CoM Moderators

1748 - The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1846 - Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio "Elijah" premieres at the Birmingham Festival in England 1937 - Pumping to build Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay is finished 1961 - Official International Hockey Hall of Fame opens in Toronto 1970 - Minister of Home Affairs Robert Porter resigns from the Stormont government (North Ireland parliament) 1980 - Pete Comita replaces Tom Peterson as bassist of American rock band Cheap Trick 1985 - French government denies knowledge of bombing of the Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland New Zealand 1997 - Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed 2014 - Israel and Hamas accept another ceasefire 2019 - Meeting of the G7 agrees on $20 million aid package to fight fires in the Amazon in Biarritz More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1874 - 16 blacks kidnapped from Gibson County Jail and lynched in Trenton, Tennessee 1916 - Philadelphia Athletic's Bullet Joe Bush no-hits Cleveland, 5-0 1966 - Baltimore Orioles Roznovsky and B.Powell are 4th to hit consecutive pinch HRs 1971 - MLB Baltimore Orioles' Don Buford struck out 5 times in a game 1985 - French government denies knowledge of bombing of the Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland New Zealand 1986 - Rosa Mota of Portugal wins the women's Stuttgart marathon (2:28:38) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1891 - Ferdinand Bruckner [Theodor Tagger], Austrian-German playwright (Races), born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 1958) 1901 - Jimmy Rushing, American jump blues singer, known as "Mr. Five By Five" (Count Basie Orchestra, 1935-48), and pianist, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 1972) 1919 - Ronny Graham [Stringer], American composer, lyricist, screenwriter (M*A*S*H (TV series), and actor (Chico and the Man; Mel Brooks films), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999) 1942 - Keith Alison, American session and touring guitarist (Paul Revere and The Raiders, 1968-75), and songwriter, born in Coleman, Texas (d. 2021) 1953 - David Hurley, Australian politician (Governor General of Australia 2019-, Governor of New South Wales 2014-19), born in Wollongong, Australia 1960 - Ola Ray, American model, Playboy playmate (Jun, 1980) and actress (girlfriend in Thriller music video), born in St Louis, Missouri More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1770 - Domingos dos Reis Quita, Portuguese playwright and poet, dies at 42 1813 - Theodor Körner, German soldier and poet (Zriny, Sword Song), dies fighting in the Napoleonic wars at 21 1813 - Daniel Gottlob Turk, German composer, dies at 63 1921 - Ludwig Thoma, German writer, dies at 54 1981 - Walter "Foots" Thomas, American saxophonist, flutist, and arranger (Cab Calloway Orchestra), dies from cancer at 74 1995 - Olimi III, African king of Toro (Uganda), dies at 49 More Famous Deaths »

1922 - Cubs beat Phillies 26-23 in highest scoring major-league game 1940 - First British night bombing of Germany (Berlin) 1944 - US Army XII Corps reaches Troyes, France 1960 - AFL begins placing players names on back of their jerseys 1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR 1979 - Somali adopts constitution 1988 - Challenger Center opens its classroom doors in Houston 1991 - Carl Lewis runs 100m in a world record 9.86 seconds 2014 - 66th Primetime Emmy Awards hosted by Seth Meyers broadcast on NBC 2017 - President Donald Trump grants presidential pardon to Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of contempt of court for racial profiling More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1835 - New York Sun publishes Moon hoax story about John Herschel 1960 - XVII Summer Olympic Games open at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy 1971 - Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party Gerry Fitt presents a number of allegations of brutality by the security forces in Northern Ireland to representatives of the United Nations 1986 - A's Mark McGwire hits his 1st major league home run 2001 - Singer Aaliyah and 8 others killed in an air crash in the Bahamas 2022 - California votes to ban the sale of all new gasoline-powered cars by 2035 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1919 - George Wallace, American politician (Gov-D-Ala) and presidential candidate, born in Clio, Alabama (d. 1998) 1936 - Hugh Hudson, English film director (Chariots of Fire), born in London, England (d. 2023) 1946 - Charlie Sanders, American football player (Detroit Lions), born in Richlands, North Carolina (d. 2015) 1955 - Vijayakanth, Tamil actor and politician, born in Thirumangalam, India 1962 - Mazzi Rawd, [Clifford Lewis], American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), and physicist, born in the USA 1966 - Michael Cohen, American lawyer to Donald Trump, born on Long Island, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1282 - Thomas Cantilupe, English saint (b. ca 1218) 1868 - Costache Negruzzi, Romanian author/poet, dies at about 60 1957 - Leo Perutz, Austrian writer and mathematician, dies at 74 1967 - Paul Muni, American actor (Angel on My Shoulder, Juarez), dies after a lengthy illness of heart disease at 71 1972 - Juan Carlos Paz, composer, dies at 71 2016 - Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »

1215 - Pope Innocent III declares the Magna Carta invalid 1217 - Battle of South Foreland: English fleet beats France 1349 - Black Death Massacre: 6,000 Jews, blamed for spreading the Bubonic Plague, are killed in Mainz, Electorate of Mainz; part of a wave of pogroms across Western Europe 1981 - Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 yrs to life for John Lennon's murder 1991 - Silky Stallone, wins the Cane Pace at Yonkers Raceway 1993 - Padres scores 14 in 1st vs Cardinals 2008 - Dániel Varga and Péter Biros score 3 goals each as Hungary wins the men's water polo gold medal at the Beijing Olympics; third consecutive Olympic gold medal 2014 - Nurse William Pooley flies back to the UK for emergency treatment after contracting Ebola virus after attempting to treat patients in Sierra Leone 2019 - US adventurer Victor Vescovo is the first person to visit the deepest point of every ocean when he reaches Molloy Hole, in the Arctic 2021 - Beyoncé becomes first black woman and third person to wear the Tiffany Diamond in an advertising campaign for the company alongside her husband Jay-Z More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1511 - Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca 1572 - St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of Protestants by Roman Catholics begins in Paris and later spreads to the French provinces 1968 - Northern Ireland's first civil rights march held; many more marches would be held over the following year and Loyalists organized counter-demonstrations to get the marches banned 1975 - Davey Lopes steals his 38th consecutive base, then thrown out stealing 1992 - Diplomatic relations are established between the People's Republic of China and South Korea. 2023 - BRICS meeting of emerging nations in South Africa agrees to invite six new nations to join, in attempt to balance global power of the US and Europe More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1552 - Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter, born in Bologna, Papal States (now Italy) (d. 1614) 1889 - Simon Kimbangu/Kibangu, Congolese religious leader and founder of Kimbanguism, born in Nkamba, Congo (d. 1951) 1943 - Pini Zahavi, Israeli football agent, born in Ness Ziona, Israel 1965 - Reggie Miller, American NBA guard, 1987-2005 (Indiana Pacers; Olympic gold, 1996), born in Riverside, California 1972 - Todd Young, American politician (Senator-R-Indiana 2017-), born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1979 - (Katherine) "Kaki" King, American guitarist, lap steel guitar player and composer, born in Atlanta, Georgia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1939 - William Moule, Australian lawyer, politician and cricketer (Australia v England 1880), dies at 81 1988 - Max Shulman, American author (Dobie Gillis, Tender Trap), dies at 69 1992 - André Donner, Dutch jurist (2nd President European Court of Justice), dies at 74 1994 - Jason McRoy, English mountain bike racer, dies in a motorcycle accident at 23 1996 - John Christopherson, English artist and collector, dies at 75 1998 - E. G. Marshall [Everett Eugene Grunz], American actor (12 Angry Men, The Defenders), dies of lung cancer at 84 More Famous Deaths »

1566 - Beeldenstorm reaches Amsterdam 1919 - "Gasoline Alley" cartoon strip premieres in Chicago Tribune 1920 - American swimmer Warren Kealoha wins first of 2 consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100m backstroke, beating teammate Ray Kegeris at the Antwerp Games 1944 - Sammellager Drancy freed 1948 - World Council of Churches formed by 147 churches from 44 countries 1954 - First flight of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. 1970 - Roberto Clemente compiles his record 2nd straight 5-hit game 1975 - Philip Kapleau conducts 1st jukai ceremony in Poland 1979 - Iranian army opens offensive against Kurds 2004 - Winning pitcher Lisa Fernadez (4-0) leads the US to the softball gold medal at the Athens Olympics, beating Australia 5-1 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1914 - -24] German troops plunder Belgium 1953 - Cyclist Arie Van Vliet becomes world champion sprinter 1966 - Lunar Orbiter 1 takes 1st photograph of Earth from Moon 1972 - Chicago White Sox Dick Allen is 4th player to homer into Comiskey Park's center field bleachers; previously slugged by only Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Alex Johnson 2007 - Hashtag invented and first used in a tweet by US product designer Chris Messina 2020 - Indianapolis 500: 2017 champion Takuma Sato of Japan wins his 2nd title under yellow caution flag after a crash with 3 laps remaining More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1846 - Alexander Milne Calder, Scottish-American sculptor, born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 1923) 1913 - Bob Crosby, American jazz singer and bandleader (Bob-Cats), born in Spokane, Washington (d. 1993) 1922 - George Kell, American Baseball HOF third baseman (10 x MLB All-Star; AL batting champion 1949; Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox), born in Swifton, Arkansas (d. 2009) 1927 - Martial Solal, French jazz pianist and composer, born in Algiers, French Algeria 1949 - Shelley Long, American actress (Diane in Cheers, Money Pit), born in Fort Wayne, Indiana 1968 - Cortez Kennedy, American NFL defensive tackle (Seattle Seahawks), born in Osceola, Arkansas (d. 2017) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1989 - Mohammed Abed Elhai, Sudanese writer and academic (b. 1944) 1994 - Paolo Volponi, Italian communist/author (Machina Mondiale), dies at 70 1999 - James White, Northern Irish sci-fi author (Star Surgeon, Star Healer), dies of a stroke at 71 2007 - Philip Wilkinson, British bank executive (National Westminster Bank), dies at 80 2013 - William Glasser, American psychiatrist, dies from respiratory failure from pneumonia at 88 2021 - Michael Nader, American actor (Dynasty, All My Children), dies at 76 More Famous Deaths »

1572 - Failed assassination on Gaspard de Coligny, a French nobleman and admiral, a Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion (killed 2 days later) 1914 - German troops execute 384 inhabitants of Tamines, Belgium 1939 - Dutch border guards take positions for German invasion 1952 - The penal colony on Devil's Island is permanently closed. 1954 - WPTV TV channel 5 in Palm Beach, FL (NBC) begins broadcasting 1971 - Approximately 130 non-Unionist councillors announce their withdrawal from participation on district councils across Northern Ireland in protest against Internment (allowing suspected terrorists to be indefinitely detained without trial) 1979 - 200 black leaders meet in NY to support Andrew Young 1980 - Leaders of Port Elizabeth's Black secondary school children in South Africa decided to end a four month boycott of classes 1993 - "In the Summer House" closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 25 performances 2018 - Forbes say George Clooney made more money in a single year ($239 million) than any actor ever ($239m), due to sale of alcohol company, followed by Dwayne Johnson ($124m) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1654 - Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan) aboard the Peartree, one of the first Jewish colonists 1912 - England defeat Australia to win the Triangular Tournament 1914 - Canada's Finance Act, 1914, receives assent 1932 - BBC begins experimental regular television broadcasts 1950 - Rotterdam dock strike ends 1960 - Gil Hodges set NL right handed HR record with #352 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1848 - Melville E. Stone, American newspaper publisher (Founder of Chicago Daily News), born in Hudson, Illinois (d. 1929) 1920 - Pierre A. Lauffer, Antillian poet (Patria), born in Curacao, Venezuela (d. 1981) 1945 - Ron Dante, American rock vocalist (Archies - "Sugar, Sugar"), and producer (Barry Manilow), born in Staten Island, New York 1956 - Paul Molitor, American Baseball HOF infielder (7 x MLB All-Star Milwaukee Brewers; World Series MVP 1993 Toronto Blue Jays) and manager (Minnesota Twins 2015-18), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota 1966 - GZA [Gary Grice], American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan), born in Brooklyn, New York 1975 - Robert Enes, Australian soccer midfielder (Olyroos, Olympics 1996) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1914 - Léon Amédée François Raffenel, French general (3rd Colonial Div, WWI), dies during Battle of Rossignol at 58 1929 - Otto Liman von Sanders, German general in Turkey during WWI, dies at 74 1985 - Paul Peter Ewald, German Crystallographer and Physicist who devised the theory of X-ray interference by crystals and pioneered X-ray diffraction methods, dies at 97 2009 - Beryl Sprinkel, American economist (Council of Economic Advisers), dies at 85 2009 - Elmer Kelton, American Western novelist (b. 1926) 2011 - Jerry Leiber, American songwriter (Leiber and Stoller - "Hound Dog"; "Jailhouse Rock"; "Is That All There Is?"), dies at 78 More Famous Deaths »

959 - Erachus becomes bishop of Luik 1573 - Spain begin siege of Alkmaar in the Netherlands 1831 - Former slave Nat Turner leads uprising against slavery 1932 - Cleveland Indians pitcher Wes Ferrell first to win 20 games in each of his 1st 4 seasons 1957 - The Soviet Union successfully tests the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, the R-7, which flies over 6,000 km (3,700 mi) 2004 - South Africa clinch their 2nd Tri Nations Rugby Series on points differential with a 23-19 win over Australia in Durban; Wallabies score 3 tries to 2, but Percy Montgomery lands 5 goals for Springboks 2013 - 37 people are killed and 16 are injured in a bus crash near Chin Swee Temple, Malaysia 2016 - Brazil takes 3rd Olympic men's indoor volleyball gold medal at the Rio Games with 25–22, 28–26, 26–24 win over Italy 2017 - Destroyer USS John S McCain collides with an oil tanker near Singapore leaving 10 missing and 5 injured 2018 - Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull calls for and wins a leadership vote 43-35 over Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1878 - American Bar Association organizes at Sarasota, NY 1948 - Cleveland Indians 47-inning scoreless streak is broken as future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon yields a home run to Aaron Robinson in a 3-2 loss to Chicago White Sox 1975 - 3 truck pile up kills 10, injures 26 on French highway 1986 - Surinames Ronnie Brunswijks Jungle commandos kill 2 government officials 1998 - Marvel superhero film "Blade" starring Wesley Snipes is released 2023 - Saudi border guards accused of killing hundreds of migrants, shooting them as they tried to cross into the country from Yemen in report by Human Rights Watch More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1905 - Stan Worthington, English cricket all-rounder (9 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 128, 8 wickets, BB 2/19; Derbyshire CCC, Northumberland CCC), born in Bolsover, England (d. 1973) 1920 - Christopher R. Milne, son of Alan A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh), born in Chelsea, London (d. 1996) 1930 - Alan Ashcroft, English rugby union number 8 (16 caps England, 2 caps British and Irish Lions; Waterloo FC), born in St. Helens, England (d. 2021) 1936 - Wilt Chamberlain, American College / Basketball HOF center (4 x NBA MVP; 13 x All Star; NBA C'ship 1967, 72 [MVP]; Philadelphia/SF Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Lakers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999) 1970 - Steve Everitt, American NFL center (Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles), born in Miami, Florida 1988 - Robert Lewandowski, Polish football player (Bayern Munich, Polish national team), born in Warsaw, Poland More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1689 - William Cleland, Scottish poet and soldier 1943 - Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer (Peter Gelukkige, Nobel 1917), dies at 86 1957 - Harald Ulrik Sverdrup, Norwegian meteorologist and oceanographer, dies at 68 1974 - Buford Pusser, American sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, dies in a single vehicle car crash at 36 1992 - Dai Vernon [David Frederick Wingfield Verner], Canadian magician, dies at 98 2017 - Abdur Razzak, Bangladeshi actor and director (Ki Je Kori, Chandranath), dies at 75 More Famous Deaths »

1534 - Turkish admiral Chaireddin "Barbarossa" occupies Tunis 1619 - Slavery begins in America: 1st known African Americans (approx. 20) land at Point Comfort (Fort Monroe), Virginia before being sold or traded into servitude 1648 - Battle of Lens: French Duc d'Enghien defeats Spaniards 1795 - Joseph Haydn returns to Vienna from England 1913 - 1st pilot to parachute from an aircraft (Adolphe Pégoud, France) 1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR 1974 - Nelson Rockefeller is selected as US Vice President by President Gerald Ford 1980 - UN Security Council condemns (14-0, US abstains) Israeli declaration that all of Jerusalem is its capital 1998 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules that Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval. 2018 - Polish immigrant and former volunteer Nazi guard Jakiw Palij (95) is deported from the US in New York to Germany More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1828 - Gioachino Rossini's opera "Le Comte Ory" premieres in Paris 1951 - 12th Venice Film Festival: "Rashomon" directed by Akira Kurosawa wins the Golden Lion 1953 - Russia publicly acknowledges hydrogen bomb test detonation 1959 - Belgium shortens military conscription to 12 months 1994 - Archbishop Quarracino wants all homosexuals to leave Argentina 2023 - Russia's Luna 25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon according to Roscosmos, the country's space agency More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1926 - Frank Rosolino, American jazz trombonist (The Frank Rosolino Sextet), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1978) 1931 - Don King, American boxing promoter best known for his association with Mike Tyson and for his unusual hairstyles, born in Cleveland, Ohio 1956 - Joan Allen, American actress (Peggy Sue Got Married, Tucker, In Country), born in Rochelle, Illinois 1966 - Steven Finn, Canadian NHL defenseman (LA Kings), born in Laval, Quebec, Canada 1971 - Steve Stone, English footballer, born in Gateshead, England 2003 - Prince Gabriel of Belgium, second child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, born in Erasmus Hospital, Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1914 - Pius X [Giuseppe Sarto], 257th Italian Roman Catholic Pope (1903-14 - lowered age of Communion from 12 to 7,) and saint, dies at 79 1932 - Paul Keller, German writer (Vergrabenes Gut), dies at 59 1959 - Alfred Kubin, Austrian writer and illustrator, dies at 82 1978 - Ivan Jirko, Czech composer, music critic and psychiatrist, dies at 51 1996 - Rio Reiser, German rock singer ("Ton Steine Scherben"), dies at 46 2017 - Jerry Lewis [Joseph Levitch], American comedian (Martin and Lewis, MDA Telethon), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »

1914 - Harris Theater (Candler, Coan and Harris) opens at 226 W 42nd St NYC 1936 - Trial against Ljev Kamenev and Grigori Zinovjev because of "Trotskyism" opens in Moscow 1958 - NAACP Youth Council begin sit-in at "whites-only" lunch counter at Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1970 - The Chinese Community in South Africa is granted 'White' status 1974 - RCA records releases "Pussy Cats", the tenth album by American singer Harry Nilsson in the US; album was produced by John Lennon and Nilsson worked through a serious vocal chord injury which diminished his vaunted range 1986 - Car bomb kills 20 in Tehran, Iran 2001 - Canadian Open Women's Golf, Angus Glen GC: Annika Sörenstam wins by 2 from Kelly Robbins 2012 - Plane crash in mountainous region of Talodi, Sudan kills 32, including several government officials and staff, enroute to Eid al-Fitr festival marking end Muslim holy month of Ramadan; crash blamed on bad weather conditions 2013 - 24 Egyptian policemen are killed in an attack in Rafah 2013 - 91 people are killed by floods across China More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1796 - Spain and France sign anti-British alliance 1839 - Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published "free to the world" in Paris as a gift to the world from the French government 1913 - Frenchman Adolphe Célestin Pégoud makes 1st parachute jump in Europe 1936 - Trial against Ljev Kamenev and Grigori Zinovjev because of "Trotskyism" opens in Moscow 1965 - The Yardbirds launch their first US tour 1970 - The Chinese Community in South Africa is granted 'White' status More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1875 - Stjepan Seljan, Croatian explorer (Ethiopia, South America), born in Karlovac, Croatia (d. 1936) 1916 - Marie Wilson, American actress (The Story of Mankind, My Friend Irma), born in Anaheim, California (d. 1972) 1944 - Eddy Raven [Futch], American country singer ("Right Hand Man"), born in Lafayette, Louisiana 1946 - Charles F. Bolden Jr, American astronaut (STS 61C, 31, 45, 60), born in Columbia, South Carolina 1947 - Dave Dutton, English actor (Coronation Street), born in Atherton, England 1967 - Tabitha Soren, American MTV reporter (This Week in Rock), born in San Antonio, Texas More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1954 - Alcide de Gasperi, 30th Prime Minister of Italy (1945-53), dies at 73 1975 - Ima Hogg, American society leader, Texas arts patron, and founder of Houston Symphony, dies at 93 1991 - Richard Maltby Sr., American musician and orchestra leader ("(Themes from) The Man with the Golden Arm"; Vaughn Monroe Show), dies at 77 1992 - Norvel Lee, American boxer (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 67 1994 - Linus Pauling, American chemist, engineer and peace activist (1954 Nobel prize for Chemistry, 1962 Nobel Peace Prize), dies at 93 1995 - Danny Arnold, British TV producer, dies at 70 More Famous Deaths »

1541 - A Portuguese ship drifts ashore in the ancient Japanese province of Higo (modern day Kumamoto Prefecture). (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1541) 1700 - Swedish, English and Dutch army lands on Seeland, Denmark 1917 - The Queen's Hospital opens to provide pioneering plastic surgery for WWI soldiers, led by Harold Gillies in Sidcup, England 1917 - A Great Fire in Thessaloniki, Greece destroys 32% of the city leaving 70,000 individuals homeless. 1937 - 1st FM radio construction permit issued (W1X0J (WGTR) in Boston MA) 1943 - Otto Skorzeny's Heinkel-111 shot down at Sardinia 1981 - Jerry Lewis appears on "Donahue" to defend Telethons 1983 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR 1983 - Hurricane Alicia battered Houston and Galveston, Texas 1984 - Triangle Oil Corp, above-ground storage tank at Jacksonville Fla, spills 2.5 m gallons of oil burned after lightning sparked a fire More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1943 - Otto Skorzeny's Heinkel-111 shot down at Sardinia 1944 - Chartres freed by US 3rd Army forces during WWII led by General George S. Patton 1983 - Hurricane Alicia battered Houston and Galveston, Texas 1989 - Leading presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán is assassinated near Bogotá in Colombia. 2016 - Jamaica's Usain Bolt wins the gold medal in the men's 200m for the 3rd successive Summer Olympics, recording a time of 19.78 in Rio de Janeiro 2020 - Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta resigns amid a military coup condemned by the UN Security Council More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1745 - Vaclav Josef Bartolomej Praupner, Bohemian composer, born in Litoměřice (d. 1807) 1805 - Josef Danhauser, Austrian painter (Mutterliebe), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1845) 1930 - Gene Bartow, American College Basketball Hall of Fame coach (US National Team 1974; Valparaiso, Memphis State, Illinois, UCLA), born in Browning, Missouri (d. 2012) 1958 - Reginald "Reg" E. Cathey, American actor (The Wire, Oz, House of Cards), born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 2018) 1970 - Robert Higginson, American baseball outfielder (Detroit Tigers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1981 - Jon Schneck, American rock guitarist (Relient K, 2005-present), born in Eustis, Florida More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1276 - Adrian V [Ottobono Fieschi], Italian Pope (7/11-8/18/1276), dies 1994 - Judy Ann Scott-Fox, literary agent, dies at 56 2001 - David Peakall, British scientist (b. 1931) 2018 - Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat and 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006), dies at 80 2018 - Peter Tapsell, British Conservative Party politician (Member of Parliament, 1959-64 and 1966-2015), dies at 88 2020 - Glenn Bassett, American tennis coach (UCLA 1967-93; 7 x NCAA C'ships), dies at 93 More Famous Deaths »

1577 - Peace of Bergerac: Political rights for Huguenots 1836 - British parliament accepts registration of births, marriages and deaths 1894 - Phillies get 36 hits, Sam Thompson hits for the cycle, beating Louisville 29-4 1943 - US 8th Air Force loses 60 B-17s during attack on Schweinfurt and Regensburg 1980 - "Blackstone" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 104 performances 1988 - NYC 1st case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (9-year-old Bronx boy) 2008 - China wins its 33rd gold medal of the Beijing Olympics by beating Singapore in the table tennis women's team event; most successful Olympiad ever for China; wins all 10 singles and all 5 doubles matches 2008 - Jamaica dominates the 100m at the Beijing Olympics with Shelly-Ann Fraser taking the gold medal in 10.78; her teammates Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart dead-heat for silver in 10.98 2021 - Joel Embiid signs a four-year, $196 million NBA extension with the 76ers 2022 - Suicide explosion in Afghan mosque in Kabul kills 21 worshippers and injures 33 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 682 - Leo II begins his reign as Catholic Pope 1858 - 1st bank in Hawaii opens 1959 - 7.1 quake strikes Yellowstone National Park 1988 - US Republicans nominate George H. W. Bush for President 2008 - Jamaica dominates the 100m at the Beijing Olympics with Shelly-Ann Fraser taking the gold medal in 10.78; her teammates Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart dead-heat for silver in 10.98 2015 - Bomb blast in Bangkok at Erawan Shrine kills at least 19, injures over 100 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1913 - Rudy York, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers), born in Ragland, Alabama (d. 1970) 1932 - V. S. Naipaul, Trinidadian-British writer (In a Free State, Middle Passage), born in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2018) 1938 - Abu Bakar Bashir, Indonesian Muslim cleric, born in Jombang, Dutch East Indies 1947 - Francine Hughes Wilson, American domestic abuse victim "The Burning Bed" who changed pubic perceptions, born in Stockbridge, Michigan (d. 2017) 1984 - Dee Brown, American basketball player (2005 Sporting News National Player of the Year), born in Jackson, Mississippi 2003 - The Kid Laroi [Charlton Howard], Australian singer-songwriter (Without You), born in Waterloo, Australia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1153 - Eustace IV of Boulogne, son of Stephen of England (b. 1130) 1838 - Lorenzo Da Ponte [Emanuele Conegliano], Italian-American librettist (Don Giovanni; Cosi Fan Tutti), poet, and libertine priest, dies at 89 1976 - Murvyn Vye [Marvin], American actor (Road to Bali, Bob Cummings Show), dies of natural causes at 63 2004 - Gérard Souzay, French baritone, dies at 85 2007 - Bill Deedes, British journalist and politician (b. 1913) 2023 - Gary Young, American rock drummer (Pavement), dies at 70 More Famous Deaths »

1913 - Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tōhoku University) admits its first female students. 1960 - Republic of Congo (Zaire, Dem Rep of Congo) forms 1966 - The Beatles in concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; their second and final show in the city 1969 - V.V. Giri is elected the fourth President of India 1972 - King of Morocco Hassan II's Boeing 727 is attacked and shot at by six F-5 military jets during a failed coup attempt by General Mohamed Oufkir. Reportedly, King Hassan grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots "Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!" fooling the pilots to break off the attack. 1974 - American punk rock band "The Ramones" concert debut at CBGB's in New York City 1975 - British singer Peter Gabriel announces his departure from the rock group Genesis 1980 - British rock keyboardist Jools Holland quits band Squeeze to pursue a solo career 1984 - Sunken liner Andrea Doria's safe opened 1987 - Northwest Airlines 255 plane crashes in Detroit, 156 die (1 lives) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1864 - Federal assault on 4th day of battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia 1890 - Alexander Clark, journalist and lawyer, named minister to Liberia 1921 - Members of the Dail (parliament) swear allegiance to the Irish Republic at their first meeting, held at Dublin House 1993 - The Debian distribution first announced by Ian Murdock, a student at Purdue University (Murdock initially called his system the "Debian Linux Release") 2017 - Philippine police kill 32 in raids near Manilia, most deadly night in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs 2023 - The Northwest Territories in Canada declare a state of emergency due to wildfires and order an evacuation of the city of Yellowknife, affecting 22,000 people More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1860 - Lord Hawke [Martin Hawke], English cricket batsman (5 Tests; Yorkshire CCC, Cambridge Uni CC, MCC), born in Willingham by Stow, England (d. 1938) 1862 - Amos Alonzo Stagg, American athlete and American football pioneer, born in West Orange, New Jersey (d. 1965) 1937 - David Behrman, American composer (On The Other Ocean), born in Salzburg, Austria 1946 - Lesley Ann Warren, American actress (Cinderella, Mission Impossible), born in New York City 1952 - Mahes Goonatillake, cricketer (Sri Lankan keeper in their 1st 5 Tests) 1985 - Agnes Bruckner, American actress, born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1445 - Margaret of Scotland (Dauphine of France), wife of the future King Louis XI (b. 1424) 1938 - Andrej Hlinka, Slovak politician and Catholic priest, dies at 1938 1952 - Lydia Field Emmet, American painter (b. 1866) 1991 - Stuart Karl, CEO (Karl Home Video), dies at 38 of skin cancer 2015 - Jacob Bekenstein, American-Israeli theoretical physicist (Bekenstein-Hawking radiation), dies of a heart attack at 68 2017 - David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort, British aristocrat, art dealer, and peer, dies at 89 More Famous Deaths »

636 - Beginning of the five-day decisive Battle at Yarmuk: Muslim forces defeat the Byzantine army to take control of Syria for the first time 1519 - Panama City founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Dávila 1865 - Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri: fierce fighting between Union soldiers and Confederate forces prompted by bushwacker attacks destroys town of Lone Jack 1876 - US law removes Indians from Black Hills after gold find 1934 - US ends occupation of Haiti after 19 years; started after the 1915 assassination of Haiti's president 1936 - Annibale Frossi scores twice as Italy beats Austria 2-1 in extra time in the soccer final at the Berlin Olympics 1948 - US Open Women's Golf, Atlantic City CC: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins by 8 strokes from Betty Hicks 1974 - Hurricane and floods ravage Bangladesh, 4,000 killed 1990 - Mark McGwire is 1st to hit 30 HRs in each of his 1st 4 seasons 2008 - Despite China winning the women's gymnastics team all-round gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, Americans Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson go 1-2 in the individual all-round More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1858 - Regular US mail to the Pacific coast begins 1964 - WEWS-TV in Cleveland, Ohio first airs "The Big 5 Show", a teen dance and music program later syndicated as "Upbeat" 1968 - Pirate Radio Free London begins transmitting 1974 - Hurricane and floods ravage Bangladesh, 4,000 killed 1975 - Army officers in Bangladesh stage a military coup d'état, assassinate elected President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most members of his family and install Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad as President 1979 - Andrew Young resigns as US ambassador to the United Nations More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1780 - Marie-Anne Gaboury, French-Canadian settler (first white woman to settle in Western Canada), born in Maskinongé, Quebec (d. 1875) 1879 - Ethel Barrymore [Blythe], American classic film and stage actress (Constant Wife, Corn is Green), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1959) 1934 - Georgy Garanian, Armenian-Russian jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer, born in Moscow, USSR (d. 2010) 1943 - Eni Faleomavaega, American-Samoan politician (3rd Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa), born in Vailoatai, American Samoa (d. 2017) 1954 - Mary Jo Salter, American poet and co-editor of The Norton Anthology of Poetry, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan 1969 - James Black, Canadian NHL center, 1989-2001 (Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, and 4 other teams), born in Regina, Saskatchewan More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 423 - Flavius Honorius, Western Roman Republic emperor (395-423), dies at 38 1118 - Alexius I Comnenus [Alexios I Komnenos], Emperor of Byzantium (1081-1118), dies 1552 - Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (b. 1477) 1967 - René Magritte, Belgian surrealist painter (This is Not a Pipe), dies at 68 1971 - Thomas Wayne, American rockabilly singer ("Tragedy"), dies in a car accident at 31 1991 - Marietta Tree, American diplomat and ambassador (1st woman to serve as chief U.S. delegate to the UN in 1961), dies at 74 More Famous Deaths »

1597 - Cornelis de Houtman's Dutch fleet arrives back in Holland, the 1st Dutch visit to Java 1756 - French capture Fort Oswego, NY 1816 - Great Britain annexes Tristan da Cunha 1862 - Abraham Lincoln receives the first group of African Americans to confer with a US president 1901 - SS Islander hits iceberg near Alaska and sinks killing 70 1936 - The Berlin Olympics rowing competition concludes with Germany winning 5 of 7 gold medals, although the United States wins the coveted eights gold 1944 - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives at Corsica 1971 - Cards Bob Gibson, 35, no-hits Pirates, 11-0 1975 - King of Norway Olav V opens Svalbard Airport near Longyearbyen, the northernmost airport in the world with scheduled public flights 2020 - Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda breaks Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele’s 16-year-old 5,000m world record with a run of 12:35.36 at the Diamond League meet in Monaco More Historical Events »