CoM Moderators

Historical Events 1794 - Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin, revolutionizing the cotton industry in the southern US states 1956 - 50-year-old baseball pitching star Satchel Paige signs a contract to play for and manage the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League 1966 - British film "Born Free" based on the book "Born Free" by Joy Adamson released starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers 1972 - Two IRA members shot dead by British soldiers in the Bogside area of Derry 1973 - Liam Cosgrave (52) appointed President of Ireland 2022 - PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Australian Cameron Smith wins $3.6m, biggest individual event purse in golf history; beats Anirban Lahiri of India by 1 stroke More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1623 - Adam-Nicolas Gascon, Dutch-Walloon composer and kapellmeister (Saint Paul Collegiate Church, 1659-68), born in Liège, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1668) 1815 - Josephine Lang, German composer, born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria (d. 1880) 1831 - Leon Leopold Lewandoski, Polish composer, born in Kalisz, Poland (d. 1896) 1920 - Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (Dennis the Menace), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2001) 1921 - Frank Ottersen, Norwegian jazz violinist and saxophonist (Ding, Dong, Dang), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1971) 1989 - Colby O'Donis [Colón] American singer (Lady Gaga -"Just Dance"), songwriter, and record producer, born in Queens, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1490 - Charles I, Duke of Savoy (1482-90), dies at 21 1903 - Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Dutch landscape painter, dies at 88 1933 - Balto, Siberian husky dog who led the sled team delivering diphtheria antitoxin from to Nenana, Alaska to Nome, Alaska in 1925, dies at 14 1961 - Akiba Rubinstein, Polish chess player (openings theorist), dies at 80 2003 - Jean-Luc Lagardère, French publisher (b. 1928) 2007 - Lucie Aubrac, French history teacher and member of the French Resistance (b. 1912) More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events 1794 - Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin, revolutionizing the cotton industry in the southern US states 1956 - 50-year-old baseball pitching star Satchel Paige signs a contract to play for and manage the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League 1966 - British film "Born Free" based on the book "Born Free" by Joy Adamson released starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers 1972 - Two IRA members shot dead by British soldiers in the Bogside area of Derry 1973 - Liam Cosgrave (52) appointed President of Ireland 2022 - PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Australian Cameron Smith wins $3.6m, biggest individual event purse in golf history; beats Anirban Lahiri of India by 1 stroke More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1623 - Adam-Nicolas Gascon, Dutch-Walloon composer and kapellmeister (Saint Paul Collegiate Church, 1659-68), born in Liège, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1668) 1815 - Josephine Lang, German composer, born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria (d. 1880) 1831 - Leon Leopold Lewandoski, Polish composer, born in Kalisz, Poland (d. 1896) 1920 - Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (Dennis the Menace), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2001) 1921 - Frank Ottersen, Norwegian jazz violinist and saxophonist (Ding, Dong, Dang), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1971) 1989 - Colby O'Donis [Colón] American singer (Lady Gaga -"Just Dance"), songwriter, and record producer, born in Queens, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1490 - Charles I, Duke of Savoy (1482-90), dies at 21 1903 - Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Dutch landscape painter, dies at 88 1933 - Balto, Siberian husky dog who led the sled team delivering diphtheria antitoxin from to Nenana, Alaska to Nome, Alaska in 1925, dies at 14 1961 - Akiba Rubinstein, Polish chess player (openings theorist), dies at 80 2003 - Jean-Luc Lagardère, French publisher (b. 1928) 2007 - Lucie Aubrac, French history teacher and member of the French Resistance (b. 1912) More Famous Deaths »

1634 - First meeting of what would become the Academie Francaise in Paris at the house of Valentin Conrart 1925 - NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens sweep Toronto Arenas in 2 games 1945 - Nazi Sicherheitsdienst arrests Dutch resistance fighter Henry Werkman 1965 - British guitarist Eric Clapton quits the Yardbirds due to the band moving away from traditional blues; Jeff Beck becomes his replacement 1972 - 7th Academy of Country Music Awards: Freddie Hart and Loretta Lynn win 1983 - Peter Stone's musical "Woman of the Year" closes at Palace Theater, NYC, after 770 performances 1984 - Last day of 1st-class cricket for G Chappell, R Marsh, B Laird 1992 - Martina Navratilova and Judy Nelson settle their galamony suit 1995 - Istanbul police shoot dead 16 Alawitische demonstrators 2018 - National Geographic magazine admits its past coverage was racist in issue to mark 50 years since death of Martin Luther King Jr. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1875 - English FA Cup Final, Kennington Oval, London: Royal Engineers and Old Etonians draw 1-1; replay won by Engineers, 2-0 1938 - In a process known as Anschluss, Austria is annexed into Nazi Germany 1986 - Microsoft has its Initial public offering. 1992 - An earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter scale kills over 500 in Erzincan, eastern Turkey. 2005 - 52nd ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats Georgia Tech, 69-64 2019 - Home of civil rights activists Medgar and Myrlie Evers established as a national monument in Jackson, Mississippi, by President Donald Trump More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1955 - John Hackett, British rock, classical, and new age flautist, born in Pimlico, London, England 1959 - Ronnie Rogers, British guitarist (T'Pau-Heart and Soul), born in Shrewsbury, England 1963 - Vance Johnson, American NFL wide receiver (Denver Broncos), born in Trenton, New Jersey 1970 - Tim Story, American film director and producer (The Story Company), born in Los Angeles, California 1972 - Trent Dilfer, American football quarterback (Super Bowl XXXV Baltimore Ravens; Pro Bowl 1997 TB Bucs), born in Santa Cruz, California 1979 - Cedric Van Branteghem, Belgian athlete, born in Ghent, Belgium More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1925 - Lucille Ricksen [Ingeborg Ericksen], American silent-film actress, dies of tuberculosis 14 1941 - Elizabeth Madox Roberts, American poet and novelist (The Time of Man), dies at 54 1946 - Abraham Bredius, Dutch art historian (Rembrandt), dies at 90 1992 - Clarence Wright, English actor and singer, dies at 84 1994 - Joop Swart, Dutch journalist, photographer, and publisher (founder of World Press Photo), dies at 69 2001 - John A. Alonzo, American cinematographer (pioneered handheld work, lighting techniques and HD video development), dies at 66 More Famous Deaths »

1849 - 1st gold seekers arrive in Nicaragua en route to California 1903 - New York Highlanders (Yankees) baseball franchise is approved as a member of the American League 1926 - Pope Pius XI names J E van Roey archbishop of Malines Belgium 1951 - Comic strip "Dennis the Menace," 1st appears in the British comic magazine The Beano' 1989 - 36th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #9 North Carolina beats #7 Duke, 77-74 1993 - 317 killed by bomb attacks in Bombay 2000 - 41st SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Arkansas beats Auburn, 75-67 2018 - Plane crash of Bangladeshi carrier at Kathmandu airport kills at least 49 after plane approaches runway from wrong end 2022 - Saudi Arabia executes 81 convicted criminals, the country's largest known mass execution in modern times 2023 - Cyclone Freddy makes landfall for a second time in central Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi, killing about 200 people and setting records as the longest-lasting cyclone in the southern hemisphere (formed Feb 6) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1976 - South African troops leave Angola 1981 - Stephen Sondheim's musical revue "Marry Me a Little" premieres in NYC 1985 - Larry Bird scores Boston Celtic record 60 points 1987 - David Robinson scores 50 points in a NCAA basketball game 1995 - 36th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Arkansas, 95-93 (OT) 2012 - "The Hunger Games" directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence premieres in Los Angeles More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1647 - Victor-Maurice, comte de Broglie, French general (d. 1727) 1911 - Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Mexican politician (President of Mexico 1964-70), born in San Andrés Chalchicomula, Mexico (d. 1979) 1922 - Jack Kerouac, American novelist and poet of the Beat Generation (On the Road, Mexico Blues), born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 1969) 1929 - Francisco Pulgar Vidal, Peruvian musicologist and composer, born in Huánuco, Peru (d. 2012) 1948 - Dana Walden, American RandB keyboardist (Champaign - "How 'Bout Us"), born in Champaign, Illinois 1952 - Naomi Shihab Nye, Arab-American poet (Yellow Glove; Red Suitcase), novelist (Habibi), and songwriter, born in St. Louis, Missouri More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1608 - Koriki Kiyonaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1530) 1721 - Jan Luyts, Dutch physicist and mathematician, dies at 65 1989 - Maurice Evans, British actor (Planet of the Apes; Bewitched), dies at 87 1992 - Barbara Morrison, British actress (Project Moonbase; From Here To Eternity), dies of heart failure at 84 1992 - Salvatore "Salvo" Lima, Italian politician (Mayor of Palermo, 1958-63 and 65-66; Member of European Parliament, 1979-92) assassinated by the Mafia at 64 1992 - Ida Oosterbaan, Dutch founder (Women Action Committee), dies More Famous Deaths »

1276 - Augsburg becomes an Imperial Free City 1822 - Charles Graham of NY granted first US patent for artificial teeth 1839 - Prussian government limits work week for children to 51 hours 1841 - US Supreme Court rules the kidnapped slaves from the Spanish schooner the Amistad are free 1923 - Amsterdam taxi strike ends 1926 - Bertha Landes elected 1st woman mayor of Seattle and 1st female mayor of any major US city 1945 - 334 US B-29 Superfortresses attack Tokyo with 120,000 fire bombs 1948 - Provisionary Indonesian government installed in Batavia 1962 - Egyptian President Nasser declares Gaza belongs to Palestinians 1987 - Chrysler Corp offers to buy American Motors Corp for $1 billion More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1865 - Battle of Kingston, North Carolina (Wilcox's ridge, Wise's Forks) 1904 - Australian cricket spin bowler Hugh Trumble dismisses England batsmen Bernard Bosanquet, Plum Warner and Dick Lilley for his second Test hat-trick in 5th Test victory in Melbourne; Trumble's final Test 1936 - The first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida. 1942 - Japanese forces capture Rangoon, Burma 1953 - Census indicates 239,000 farmers gave up farming in last 2 years in US 1987 - Nelli Cooman becomes world champion 60m indoor More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1783 - Gottfied Wilhelm Fink, German Protestant clergyman, composer, music theorist, and poet, born in Sulza, Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1846) 1945 - Bruce Broughton, American Emmy Award-winning television and film score composer (Hawaii Five-0; Dallas), born in Los Angeles, California 1954 - Karl Schnabl, 90m ski jumper (Olympic gold 1976) 1974 - Toran James, linebacker (San Diego Chargers) 1979 - Tom Chaplin, British rock singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (Keane), born in Hastings, East Sussex, England 1991 - Devon Werkheiser, American actor More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1757 - Thomas Blackwell, Scottish classical scholar, dies at 55 1901 - Peter Benoit, Flemish composer (De Leie; Rubens Cantata: Requiem), and conductor, dies at 66 1973 - Gordon Leggat, New Zealand cricket batsman (9 Tests, 2 x 50; Canterbury), dies at 46 2008 - Carol Barnes, British television news journalist (ITN; ITV), dies a few days after suffering a stroke at 63 2020 - Max Von Sydow, Swedish actor (Hawaii, Exorcist, Dune, Game of Thrones), dies at 90 2021 - Julien-François Zbinden, Swiss jazz pianist, and jazz and classical composer (Monophrases), dies at 103 More Famous Deaths »

1653 - -Mar 3] 3 Day Sea battle English beat Dutch 1832 - Charles Darwin, aboard HMS Beagle, arrives in the town of Salvador in the Brazilian state of Bahia 1914 - Construction begins on Tower of Jewels for the San Francisco Exposition 1939 - The erroneous word "Dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation. 1951 - 8th Golden Globes: "Sunset Boulevard", Jose Ferrer, and Gloria Swanson win 1969 - Ladies Figure Skating Champion in Colorado Springs won by Gabriele Seyfert of Great Britain 1972 - US President Richard Nixon ends historic week-long visit to China 1982 - FALN (PR Nationalist Group) bombs Wall Street 1994 - Brady Law, imposing a wait-period to buy a hand gun in the USA, comes into effect 2005 - 19th Soul Train Music Awards: Ice Cube, Usher and Ciara win More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1832 - Charles Darwin, aboard HMS Beagle, arrives in the town of Salvador in the Brazilian state of Bahia 1847 - US forces numbering less than 1,000 defeat a larger Mexico force in the Battle of the Sacramento River 1944 - Arrests of the ten-Boom family in Nazi occupied Netherlands (Haarlem) through a Dutch collaborator on charges of hiding Jews 1959 - Ice Pairs Championship at Colorado Springs won by Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul of Canada, their 3rd title 1967 - A West German court rules that impostor Anna Anderson failed to prove that she was missing Russian duchess Anastasia Romanov, ending a legal case that lasted almost 30 years 1969 - Ice Dance Championship at Colorado Springs won by Towler and Ford of Great Britain More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1155 - Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England, crowned aged 15 during his father's lifetime, born in London (d. 1183) 1786 - François Arago, French astronomer, physicist and politician, born in Estagel, France (d. 1853) 1882 - Jose Vasconcelos, politician, essayist, philosopher, born in Oaxaca, Mexico (d. 1959) 1953 - Osmo Vänskä, Finnish clarinetist, conductor (Lahti Symphony, 1988-2008; Minnesota Orchestra, 2003-2022), and composer, born in Sääminki, Finland 1967 - Marcus Lillington, British pop guitarist and keyboard player (Breathe - "Hands to Heaven"), born in Bideford, Devon, England 1978 - Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player, born in Brooklyn, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1737 - Hercule Brehy, Flemish composer and organist, dies at 63 1968 - Doretta Morrow, American actress (Because You're Mine), dies from cancer at 41 1979 - Paul Alverdes, German writer (Pfeiferstube), dies at 81 1994 - Leopoldina Poldi Feichtegger Gerhard, dies at 90 2004 - Gene Allison, American RandB singer ("You Can Make It If You Try"), dies at 69 2023 - Grant Turner, New Zealand soccer midfielder (42 caps; SC Stop Out, Gisborne City AFC), dies from cancer at 64 More Famous Deaths »

1700 - English explorer William Dampier is the first British person to visit the Pacific Island of New Britain, which he names 1922 - G B Shaw's "Back to Methusaleh I/II" premieres in NYC 1933 - Jean Genet's play "Intermezzo" premieres in Paris 1943 - The Rosenstrasse protest starts in Berlin 1964 - The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over. 1977 - Swedish pop group ABBA arrives in Australia for the first time, sparking "ABBA-mania" 1982 - Dan Issel (NBA-Nuggets), hits on 63rd consecutive free throw 1987 - "Washington Week In Review" 20th anniversary on PBS 1994 - Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas' percussion revue "Stomp" opens at the Orpheum Theatre, NYC; runs for 11,475 performances 2014 - Arseniy Yatsenyuk appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1667 - Abraham Crijnssen conquers Fort Willoughby (Zeelandia), Suriname 1901 - National League Rules Committee for baseball decrees that all fouls are to count as strikes except after two strikes 1965 - France performs Underground nuclear test at Ecker Algeria 1984 - Carl Lewis jumps world record indoor (8.675 m) 2015 - 70's glam rocker Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) sentenced to 16 years in prison for various child sex convictions 2018 - Barbra Streisand reveals she has cloned her dog twice More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1858 - Adelaide Hoodless, Canadian educational reformer (founder of the Women's Institute), born in St George, Canada West (d. 1910) 1904 - André Leducq, French cyclist (Tour de France 1930, 32; Olympic gold road race 1924), born in Saint-Ouen, France (d. 1980) 1910 - Peter De Vries, American author (Reuben, Reuben; The Prick of Noon) and editor (New Yorker), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1993) 1920 - Bob Talley, American jazz and blues pianist and composer (Blues Alley All-Star Band), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 1995) 1947 - Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist (Tchaikovsky Prize, 1970), born in Riga, Latvia 1963 - Pär Nuder, Swedish politician, born in Täby, Sweden More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1699 - Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, English politician (b. c. 1625) 1977 - Allison Hayes, American model and actress (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman), dies of leukemia or lead poisoning at 47 1996 - Sylvia Williams, American museum director and curator (National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution), dies from the effects of a brain aneurysm at 60 1998 - George H. Hitchings, American medical doctor (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1988), dies at 92 2008 - William F. Buckley Jr, American conservative author and commentator (National Review, Firing Line), dies of a heart attack at 82 2019 - Nathaniel Taylor, American actor (Rollo-Sanford and Sons), dies at 80 More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events 1947 - US General Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170M in aid for European Jews 1963 - Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti makes his debut at the Vienna State Opera in Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" 1971 - US army officer William Calley confesses and implicates Captain Medina during his trial for the My Lai Massacre 1979 - George Harrison releases "George Harrison" album, featuring the single "Blow Away" 1992 - Cricketer Andy Flower scores 115* on ODI debut as Zimbabwe lose to Sri Lanka 2003 - 45th Grammy Awards: "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones wins More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1881 - Titus Brandsma, Dutch Roman Catholic priest, philosopher (spoke out against Nazi ideology), martyr, and saint, born in Oegeklooster, Netherlands (d. 1942) 1913 - Charles Leonard, American pentathlete (Olympic silver medal 1936), born in Fort Snelling, Minnesota (d. 2006) 1955 - Howard Jones, British rock pianist, and singer-songwriter (Things Can Only Get Better), born in Southampton, England 1958 - David Sylvian [Batt], British songwriter, vocalist, new wave and improvisational rock guitarist (Japan; Rain Tree Crow), born in Beckenham, England 1965 - Kristin Davis, American actress (Melrose Place; Sex and the City), born in Boulder, Colorado 1983 - Aziz Ansari, Indian-American comedian and actor (Parks and Recreation, Master of None), born in Columbia, South Carolina More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1507 - Gentile Bellini, Venetian painter (Sultan Mohammed II), dies at about 78 (burial date) 1904 - Mahendralal Sarkar, Indian homeopath doctor and founder of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, dies at 70 1996 - Joseph W. Barr, American banker and politician (Secretary of the Treasury), dies at 78 1997 - Oscar Lewenstein, British theater impresario (Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera), and film producer (The Knack ...and How to Get It), dies of heart failure at 80 2017 - Derek Ibbotson, English 5K runner (Olympic bronze 1956), dies at 84 2023 - John Motson, British football broadcaster (10 x FIFA World Cups; 10 x UEFA European C'ships; 29 x FA Cup finals; BBC, Talksport), dies at 77 More Famous Deaths »

1386 - Duke Philip the Stout forms Council of Flanders 1799 - First US printed ballots are authorized in Pennsylvania 1939 - German battleship Bismarck was launched 1944 - 891 British bombers attack Berlin in the largest raid by the RAF against the city 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 1970 - Ard Schenk becomes world champion all-round skater 1985 - Teen film "The Breakfast Club" is released, written and directed by John Hughes, starring Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy 1995 - Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at record 3986.17 2012 - United Kingdom unemployment rate reaches 17 year high of 8.4% 2023 - Scientists warn the Thwaites Glacier, the so-called "Doomsday Glacier" and the size of Florida, is weakening threatening a global sea level rise of 1.6 meters More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1804 - Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general who plotted to overthrow Napoleon in the Pichegru Conspiracy, arrested, and exiled to the United States 1903 - President Theodore Roosevelt signs bill into law establishing US Department of Commerce and Labor 1973 - Muhammad Ali beats British heavyweight boxing champion Joe Bugner by unanimous points decision in 12 rounds at Las Vegas Convention Centre 1989 - World's 1st satellite Skyphone opens 1991 - NL Cy Young winner Doug Drabek wins record $3 mil salary arbitration 1993 - 35th Daytona 500: Dale Jarrett, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, wins from Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1515 - Frederick III, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, born in Simmern, Germany (d. 1576) 1941 - Paul Tsongas, American politician (Sen-D-Mass), born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 1997) 1945 - Vic Briggs, British guitarist (The Animals, 1966-68), and producer; later known as Antion Vikram Singh, he created Sikhi devotional and Hawaiian music, born in Twickenham, England (d. 2021) 1972 - Drew Bledsoe, American football quarterback (4 × Pro Bowl; NFL passing yards leader 1994 NE Patriots), born in Ellensburg, Washington 1978 - Dean Gaffney, British actor, born in Hammersmith, London 1994 - Paul Butcher, American actor, born in Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1929 - Tom Burke, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 400m 1896), dies at 53 1990 - Graeme Hole, Australian cricket batsman (18 Tests, 6 x 50; NSW CA), dies from cancer at 59 1996 - Lady Caroline Blackwood, British journalist and writer (The Last of the Duchess), dies at 64 1996 - Eva Hart, British Titanic passenger, one of last living survivors, dies at 91 2014 - Ferry Hoogendijk, Dutch politician and editor-in-chief of "Elsevier", dies at 80 2021 - Ion Mihai Pacepa, Romanian three-star general in the Securitate, who defected to the US, dies of Covid-19 at 92 More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events 1238 - Mongolian forces led by General Batu capture and burn the important Russian city of Vladimir, after an eight-day siege 1839 - Henry Clay declares in Senate "I had rather be right than president" 1907 - The Mud March, first large procession organized by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) 1950 - United States formally recognizes the State of Vietnam as the legitimate government of Vietnam, with Bảo Đại as leader 2006 - Uma Thurman is named a knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France for outstanding achievement in the field of art and literature 2023 - LeBron James scores 38 points to become NBA's all-time leading scorer as the Lakers go down 133-130 to Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles; surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 career points More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1707 - Carl August Thielo, Danish composer, opera director, and court organist, born in Høsterkøb, Denmark (d. 1763) 1812 - Charles Dickens, English writer ("Oliver Twist"; "A Tale of Two Cities"; "A Christmas Carol"), born in Portsmouth, Hampshire (d. 1870) 1920 - Oscar Brand, Canadian-born American folk vocalist (Draw Me A Laugh), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba (d. 2016) 1924 - Johnny Jordaan [Johannes van Musscher], Dutch pop and levenslied singer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1989) 1953 - Bruce Gaitsch, American session guitarist, songwriter, and record producer (Chicago; Richard Marx; Peter Cetera; Madonna), born in Chicago, Illinois 1983 - Christian Klien, Austrian racing driver More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1839 - Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet (b. 1799) 1933 - Albert Apponyi, Hungarian politician (Minister of Religion and Education of Hungary), dies at 86 1938 - Harvey Firestone, American manufacturer and founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, dies at 69 1960 - Igor Kurchatov, Soviet-Russian nuclear physicist who directed the Soviet atomic bomb project, dies of a cardiac embolism at 57 likely caused by radiation poisoning during the catastrophe at Chelyabinsk-40 1991 - Dick Winslow, American actor (Tom Sawyer, Mutiny on the Bounty), dies at 75 2020 - Li Wenliang, Chinese doctor who tried to raise the alarm over COVID-19, dies of COVID-19 in Wuhan at 34 More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events 1922 - Cardinal Achille Ratti elected Pope Pius XI 1973 - Bernice Fekete skips her curling rink to 2nd straight 8-ender, Edmonton, Alberta 1979 - Pakistan Supreme Court affirms the Lahore High Court's death sentence against former Former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto 1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan 2018 - UN calls for ceasefire in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area by Syrian government troops after 40 people reportedly killed 2018 - Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declares state of emergency ordering arrest of two judges More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1897 - Louis Buchalter, Jewish-American mobster (Murder, Inc.), born in New York City (d. 1944) 1911 - Ronald Reagan, 40th US President (Republican: 1981-89) and actor (Bedtime for Bonzo), born in Tampico, Illinois (d. 2004) 1933 - Walter Fauntroy, American pastor and politician (Rep-D-DC, 1971-91), born in Washington, D.C. 1942 - John London, American songwriter and bassist (Michael Nesmith band), born in Brazos County, Texas 1963 - Mike Hough, Canadian NHL left wing (Florida Panthers), born in Montreal, Quebec 1976 - Tanja Frieden, Swiss snowboarder, born in Bern, Switzerland More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1859 - Johannes Josephus Viotta, Dutch composer, dies at 45 1958 - Billy Whelan, Irish soccer forward (4 caps, Republic of Ireland; Manchester United 79 games), dies Munich air disaster at 22 1979 - Arthur van Schendel, Dutch art historian, and museum director (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, 1959-75), dies at 68 1990 - Jane Novak, American silent screen actress (Ghost Town), dies of stroke at 94 1995 - Art Taylor, American jazz drummer (Bud Powell, Red Garland, John Coltrane, Donald Byrd), bandleader (Taylor's Wailers), and writer (Notes and Tones), dies at 65 2008 - Dieter Noll, German writer (Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt), dies at 80 More Famous Deaths »

1865 - Congress passes, by a vote of 121-24, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States except as punishment for a crime 1924 - Herma Szabo of Austria wins the ladies figure skating gold medal at the Chamonix Winter Olympics; only women's event at the Games 1925 - Premier Ahmed Zogu becomes president of Angola 1944 - US forces invade Kwajalein Atoll 1961 - USAF launches Samos spy satellite to replace U-2 flights 1966 - USSR launches Luna 9 towards Moon 1972 - British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling to House of Commons on 'Bloody Sunday', "The Army returned the fire directed at them with aimed shots and inflicted a number of casualties on those who were attacking them with firearms and with bombs" 1981 - 38th Golden Globes: Ordinary People, Robert De Niro, and Mary Tyler Moore win 2010 - 26th Sundance Film Festival: "Winter's Bone", directed by Debra Granik, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic 2015 - Atlanta Hawks set a new NBA monthly win record as they move to 17-0 for January, with a 91-85 win against the Philadelphia 76ers More Historical Events »

Historical Events 702 - Military triumph of Wak Jalam Chan (Lady Six Sky), female ruler of the Maya city of Sa’aal (Naranjo) as depicted on Stela 24 Naranjo 1371 - King Robert II of Scotland (1371-90) is crowned, becoming the first monarch of the House of Stewart 1895 - National Association of Manufacturers organized in Cincinnati 1995 - Palestinian bomb attack in Beit Lid Israel, 21-22 killed 2017 - Jared Kushner is sworn in as Senior Advisor to US President, Donald Trump 2018 - Netflix becomes the largest digital media and entertainment company in the world worth $100 billion More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1893 - Conrad Veidt, German actor (Casablanca, Cabinet of Dr Calgary), born in Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany (d. 1943) 1906 - Willa Brown, American air pioneer (NAAA) and civil rights activist (1st African American woman to hold a pilot's license), born in Glasgow, Kentucky (d. 1992) 1938 - Corra Dirksen, South African rugby union winger (10 caps; Northern Transvaal), born in Vereeniging, South Africa (d. 2020) 1949 - Mike Caldwell, American baseball player 1968 - Heath [Hiroshi Morie], Japanese rock bassist, singer and songwriter (X Japan), born in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan (d. 2023) 1969 - Olivia d'Abo, English-American actress (Wonder Years, Single Guy), born in London, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1552 - Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, English Lord Protector (1547-49) beheaded for treason at 51 or 52 1599 - Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian composer, dies at 51 1982 - Eduardo Frei Montalva, president of Chile (1964-70), dies at 71 1984 - Mikiel Gonzi, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta (1944-76), dies at 98 2021 - Luton Shelton, Jamaican soccer striker (75 caps; Vålerenga, Karabükspor, Sheffield United), dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 35 2023 - Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor, dies at 88 More Famous Deaths »

1535 - King Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England 1552 - France signs secret treaty with German Protestants 1925 - Hans Luther forms German government, with DNVP 1943 - 1,000 workers complete air conditioning system for Pentagon 1955 - Dmitri Shostakovich's "From Jewish Folk Poetry" premieres in Leningrad 1967 - Super Bowl I, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: Green Bay Packers beat KC Chiefs, 35-10; MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay, QB 1974 - TV sitcom "Happy Days" created by Garry Marshall and starring Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, and Tom Bosley, begins an 11 year run on ABC 1994 - Lawrence Taylor announces his retirement from the NFL 2005 - ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the moon. 2019 - Beginning of humanity's largest gathering, the Kumbh Mela Hindu festival with 15 million people bathing at the joining of Ganges and Yamuna rivers, India. 120 million expected over next 49 days. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1945 - The Manhattan Project's G-5 Group, headed by Physicist's Donald Kerst and Seth Neddermeyer, take their first betatron pictures of a nuclear implosion at the Los Alamos Laboratory 1951 - "Cloud of Death" rolls down Mount Lamington, New Guinea kills 3-5,000 1962 - 50th Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Rod Laver takes the 1st leg of his 1st Grand Slam; beats fellow Queenslander Roy Emerson 8-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 1962 - Derveni Papyrus rediscovered - Europe's oldest surviving manuscript from c. 340 B.C., commentary on a Orphic poem, found in a tomb in Derveni, Northern Greece 1988 - 19-year-old Indian cricket leg-spinner Narenda Hirwani records best bowling figures on debut in Test history; captures 16-136 in 255 run 4th Test win v West Indies in Madras; Hirwani takes 8 wickets in each innings 2007 - Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq. More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1891 - Ray Chapman, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians) and only MLB player to die from an injury received during a MLB game, born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky (d. 1920) 1911 - Cy Feuer, Broadway producer (Feuer and Martin-Chorus Line), born in New York City (d. 2006) 1930 - Michel Chapuis, French classical organist and pedagogue, born in Dole, France (d. 2017) 1961 - Yves P. Pelletier, Canadian comedian and film director, born in Laval, Canada 1971 - LeShon Johnson, American football running back (Arizona Cardinals), born in Haskell, Oklahoma 1979 - Martin Petrov, Bulgarian soccer winger (90 caps; Servette, VfL Wolfsburg, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers), born in Vratsa, Bulgaria More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1597 - Juan de Herrera, Spanish Renaissance architect and mathematician (El Escorial, Vallododid Cathedral), dies (b. c. 1530) 1781 - Marianne Victoria of Borbón, queen regent of Portugal (b. 1718) 1896 - Matthew B Brady, US photographer (Civil War), dies at about 72 1970 - Vytautas Bacevičius [Bacewicz], Lithuanian avant garde composer (Della Guerra Symphony), dies at 64 1973 - Coleman Francis, American film director (b. 1919) 2008 - Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, English Game Designer (Zombies Ate My Neighbors), dies of cancer (b. 1964) More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events 1622 - Germany and Transylvania sign Peace of Nikolsburg 1923 - Baltimore Sun warns of the Ku Klux Klan 1965 - Twin brothers are in held in custody in London charged with abduction and murder 1972 - LA Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports 2009 - 35th People's Choice Awards: Will Smith and Reese Witherspoon win (Movie Star) and Hugh Laurie and Christina Applegate win (TV) 2023 - Vaccine for bees against American Foulbrood bacteria approved in the US - first vaccine in the US for any insect More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1920 - Aubrey Brabazon, Irish jockey and horse trainer, born in The Curragh, Ireland (d. 1996) 1924 - Geoffrey Bayldon, British stage and screen actor (Catweazle; Worzel Gummidge - "Crowman"), born in Leeds, England (d. 2017) 1930 - Douglas Kiker, American NBC newsman (1970 Peabody Award), born in Griffin, Georgia (d. 1991) 1942 - Vasiliy Alekseyev, Russian weightlifter (Olympic gold 1972, 76), born in Miloslavsky District, Soviet Union (d. 2011) 1945 - Dave Cousins [Hindson], English rock singer-songwriter (Strawbs - "Part of the Union"), born in Hounslow, England 1968 - Georgi Gospodinov, Bulgarian writer (Time Shelter - 2023 International Booker prize), born in Yambol, Bulgaria More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1736 - Česlav Vaňura, Czech composer, dies at 41 1922 - Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii, dies at 50 1943 - Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist, electrical engineer and inventor who developed alternating current and the Tesla Coil, dies at 86 1951 - René Guénon, French-Egyptian metaphysician, traditionalist and author, dies at 64 1990 - Gail Lucas, American entertainer, dies at 37 2000 - Gary Albright, American professional wrestler (b. 1963) More Famous Deaths »

1492 - Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders his city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, ending both the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula 1757 - British troops occupy Calcutta India 1843 - Richard Wagner's opera "The Flying Dutchman" premieres in Dresden, Germany 1900 - US Secretary of State John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China 1903 - US President Theodore Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola, Mississippi, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black 1967 - 33rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 34-7 1984 - 50th Orange Bowl: #5 Miami (FL) beats #1 Nebraska, 31-30 1984 - 13th Fiesta Bowl: #14 Ohio State beats #15 Pittsburgh, 28-23 1987 - Troops of Chadian President Hissène Habré conquer the Fada oasis 2014 - 30 people are killed after a bus plunges off a cliff and falls 400 ft in Malshej Ghat, India More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1923 - Harry Tierney and Joseph McCarthy's musical "Kid Boots," premieres in New York City 1961 - National Football League Championship, City Stadium, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0; first of 5 NFL titles won in 7-season span by Packers and head coach, Vince Lombardi 1963 - Dear Abby show premieres on CBS radio (runs 11 years) 1977 - Revival of Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion's musical "Man of La Mancha" starring Richard Kiley, closes at the Palace Theater, NYC, after 124 performances 2017 - Singer Lorde called a bigot in ad in Washington Post after cancelling show in Israel 2018 - Houston guard James Harden scores 43 points in Rockets' 113-101 win over Memphis Grizzlies; 4th straight NBA game with 40+ points and 8th straight with 35+; joins Oscar Robertson as only player with at least 35 points and 5 assists in 8 straight games More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1514 - Andreas Vesalius [Andries van Wesel], Flemish physician and anatomist (De humani corporis fabrica), born in Brussels, Habsburg Netherlands (now Belgium) (d. 1564) 1863 - Alfredo Panzini, Italian author (Dizionario Moderno), born in Senigallia, Italy (d. 1939) 1881 - Max Pechstein, German "entartet" painter and graphic artist (The Bridge), born in Zwickau, Germany (d. 1955) 1919 - Recy Taylor, American sexual assault victim, born in Abbeville, Alabama (d. 2017) 1969 - David Rawlings, American guitarist and singer, works with Gillian Welch (All the Good Times), born in North Smithfield, Rhode Island 1981 - Jason Campbell, American football quarterback (Auburn University: Music City Bowl MVP 2003, Sugar Bowl MVP 2005; Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders), born in Laurel, Mississippi More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1640 - John Francis Regis, French priest and Roman Catholic saint, dies of pneumonia at 43 1652 - Frances Cecil, 2nd wife of English earl of Shaftesbury, dies 1864 - George Mifflin Dallas, American politician (11th Vice President of the United States) and United States Minister to Russia, dies at 72 1960 - Semyon Bogatyrev, Russian and Soviet musicologist and composer (completed a symphony abandoned by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), dies at 70 1994 - Leigh Bowery, Australian performance artist and designer, dies of AIDS at 33 2007 - Milton L. Klein, Canadian politician (b. 1910) More Famous Deaths »

1593 - Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed 1777 - James Cook is first European to visit Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island 1832 - 1st US Negro hospital founded by whites chartered, Savannah, Georgia 1895 - George Vanderbilt opens Biltmore estate, the largest privately owned house in America at 178,926 square feet (16,622.8 m2) in Asheville, North Carolina 1921 - Ottawa’s Harry Broadbent scores in 10-0 Senators blowout of the Montreal Canadiens; first in 16-game NHL record goal-scoring streak; Charlie Simmer’s 13 game streak (1979) is considered modern-day record 1933 - Paris express train derails and kills 160, injures 300 (France) 1946 - US General MacNarney gives 800,000 "minor Nazis" amnesty 1946 - French Fourth Republic is founded 1973 - District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government 1984 - Palace coup in Mauritania More Historical Events »