CoM Moderators

1559 - Five Spanish ships sink in storm off Tampa, about 600 die 1914 - Brooklyn Tip-Tops' Ed Lafitte no-hits Kansas City Packers (Federal League), 6-2 1947 - Jackie Robinson is named 1947 "Rookie of the Year" 1949 - "Late Spring", Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu, starring Chishū Ryū, Setsuko Hara and Haruko Sugimura, is released in Japan 1970 - 1st Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Tyrannosaurus Rex headlines; other performs include: Wayne Fontana, Steamhammer, Duster Bennett, Al Stewart, Amazing Blondel, Keith Christmas, Quintessence, and Stackridge 1980 - "Ordinary People" film directed by Robert Redford and starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch premieres (Academy Award - Best Picture, 1981) 1988 - Israel launches first satellite for secret military reconnaissance 2017 - President Hassan Rouhani of Iran in his UN speech criticizes US President Donald Trump for his comments about Iran in his own UN speech More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1941 - German army conquers Kiev 1953 - "Hazel Flagg" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 190 performances 1957 - First underground nuclear explosion in Las Vegas, Nevada 1973 - Frank Robinson, Angels OF, homers in record 32nd major league ballpark - Arlington Stadium (Arlington, Texas), against the Rangers 1994 - Swedish government of Bildt resigns More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1377 - Albert IV, Duke of Austria, born in Vienna (d. 1404) 1769 - Joseph Kam, Dutch Christian missionary in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, born in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (d. 1833) 1824 - Carl Ignaz Franz Umlauf, Austrian zither player and composer, born in Baden, Austria (d. 1902) 1910 - Margaret Lindsay, American actress (Take a Guess), born in Dubuque, Iowa (d. 1981) 1931 - Brook Benton [Benjamin Franklin Peay], American soul vocalist ("It's Just a Matter of Time"; "Rainy Night in Georgia"), born in Lugoff, South Carolina (d. 1988) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1836 - Carl Friedrich Ebers, German composer and conductor, dies at 66 1954 - Tibor Harsányi, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor who settled in Paris, France, dies at 56 1997 - Malcolm Hughes, English constructive artist, dies at 77 2017 - Brian Barder, British diplomat, British Ambassador to Ethiopia who assisted during 1984-85 famine, dies at 83 2021 - Max Wiltshire, Welsh rugby union lock (4 Tests; Aberavon RFC), dies at 83 More Famous Deaths »

1881 - Chicago Tribune reports on a televideo experiment 1922 - Second government of Ruys de Beerenbrouck installed in Netherlands 1931 - Mukden Incident: To create a pretext for the invasion of Manchuria, China, the Japanese detonate a small quantity of dynamite close to a railway line owned by Japan's South Manchuria Railway 1962 - Bob Aspromonte sets a National League third baseman record of 57 consecutive errorless games 1976 - Rev Sun Myung Moon holds "God Bless America" convention at Yankee Stadium in New York City 1980 - Soyuz 38 carries two cosmonauts, including one Cuban, to the Salyut 6 space station 1990 - Atlanta is chosen to host the 1996 (centennial) Summer Olympics 1994 - Ken Burns' documentary miniseries "Baseball" premieres on PBS (wins an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1882 - Pacific Stock Exchange opens as Local Security Board 1905 - Electric tramline opens in Rotterdam 1971 - Ryder Cup Golf, Old Warson CC: US beats Europe, 18½-13½; after leading by 1 match, GB loses all Friday morning 4-ball matches to lose momentum 2004 - Farm Aid 17 held in Auburn, Washington; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Marc Broussard 2006 - Right-wing protesters riot at the building of Hungarian Television in Budapest, Hungary, one day after an audio tape is made public in which Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány admits he and his party lied during the 2006 general election More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1916 - Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (Final Justice, South Pacific, The Barefoot Contessa), born in Bolognia, Italy (d. 1994) 1931 - Anthony Bowles, British music director (Jesus Christ Superstar; Evita), born in England (d. 1993) 1933 - Scotty Bowman, Canadian NHL player and coach (Montreal Canadians/Detroit Red Wings), born in Montreal, Quebec 1956 - Tim McInnerny, British stage, screen, and radio actor (Blackadder; Notting Hill), born in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England 1977 - Li Tie, Chinese footballer and coach (Everton), born in Shenyang, China More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1137 - Erik II Eimune [Onvergetelijke], King of Denmark (1134-37), murdered 1611 - Membertou [Mabretou], Micmac chief (1st chief of a First Nations community to be converted by Catholic missionaries), dies 1945 - "Blind" Willie Johnson, American gospel blues singer and guitarist ("Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground"), dies of malarial fever, syphilis at 48 2002 - Ernest Sidey, British air marshal (General of RAF Medical Services, Honorary Surgeon to the Queen), dies at 89 2013 - Ken Norton, American boxer (WBC heavyweight champion 1978; famous Muhammad Ali trilogy; International Boxing HOF), dies at 70 More Famous Deaths »

1849 - Harriet Tubman is the first to escape slavery in Maryland with two of her brothers 1926 - Hurricane hits Miami and Palm Beach, Florida, killing approximately 450 1934 - RCA Victor releases the first 33 1/3 rpm recording: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Leopold Stokowski at the Philadelphia Academy of Music 1966 - "Mission Impossible" premieres on CBS-TV 1984 - USSR performs an underground nuclear test 1986 - US Senate confirms William Rehnquist as 16th Chief Justice 2010 - Documentary film "Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" is released theatrically 2023 - British comedian Russell Brand is accused of rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse by four women in investigation by "The Sunday Times" and Channel 4 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1176 - At the Battle of Myriokephalon, the Byzantines fail to recover Anatolia from Turkish rule 1737 - Georg-August University opens in Göttingen 1943 - Load of "ammunition in transit" explodes at Norfolk Naval Air Station 1991 - The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet 2018 - Flooding in Nigeria kills over 100 people as Benue and Niger Rivers overflow More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1859 - Richard Henry Warren, American organist and composer, born in Albany, New York (d. 1933) 1883 - William Carlos Williams, American physician and poet, born in Rutherford, New Jersey (d. 1963) 1944 - Reinhold Messner, Italian mountain climber (Mount Everest), born in Brixen (Bressanone), Italy 1959 - Will Gregory, British keyboardist, sax player, producer (Goldfrapp), and composer (Piccard in Space), born in Bristol, England 1963 - Rami Saari, Israeli poet and translator, born in Petah Tikva, Israel More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1422 - Constantine II, last Tsar of Bulgaria (1397-1422), dies in exile at 52 or 53 1961 - Adnan Menderes, Turkish politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (1950-60), executed by the junta at 62 1991 - John Thomas, American co-inventor of fiberglass, dies at 83 2017 - Laudir de Oliveira, Brazilian percussionist (Sérgio Mendes; Chicago, 1973-81), dies on stage in Rio de Janeiro, of a heart attack at 77 2022 - Joseph P. Hoar, American US Marine Corps general (Commander in Chief of US Central Command, 1991-94), dies at 87 More Famous Deaths »

1869 - Golf's first recorded hole-in-one is scored by Tom Morris at Prestwick's 8th hole in Scotland 1893 - Cherokee Strip, Oklahoma, opens white settlement homesteaders 1908 - Carriage maker William C. Durant founds General Motors in Flint, Michigan 1926 - Italian-Romanian peace treaty is signed 1945 - Barometric pressure at 856 mb (25.55") off Okinawa (record low) 1979 - Ryder Cup Golf, The Greenbrier: US wins, 17-11; new Team Europe replaces Great Britain and Ireland as official opposition to the United States 1992 - FCC votes to allow competition for local phone service 1999 - First-ever season of "Big Brother" reality show begins on the Veronica channel in the Netherlands More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1858 - First overland mail to California 1915 - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia adjourns 4th Duma 1947 - Typhoon Kathleen hits Saitama, Tokyo, and the Tone River area, killing at least 1,930 1951 - US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players 1993 - Minnesota Twins' Dave Winfield becomes the 19th player to achieve 3,000 hits More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1921 - Ursula Franklin, German-born Canadian physicist, educator and activist (developed archaeometry), born in Munich, Germany (d. 2016) 1946 - Mike Reynolds, Australian politician (Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland 2006-09), born in Manly, New South Wales 1966 - Kevin Curtis Young, American 400m hurdler, born in Los Angeles, California 1969 - Andrew Borodow, Canadian freestyle wrestler (Olympic 5-92, 96), born in Montreal, Quebec 1995 - Aaron Gordon, American NBA player (Denver Nuggets), born in San Jose, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1542 - Diego de Almagro II, Spanish conquistador known as "El Mozo," the son of Diego de Almagro, is executed for his role in fatal a coup d'état attempt at about 21 (birthday uncertain, b. 1520) 1672 - Anne Bradstreet, New England's first published poet, dies (birth date unknown) 1701 - James II of England and James VII of Scotland [Stuart], King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1685-88), dies at 68 2006 - Rob Levin, creator of Freenode (b. 1955) 2019 - Peter Stormonth Darling, Scottish investment banker (Mercury Asset Management Group, largest fund-management in the UK), dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1830 - First National Negro Convention begins in Philadelphia 1931 - Philadelphia A's clinch pennant, beating Cleveland 1947 - Typhoon Kathleen hit Tone River, Saitama and Tokyo area, killing at least 1,930 and injuring 1,750 1957 - SF Seals (Pacific Coast League) play their last game 1966 - Dutch political party (D'66) forms 1966 - First British nuclear ballistic missile submarine HMS Resolution launched 1966 - Gemini XI (Conrad/Gordon) returns to Earth 2001 - 26th Toronto International Film Festival: "Amelie" directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet wins the People's Choice Award More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1962 - "Bravo, Giovanni" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 76 performances 1973 - Carl XVI Gustaf ascends the throne, becoming King of Sweden (1973-present) 1975 - 1st College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 17-3 in Foxborough 1996 - Bangladesh beat UAE by 104 runs to win the ACC Trophy Final 2013 - 27 people are killed after a coal mine collapses in Afghanistan More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1685 - Gottfried Kirchhoff, German organist and composer, chiefly of sacred music, born in Mühlbeck, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1746) 1816 - Edward Wolff, Polish pianist and composer, born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1880) 1889 - Robert Benchley, American humorist (My 10 Years in a Quandary), born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 1945) 1907 - Jack Bailey, American TV host (Queen for a Day), born in Hampton, Iowa (d. 1980) 1914 - Creighton Abrams, American general (commander of American forces in the Vietnam War, 1968-72), born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1974) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1932 - Charles H. Gabriel, American gospel composer, dies at 76 1972 - Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish pianist, composer - one of "The Turkish Five" (Köçekçe - Dance Rhapsody for Orchestra), and pedagogue, dies from a stroke at 66 2006 - Raymond Baxter, British television presenter (b. 1922) 2023 - Burhan Sargun, Turkish soccer forward (8 caps, 7 goals; Fenerbahçe SK), dies at 94 2024 - Gheorghe Mulțescu, Romanian soccer midfielder (16 caps; Jiul Petroșani 239 games) and manager (Dinamo București, Samsunspor), dies at 72 More Famous Deaths »

1852 - Samuel D Hubbard of Conn takes office as 18th US Postmaster General 1862 - Battle at Crampton's Gap: Union troops win a tactical victory over Confederate forces 1876 - Belgian King Leopold II closes the Brussels Geographic Conference, establishes the International African Association, forerunner of Leopold's privately controlled Congo Free State 1894 - Hottentotten uprising in Southwest Africa fails 1930 - Nazis gain 107 seats in German election 1943 - Yanks clinch pennant #14 1958 - Two rockets designed by the German engineer Ernst Mohr, the first German post-war rockets, reach the upper atmosphere 1985 - 10th Toronto International Film Festival: "The Official Story" directed by Luis Puenzo wins the People's Choice Award More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1867 - Karl Marx publishes "Das Kapital" Volume 1, his theory of the Capitalist system and how it is doomed to destroy itself 1939 - British fleet attacks German U-39 boat 1940 - WWII: German Blitz in England continues, bomb drops in London, Clacton, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Southampton, Bournemouth, Hastings, Brighton, Warrington, Chelsea, Fulham, and Lewisham, among other places, result in 94 civilian deaths and 426 injured 1986 - Bo Jackson hits his first home run, a 475-foot blast, the longest at Royals Stadium 1989 - Jeff Reardon is 1st to record 30 saves in 5 consecutive seasons More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1869 - Kid Nichols, American Baseball HOF pitcher (3 × NL wins leader; All-Time Saves Leader 1899–1906; Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1904–05), born in Madison, Wisconsin (d. 1953) 1898 - Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and archaeologist, born in Nowawes, Germany (d. 1974) 1939 - Guy Webster, American celebrity portrait photographer, album cover artist (The Byrds; The Mamas and the Papas; Taj Mahal; Rolling Stones), and educator, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2019) 1971 - Andre Matos, Brazilian singer and musician (Symfonia), born in São Paulo, Brazil 1981 - Miyavi [Takamasa Ishihara], Japanese guitarist, singer ("Snakes") and actor (Unbroken), born in Osaka, Japan More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1435 - John Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford, English prince, general (Hundred Years' War) and statesman, dies at 46 1782 - Nicholas Cooke, American mariner, slave trader, and politician (1st Governor of Rhode Island, 1776-78), dies at 65 1979 - Raymond Loucheur, French composer, dies at 80 1999 - André Kostolany, Hungarian stock market expert and speculator, dies at 93 2005 - Vladimir Volkoff, French writer (b. 1932) More Famous Deaths »

1922 - Straw Hat Riot begins in New York City as youths aggressively taunt men wearing straw hats, getting an early jump on the unofficial season's end date of September 15; confrontations continue longer than usual, lasting eight days 1958 - Queen Juliana in a gala ceremony christens passenger ship SS Rotterdam, the last 'ship of state' 1963 - Jim Bouton's 20th win clinches New York Yankees' 28th pennant 1969 - Plastic Ono Band's 1st live performance, featuring John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Eric Clapton, at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival 1974 - OPEC instructs its Secretary General to "carry out a study of supply and demand in relation to possible production controls" 1999 - Bomb explodes in Moscow, Russia, killing at least 119 people 2015 - US Open Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković beats Roger Federer 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4; third man to reach all 4 Grand Slam finals in the same year in Open Era after Rod Laver and Federer 2017 - International Olympic Committee announces Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) will host the Olympic games More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1800 - Curacao in British hands (until Jan 1803) 1918 - Train accident at Weesp Netherlands, kills 42 1969 - San Francisco Giant Bobby Bonds is baseballs 4th 30-HR, 30-steal player 1973 - ABC announces it obtained TV rights for 1976 Olympics 1999 - Bomb explodes in Moscow, Russia, killing at least 119 people More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1893 - Larry Shields, American jazz clarinetist (Original Dixieland Jazz Band), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1953) 1903 - Claudette Colbert, French-born American actress (It Happened One Night, Texas Lady), born in Paris (d. 1996) 1980 - Evangelos Nastos, Greek footballer, born in Thessaloniki, Greece 1982 - Nenê, Brazilian basketball player (Houston Rockets), born in São Carlos, Brazil 1996 - Playboi Carti [Jordan Carter], American rapper (Whole Lotta Red), born in Riverdale, Georgia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1759 - James Wolfe, British Army officer who defeated the French in Canada and captured Quebec, dies in battle at 32 1902 - John Horace Forney, American engineer and Major General in Confederate Army, dies at 73 1906 - Georges Jacobi, German violinist, composer (The Black Crook), and conductor (Alhambra Theatre, London, 1872-98), dies at 66 1971 - Paul Blackburn, American poet, and editor (Black Mountain Review), dies of esophageal cancer at 44 2001 - Jaroslav Drobný, Czech ice hockey player (Olympic silver 1948) and tennis player (Wimbledon 1954, French Open 1951-52), dies of a stroke at 79 More Famous Deaths »

1857 - 423 die when steamship SS Central America, the "Ship of Gold," sinks in a hurricane off Cape Romain, South Carolina, carrying tons of gold coins and bricks from the California Gold Rush (rediscovered in 1988) 1901 - Arabs attack Gadara, Palestine 1925 - George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin's first collaborative musical "Lady, Be Good!," featuring siblings Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire as a brother and sister dance team, closes at the Liberty Theatre, NYC, after 330 performances 1958 - US performs a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1965 - Hurricane Betsy strikes Florida and Louisiana, killing 75 people 1982 - European Championship marathon won by Gerard Nijboer of the Netherlands (2:15:16) and Rosa Mota of Portugal (2:36:04) 2001 - Ansett Australia, Australia's first commercial interstate airline, collapses due to increased strain on the international airline industry, leaving 10,000 people unemployed 2018 - According to a leaked report, more than 3,600 children were abused by Catholic priests in Germany between 1946 and 2014 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 2001 - Ansett Australia, Australia's first commercial interstate airline, collapses due to increased strain on the international airline industry, leaving 10,000 people unemployed 2004 - US Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer of Switzerland wins his first US title, outclassing Australian Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 2017 - A monster fatberg, 250 meters long, the size of 11 buses, and weighing 130 tons, is found in sewers under East London 2021 - 40th MTV Video Music Awards: Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, and Olivia Rodrigo win 2024 - Crew of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission takes the first commercial spacewalk during a five-day journey through Earth's orbit, traveling the farthest in space of any human since NASA’s Apollo program More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1894 - Billy Gilbert, American actor (Great Dictator, His Gal Friday), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1971) 1934 - Edward Wistenberg, Dutch concert harpist and pedagogue, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands 1961 - Christiane Jolissaint, Swiss tennis star, born in Vevey, Switzerland 1968 - Paul F. Tompkins, American comedian and actor (BoJack Horseman, Mr. Show with Bob and David), born in Mount Airy, Pennsylvania 1969 - Shigeki Maruyama, Japanese golfer (3 PGA Tour titles; Presidents Cup 1998, 2000), born in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1591 - Richard Grenville, English privateer, explorer, politician and vice-admiral (established Roanoke colony), dies fighting a rearguard action as a result of the naval Battle of Flores at 49 1732 - Jean Philippe Eugène de Mérode, Belgian nobleman (Marquis of Westerloo), dies at 58 1806 - Christian Gottfried Thomas, German composer, publisher, and musicologist, dies at 58 1869 - Peter Mark Roget, British lexicographer (Roget's Thesaurus) and inventor (slide rule, pocket chessboard), dies at 90 1977 - Steven Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist, dies in police custody at 30 More Famous Deaths »

1213 - Chinese general Chih-Chung assassinates Emperor Wei Shao Wang (former Prince of Wei) in Peking and proclaims himself Regent 1814 - Battle of Lake Champlain: The American navy defeats the Royal Navy at Plattsburgh, New York, ending the British invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812 1853 - First electric telegraph used between Merchant's Exchange, San Francisco, and Point Lobos, California 1939 - Iraq and Saudi Arabia declare war on Nazi Germany 1951 - Florence Chadwick becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel from England to France, taking 16 hours and 19 minutes 1953 - KSBW TV channel 8 in Salinas-Monterey, CA (NBC) begins broadcasting 1995 - Eastern Tennessee begins using 423 as the new area code 2015 - Former Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, becomes the first candidate to drop out of the race for the Republican nomination More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1950 - First typesetting machine to dispense with metal type is exhibited 1956 - Vladimir Kuts runs a world record 10,000 m in 28:42.8 1971 - Egypt adopts its constitution 2005 - US Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer retains his title, beating Andre Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1; Agassi's last appearance in a Grand Slam final 2018 - Imprisoned Brazilian Ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva abandons his presidential campaign More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1862 - Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, British army officer, born in Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire, England (d. 1935) 1937 - Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Italian princess and Queen of Belgium (1993-2013), born in Villa Claudia, Forte dei Marmi, Italy 1969 - Eduardo Perez, American baseball player, born in Cincinnati, Ohio 1972 - Kip Simons, American gymnast (Olympic 5th 1996), born in Media, Pennsylvania 1980 - Antônio Pizzonia, Brazilian race car driver, born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1987 - Lorne Greene [Lyon Chaim Green], Canadian actor (Bonanza - "Ben Cartwright"; Battlestar Galactica), dies of pneumonia following heart surgery at 72 1987 - Ludovic Feldman, Romanian violinist and composer, dies at 94 2001 - Tom Burnett, American businessman and passenger aboard United 93, dies thwarting terrorist attempts to crash the plane into a Washington monument at 38 2005 - Chris Schenkel, American sportscaster (ABC Wide World of Sports), dies of emphysema at 82 2022 - Alain Tanner, Swiss film director (Charles, Dead or Alive), dies at 92 More Famous Deaths »

1960 - New York Yankee Mickey Mantle hits a 643-foot home run over the right field roof in Detroit 1961 - The USSR performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya, USSR 1961 - Mickey Mantle becomes the seventh player to hit home run number 400 1962 - KLRN TV channel 9 in San Antonio, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting 1962 - WDCN TV channel 8 in Nashville, TN (PBS) begins broadcasting 1974 - Controversial TV drama "Born Innocent" premieres on NBC TV, starring Linda Blair as an abused teen in a juvenile detention home 1977 - Susan Perkins (Ohio) is crowned the 50th Miss America 1978 1985 - U.S. 7th Circuit Court rules Soviet defector Walter Polovchak can't be forcibly returned to parents' country if it's deemed "not in the best interests" of underage defectors More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1849 - Famous American actor Edwin Booth makes his stage debut at age 15 in Richard III in Boston 1937 - Second American Football League plays first game (LA 21, Pittsburgh 0) 1962 - US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Australian Margaret Smith beats defending champion Darlene Hard 9-7, 6-4 for her first US singles crown 1980 - Expos' Bill Gullickson sets a rookie record by striking out 18 1995 - 47th Emmy Awards: NYPD Blue, ER, Frasier, and Candice Bergen win More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1645 - Romeyn de Hooghe, Dutch painter and goldsmith, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1708) 1753 - John Soane, English architect (Bank of England, Soane Museum), born in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England (d. 1837) 1786 - Nicolás Bravo, Mexican politician and soldier, born in Chilpancingo, Mexico (d. 1854) 1919 - Lex van Delden [Alexander Zwaap], Dutch composer (The Bird of Freedom), and writer (Canto della Guerra), born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, (d. 1988) 1976 - Greg Henderson, New Zealand track cyclist (World C'ship gold scratch race 2004), born in Dunedin, New Zealand More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1676 - Gerrard Winstanley, English religious reformer (b. 1609) 1765 - Jacob Gilles, Grand Pensionary of Holland, dies at about 74 1961 - Wolfgang von Trips, German auto racer (29 x F1 GP, 2 wins), dies in 1961 Italian Grand Prix (with 15 spectators) at 33 1993 - Janice Carroll, American actress (End, April Fools), dies of cancer at 61 2007 - Anita Roddick, English businesswoman and cosmetic manufacturer (Body Shop), dies at 64 More Famous Deaths »

1493 - Battle of Krbava Field: Ottoman Empire decisively defeats an army of the Kingdom of Croatia 1914 - First fully mechanized unit in the British Army is created: the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade (WWI) 1932 - Mine strike at Belgian Borinage ends 1944 - The Red Army supports a coup in Bulgaria, instituting a new Communist government (1946-1990) during the "National Uprising" 1964 - German Democratic Republic government allows short visits to West Germany 2006 - US Open Women's Tennis: Maria Sharapova of Russia wins her first US title; overpowers Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 2012 - US Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins her fourth US title, beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 2015 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes Great Britain's longest-reigning monarch at 63 years and seven months, beating the previous record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1683 - Expelled Polish and Lotharingians reach Wienerwald 1939 - Nazi Army reaches Warsaw 1944 - US 113th cavalry passes Belgian-Dutch borders 1981 - Vernon E. Jordan resigns as president of National Urban League in the US 1987 - Gary Hart admits on "Nightline" to cheating on his wife More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1908 - John Heaton, American sledder (Olympic silver skeleton 1928, 48, bronze bobsled 1932; American team's flag bearer 1948), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1976) 1931 - Bill Persky, American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter (The Dick Van Dyke Show), producer (That Girl), and television director, born in New York City 1943 - Larry Hosford, American folk singer-songwriter (The King Takes The Queen), born in Salinas, California (d. 2016) 1956 - Avi Wigderson, Israeli mathematician and computer scientist (2023 Turing Prize for randomness), born in Haifa, Israel 1962 - Aleta Rzepecki Sill, American bowler (1983 WIBC single), born in Detroit, Michigan More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1974 - Soltan Hajibeyov, Azerbaijani composer and People's Artist of the USSR, dies at 55 1975 - Ethel Griffies, English actress (Billy Liar, Birds), dies at 97 1997 - Burgess Meredith, American stage and screen actor (Mr Novak; Of Mice and Men; Batman (TV) - "The Penguin"; Rocky), dies at 88 2011 - Jean-Paul Jeannotte, Canadian operatic tenor, educator (Lavall, 1964-79), and artistic director (Opéra de Montréal, 1980-89), dies at 95 2024 - Cecília Gáspár, Hungarian soccer midfielder and captain (28 caps; TSV Crailsheim, SGS Essen), dies at 39 More Famous Deaths »

1831 - William IV is crowned King of Great Britain at the age of 64, becoming the oldest person to assume the British throne 1960 - German 4 x 100 m relay team equals world record 39.5 to win the gold medal at Rome Olympics; Bernd Cullmann, Armin Hary, Walter Mahlendorf, and Martin Lauer 1963 - Algerian population accepts the constitution 1973 - US Open Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Margaret Court wins her 24th and final Grand Slam singles title, beating fellow Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 1980 - Bowie Kuhn suspends Ferguson Jenkins indefinitely after being arrested in Toronto for possession of drugs 1991 - NFL Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly passes for 6 touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers (52-34) 1994 - USAir Boeing 737 crashes at Pittsburgh Airport, killing all 132 on board 1997 - TV series "Ally McBeal," starring Calista Flockhart and created by David E. Kelley, premieres on Fox in the US More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1796 - Battle of Bassano: Napoleon Bonaparte's French army defeats the Austrian forces during the French Revolutionary Wars 1923 - Honda Point Disaster: Nine US Navy destroyers run aground off the California coast, and seven are lost 1966 - The Severn Bridge between England and Wales is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II 1985 - Alayson Gibbons sets a 24-hour women's swim record of 42.05 miles in a 25-meter pool 2022 - Australian Stephanie Gilmore wins her eighth world surfing title at Lower Trestles, California, making her the most successful women's champion in history More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1857 - Ida Henrietta Hyde, American physiologist who invented the micro-electrode and the first woman allowed to do research at Harvard Medical School and to be elected to the American Physiology Society, born in Davenport, Iowa (d. 1945) 1894 - Willem Pijper, Dutch composer and music critic, born in Zeist, Netherlands (d. 1947) 1927 - Charles "Specs" Wright, American jazz drummer (Dizzy Gillespie; Cannonball Adderly; Red Garland), born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia (d. 1963) 1930 - Jeannette Altwegg, English figure skater (Olympic gold 1952), born in Bombay, India (d. 2021) 1991 - Joe Sugg, English Youtuber and actor (Strictly Come Dancing), born in Lacock, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1656 - Joseph Hall, English bishop and writer (Virgidemiarum: Six Books), dies at 82 1935 - Carl Weiss, American physician who murdered US Senator Huey Long, shot and killed by the senator's bodyguards at 28 1995 - Halldis Moren Vesaas, Norwegian author and poet (Harp and Dagger), dies at 87 2005 - Noel Cantwell, Irish cricketer and footballer (b. 1932) 2018 - Tito Capobianco, Argentinian stage impresario, dies at 87 More Famous Deaths »

70 - Roman army under General Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem 1159 - Ottaviano de Montecello is elected Antipope Victor IV 1909 - Eugene Lefebvre becomes the first pilot to die in an aircraft while test piloting a new French-built Wright biplane at Juvisy 1927 - University of Minas Gerais is founded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, by Governor Antônio Carlos 1936 - The last surviving member of the marsupial thylacine species, Benjamin, dies alone in his cage at Hobart Zoo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 1940 - Treaty of Craiova: Romania loses Southern Dobrudja to Bulgaria 1972 - American athletes Vincent Matthews and Wayne Collett finish 1-2 in the 400 m at the Munich Olympics, act casually on the medal stand, and do not face the flag during the anthem, resulting in a lifetime ban from the Olympics 1981 - Cleveland Browns' Brian Sipe sets a club record with 57 pass attempts More Historical Events »