal lathe, dies at 59 1857 - Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch violinist, composer and conductor, dies at 56 1990 - Tony Holiday, German singer, dies of complications from AIDS at 38 2021 - Peter Martinček van Grob, Slovakian contemporary classical composer and conductor, dies at 58 More Famous Deaths »

1786 - Abraham Baldwin selected president of University of Georgia 1837 - Riot in New York due to a combination of poverty and increase in the cost of flour 1960 - "Beg, Borrow or Steal" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 5 performances 1984 - Karin Enke of East Germany wins her 2nd gold medal of the Sarajevo Winter Games, winning the women's 1,000m in Olympic record 1:21.61; also wins 1,500m gold 1995 - 3rd ESPY Awards: Steve Young, Bonnie Blair win 1996 - Death Row/Interscope Records releases rapper Tupac Shakur's fourth studio album "All Eyez on Me," his final release during his lifetime 2009 - Unix time passes 1,234,567,890 seconds at exactly 23:31:30 (UTC) on February 13, 2009 2015 - "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" 4th mixtape by Drake is released More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1867 - Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards 1881 - The feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is first published in Paris by activist Hubertine Auclert 1934 - Soviet steamship SS Chelyuskin sinks in the Arctic Ocean after being crushed by ice packs near Kolyuchin Island in the Chukchi Sea 1979 - Formation of Guardian Angels crime fighters in New York City 1990 - 50 killed at Inkatha-UDF battle in Natal, South Africa More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1879 - Sarojini Naidu, Indian freedom fighter and poet, born in Hyperbad, India (d. 1949) 1909 - M. Vasalis [Margaretha Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans], Dutch poet (Phoenix), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1998) 1910 - William Shockley, American physicist who helped invent the transistor (1956 Nobel), who was also known for his racist eugenics views, born in London, England (d. 1989) 1912 - Margaretta Scott, British actress (Crescendo, Where's Charley, Counterblast), born in Westminster, London (d. 2005) 1970 - Ruben Brown, American football guard (9 × Pro Bowl; Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears), born in Englewood, New Jersey More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1130 - Honorius II [Lamberto], Pope (1124-30), dies 1897 - Joseph O. Shelby, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 66 1958 - Dame Christabel Pankhurst, a leading suffragette (English) "Queen of the mob" (b.1880) 1991 - Ron Pickering, British athletics coach (GB 1964 Summer Olympics) and broadcaster (BBC), dies after a heart bypass operation at 60 2025 - Jim Guy Tucker, American attorney, businessman, and politician (Governor of Arkansas, 1992-96; US Representative form Arkansas, 1977-79), convicted of conspiracy and mail fraud in Whitewater Scandal (1996), dies of complications of colitis at 81 More Famous Deaths »

1901 - Dutch Penitentiary children's law proclaimed 1954 - The UK government establishes an organisation to control atomic energy in the country under The Atomic Energy Authority Bill 1955 - Soviets decides space center to be built in Baikonur, Kazakhstan 1964 - The Beatles first NYC concerts, two shows at Carnegie Hall 1985 - 37th NHL All-Star Game, Olympic Saddledome, Calgary: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 6-4; MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C 1994 - "The Scream" by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1893 pastel version) is stolen in Oslo 1995 - Susan Auch skates female world record 500m (38.94 sec) 2019 - Trial of 12 Catalonia independence leaders begins in Madrid More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1984 - East German luger Steffi Martin wins the first of 2 consecutive women's singles gold medals at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; also wins in Calgary (1988) 1988 - US Navy frigate USS Yorktown bumped by Russian frigate Bezzavetny in the Black Sea in dispute over right of innocent passage 2007 - A gunman opens fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing five people in the Trolley Square shooting 2017 - 70th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "La La Land" Best Film, Damien Chazelle Best Director, Best Actors Casey Affleck / Emma Stone 2023 - India opens the first part of what will be its longest expressway linking Mumbai with New Delhi over 1,386-kilometer (861 mile) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1830 - Stephen Wilcox, American inventor of steam generators for power stations and ships (Babcock and Wilcox), born in Westerly, Rhode Island (d. 1893) 1904 - Ted Mack, American TV host (The Original Amateur Hour), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1976) 1914 - Nello Celio, Swiss politician, born in Quinto, Switzerland (d. 1995) 1945 - Roman Tam [Pak-sin], Hong Kong singer knownn as the "Grand Godfather of Cantopop", born in Baise, Guangxi, China (d. 2002) 1980 - Enver Gjokaj, American actor (Dollhouse; Agent Carter), and inventor, born in Orange County, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1837 - Ludwig Borne [Loeb Baruch], German-Jewish writer, dies at 50 1896 - Isaac Murphy, American jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), dies at 35 2000 - Oliver [William Swofford], American pop singer ("Good Morning Starshine"), dies of cancer at 54 2022 - William Kraft, American timpanist, percussionist (Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble), conductor, and composer (The Demise of Suriyodhaya; Avalanche), dies at 98 2025 - Patrick Barclay, English sportswriter (The Times, The Guardian-Observer, Sunday Telegraph, The Independent; Sky Sports), dies at 77 More Famous Deaths »

1908 - Heemskerk's government begins in Holland 1948 - Billy Griffith scores cricket century on debut Eng v WI, out for 140 1985 - Kent Hrbek signs 5-year $6 million contract with Minnesota Twins 1986 - Australia beat India 2-0 to win cricket's World Series Cup, David Boon scores the most runs in the series (418) 1992 - F-16 jet crashes at residential district of Hengelo, Netherlands (No deaths) 2007 - 60th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "The Queen" Best Film, Paul Greengrass Best Director 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation effective February 28, becoming the first pope to resign since 1415 2021 - World's second oldest person, French nun Sister André, celebrates her 117th birthday after surviving COVID-19 in Toulon More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1928 - II Winter Olympic Games open in St Moritz, Switzerland 1949 - "Lovesick Blues" single is released by Hank Williams (Cashbox "Best Hillbilly Record of the Year," Billboard Song of the Year 1949) 1953 - J. Styne and Bob Hilliard's musical "Hazel Flagg" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 190 performances 1975 - TV drama "Sarah T: Portrait of A Teenage Alcoholic" starring Linda Blair, premieres on US network NBC 1984 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL short handed season scoring record at 11 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1557 - John Wtenbogaert, Dutch theologist (Kerckelicke history), born in at Utrecht (d. 1644) 1917 - Richard Jock Kinneir, British graphic designer (modern road signs), born in Hampshire, England (d. 1994) 1918 - Margaret Heldt, American hairdresser who created the beehive hairstyle, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2016) 1933 - Mildred Sampson, New Zealand distance runner (world marathon record 3:19:33 1964), born in Auckland, New Zealand 1956 - Raoul Björkenheim, American avant-garde jazz guitarist, born in Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1797 - Antoine Dauvergne, French composer, dies at 83 1943 - Bess Houdini, American-German stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini, dies from heart attack at 67 1967 - A. J. Muste, Dutch-born American pacifist and labor activist, dies at 82 1975 - Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy soldier and statesman, assassinated (b. 1931) 1999 - Jaki Byard, American jazz pianist (Charlie Mingus), saxophonist, drummer, composer, arranger, and educator, dies from an unsolved gunshot at 76 More Famous Deaths »

1535 - Twelve nude Anabaptists run through the streets of Amsterdam 1713 - Netherlands and Britain sign accord concerning anti-French Barrier [OS=Jan 31] 1879 - 1st electric arc light used (California Theater) 1923 - Ink paste manufactured for 1st time by Standard Ink Company 1966 - "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susann is published by Bernard Geis Associates in the US - sold over 31 million copies 1968 - "Spooky" by Classics IV hits #3 1992 - Mike Tyson convicted of raping Desiree Washington in Indiana 2013 - 66th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "Argo", Ben Affleck (Director); Daniel Day-Lewis and Emmanuelle Riva win More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1878 - Pact of Zanjón signed between Cubans rebels and the Spanish bringing the 10 Years War to an end 1933 - -54°F (-48°C), Seneca, Oregon (state record) 1939 - "Stagecoach" western film directed by John Ford, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne, premieres in Miami 1974 - Judy Ikenberry wins 1st Us women's marathon (2:55:17) 1993 - "Michael Jackson Talks to Oprah Winfrey" airs on ABC and draws an astounding 39.3 rating/56 share, with 90 million people watching More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1937 - Ronnie Rondell Jr., American stuntman known for appearing on the cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", born in Hollywood, California (d. 2025) 1942 - Alfred Gager, Austrian soccer midfielder (6 caps; Austria Wien, FC Wacker Wien), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2022) 1942 - Howard Mudd, American football OL (Pro Bowl 1966–68; All-Pro 1967-68; SF 49ers, Chicago Bears) and coach (Super Bowl 2006; OL Indianapolis Colts), born in Midland, Michigan (d. 2020) 1951 - Zeudi Araya, Eritrean actress (Hearts and Armour, La peccatrice), born in Dekemhare, British Eritrea 1987 - Yuja Wang, Chinese-American award-winning pianist known for her charismatic stage presence (Rachmaninoff Marathon), born in Beijing, China More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1127 - William IX, the Troubadour, Frankish nobleman (Duke of Aquitaine, Gascony, Count of Poitou, 1086-1127), Crusader, and poet, dies at 55 1887 - Ellen Wood, English author (Pomeroy Abbey), dies at 73 1917 - Émile Pessard, French pianist, concert and comic opera composer, and teacher (Maurice Ravel, Jacques Ibert), dies at 73 1951 - Joseph Bovet, Swiss composer and conductor (Fribourg folk music), dies at 71 1995 - Kenton Kilmer, American writer, dies of cancer at 85 More Famous Deaths »

1870 - US President Ulysses S Grant signs law resulting in US Army Signal Service’s establishment of its "Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce", later known as the National Weather Service 1934 - Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and Romania) 1955 - Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts crematory law 1972 - British government declares a state of emergency after a month-long coal miners' strike 1979 - New York City premiere of Paul Schrader's allegedly fact based film "Hardcore" 1984 - Finnish cross-country skier Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen wins the 10k gold medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; first of 3 individual medal sweep, also winning 5k and 20k events 1995 - Augustus and Ruth Goetz' stage drama "The Heiress" opens at Cort Theater, NYC; runs for 340 performances 2000 - 50th Berlin International Film Festival: "Magnolia" wins the Golden Bear More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1682 - Thomas Otway's "Venice Preserved" premieres in London 1979 - Walter Hill's crime drama film "The Warriors", based on Sol Yurick's 1965 novel, is released in the United States, sparking gang violence at many theaters and a halt to the film's marketing campaign 1990 - Spacecraft Galileo flies by Venus at an altitude of 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a gravity assist maneuver to gain speed on its way to Jupiter 1990 - "Bradys" return to TV for 6 episodes on CBS TV 2021 - WHO team investigating origin of COVID-19 in Wuhan say it is "extremely unlikely" that it leaked from a local research lab More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1900 - Walter Page, American jazz double bassist, saxophonist, tuba player, and bandleader (Blue Devils; Count Basie Orchestra), born in Gallatin, Missouri (d. 1957) 1903 - Georg Trexler, German composer, choirmaster, and organist (St. Trinitatis, Leipzig, 1930-70), born in Pirna, Germany (d. 1979) 1927 - Joe Maneri, American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player (Boston Microtonal Society), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2009) 1944 - Alice Walker, American novelist (The Color Purple, Meridian), born in Putnam County, Georgia 1964 - Rachel Bolan [James Southworth], American musician and songwriter (Skid Row), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1583 - Jeseph Sanalbo, Jewish convert in Rome, burned at stake 1916 - Hynek Vojáček, Czech composer, dies at 90 1973 - Max Yasgur, American dairy farmer, and owner Woodstock Festival site in Bethel, New York, dies of a heart attack at 53 2001 - Reginald Marsh, British actor (Sicilians: It Happened Here), dies at 74 2002 - Margaret Rose, British princess and Countess of Snowdon, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, dies of a stroke at 71 More Famous Deaths »

1849 - New Roman Republic established in Italy 1924 - 1st US coast-to-coast radio hookup: General John Joseph Carty speech in Chicago 1943 - Red Army recaptures Kursk on the eastern front 1953 - WLVA (now WSET) TV channel 13 in Lynchburg-Roanoke, VA (ABC) begins 1960 - Boston Celtic Bill Russell becomes 1st NBAer with 50 rebounds (51) 1979 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1984 - For the 1st time eight people are in space 2009 - Al Gore's book "An Inconvenient Truth" wins a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1575 - University of Leiden established by William I of Orange, given the motto "Praesidium Libertatis" (oldest university in Netherlands) 1916 - French cruiser "Admiral Charner" torpedoed off Syrian coast, kills 374 2013 - 29 people are killed and 69 are injured in a series of Iraq bombings 2014 - Ole Einar Bjørndalen equals the Winter Olympics medal record with 12 2014 - Netherlands sweeps the medals in the men's 5,000m speed skating at the Sochi Winter Olympics; Sven Kramer retains title ahead of teammates Jan Blokhuijsen and Jorrit Bergsma More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1813 - Jacob Georg Agarah, Swedish botanist, born in Lund, Sweden (d. 1901) 1828 - Jules Verne, French novelist known as the "Father of Science Fiction" (Around the World in 80 days), born in Nantes, France (d. 1905) 1928 - Jack Larson, American actor (The Adventures of Superman - "Jimmy Olsen"), screenwriter, and librettist (Virgil Thomson's "Lord Byron"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015) 1956 - Dave Meros, American progressive rock bassist (Spock's Beard), born in Salinas, California 1961 - Sammy Llanas, American rock singer-songwritrer (Bodeans, 1983-2011 - "Closer To Free"), born in Wisconsin More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1265 - Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler, grandson of Genghis Khan (besieged and pillaged Baghdad) (b. 1217) 1599 - Robert Rollock, Scottish educator (1st Regent of Edinburgh University), dies 1993 - Franz Schnyder, Swiss director (10th of May), dies at 82 1995 - Wilhelm J. Soukop, Austrian-British sculptor, dies at 88 2012 - Gunther Plaut, German-Canadian rabbi, dies at 99 More Famous Deaths »

1668 - Dutch Prince William III dances in premiere of "Ballet of Peace" 1827 - Ballet (Deserter) introduced to US at Bowery Theater (NYC) 1845 - The Portland Vase, thought to date to the 1st century BC is shattered into more than 80 pieces by a drunken visitor to the British Museum 1972 - Dutch Olympic 1,500m and 5,000m speed skating champion Ard Schenk wins his 3rd gold medal at the Sapporo Winter Games when he takes out the 10,000m 1973 - Iggy Pop and The Stooges release their influential 3rd album "Raw Power" 1974 - UK Prime Minister Edward Heath calls for a 'snap' general election in the midst of a protracted miners' strike 1979 - "Supertrain", TV Anthology, Superbomb of 1979, debuts on NBC 1998 - NHL's Dallas Stars retire Neal Broten's #7 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1795 - Dutch Prince William V accepts British occupation of Dutch Indies 1817 - Baltimore becomes the 1st American city lit by gas street lamps with the first turned on at Market and Lemon Streets (currently Baltimore and Holliday Streets) 1857 - French writer Gustave Flaubert is acquitted on a charge of obscenity for his work "Madame Bovary" 1903 - VVV '03 soccer club is established in the Dutch southeastern city of Venlo 1973 - Iggy Pop and The Stooges release their influential 3rd album "Raw Power" More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1809 - Frederik Paludan-Muller, Danish Romantic poet (Danserinden), born in Kerteminde, Denmark (d. 1876) 1877 - Julius Curtius, German Foreign Minister of the Weimar Republic (1929-31) and Minister for Economic Affairs (1926-29), born in Duisburg, Prussia (d. 1948) 1895 - Irving Aaronson, American jazz pianist and big band bandleader, born in New York City (d. 1963) 1945 - Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (In the Name of the Father, Inception), born in Warrington, England (d. 2011) 1959 - Sammy Lee, English footballer (Liverpool), born in Liverpool, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1965 - Nance O'Neil, American actor (Cimarron, Royal Bed, Rogue Song), dies at 90 1970 - Abe Attell, American boxer known as "The Little Hebrew" and World Featherweight Champion (1906-12), dies at 86 1997 - Danil Shafran, Soviet-Russian concert cellist, dies at 74 2020 - Harold Strachan, South African writer, anti-apartheid activist, and explosives expert, dies of liver disease complications at 94 2020 - Nexhmije Pagarusha, Albanian singer ‘the Nightingale of Kosovo’ and actress, dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1819 - Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading post 1862 - General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee 1941 - British troops conquer Bengazi, Libya 1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan 2005 - Tony Blair, now the longest-serving Labour PM, marks 2,838 days as British Prime Minister 2009 - President Barack Obama announces the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, with Paul Volcker as Chairman and Austan Goolsbee as Staff Director and Chief Economist 2012 - Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot is presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario 2024 - Landslide kills at least 68 with more missing, amid torrential rain, in Maco town, Davao de Oro, southern Philippines More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1947 - Magnum Photos founded in Paris by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour 1953 - Ian Craig makes Test Cricket debut at 17 yrs 239 days, youngest Aussie 1978 - Snowstorm hits New England, parts of Rhode Island (54" / 137cm) 1990 - Brett Hull becomes 1st son of NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to also score 50 goals 2020 - Date of the 1st COVID-19 related death in the US (confirmed by the CDC April 21) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1848 - Luigi Mancinelli, Italian orchestral composer, born in Orvieto, Italy (d. 1921) 1866 - Karl Sapper, German traveller, explorer, and natural historian, born in Germany (d. 1945) 1905 - Władysław Gomułka, Polish communist politician, born in Krosno, Poland (d. 1982) 1982 - Alice Eve, English actress (She's Out of My League; Star Trek Into Darkness), born in London 1986 - Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwean cricketer, born in Harare, Zimbabwe More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1899 - Alfred Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, dies at 24 in mysterious circumstances 1923 - Edward Emerson Barnard, American astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65 1958 - David Pegg, English soccer outside left (1 cap; Manchester United 127 games), dies in Munich air disaster at 22 1991 - Marten Levendig, Dutch TV correspondent to Moscow, dies 2021 - Ken McCaffery, Australian rugby league centre (12 Tests; North Sydney; Queensland), broadcaster (9 Network) and administrator (North Sydney DRLFC), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »