CoM Moderators

Historical Events 1868 - 1st Memorial Day parade held in Ironton, Ohio 1880 - League of American Wheelmen (1st US bicycle association), forms in Newport, Rhode Island 1953 - Lebanese president Camille Shamun disbands government 1961 - US President John F. Kennedy visits Charles de Gaulle in Paris 1992 - 46th Tony Awards: "Dancing at Lughnasa" (play) and "Crazy For You" (musical) win 2018 - Danish government bans garments that cover the face, including the niqab and burqa More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1921 - Robert Arthur Ley, English sci-fi author (Telepath, Power of X) (d. 1968) 1955 - Joe Longthorne, English singer, impressionist, and television presenter, born in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 2019) 1962 - Sebastian Koch, German actor 1983 - David Hernandez, American pop singer (American Idol), born in Phoenix, Arizona 1984 - Nate Robinson, American basketball player (first three-time slam dunk champion), born in Seattle, Washington 1986 - Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian pop-electronic singer, born in Batumi, Adjara, Georgian SSR More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1848 - Eugénie de Guérin, French writer (b. 1805) 1981 - Barbara Ward, English economist and writer (Only One Earth), dies at 67 2010 - William A. Fraker, American cinematographer (b. 1923) 2010 - Merata Mita, New Zealander filmmaker (Mauri, Patu!), dies at 67 2013 - Tim Samaras, American tornado chaser, dies from tornado injuries at 55 2020 - Bob Bennett, American College Baseball Hall of Fame coach (Fresno State 1970-2002; record 1,302-759-4), dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1848 - William G Young patents ice cream freezer 1908 - Paris advocate E Archdeacon is 1st passenger in a airplane 1924 - Socialist Matteotti falls in Italian parliament by fascists 1938 - New York Yankees sweep arch rival Boston Red Sox, 10-0 and 5-4 in front of 83,533 at Yankee Stadium 1949 - NPS/VHP win 1st general election in Suriname 1958 - Indianapolis 500: Jimmy Bryan wins a race best known for a massive first-lap, 15-car pileup that results in death of fan-favourite driver Pat O'Connor 1962 - 69 killed in bus crash (Ahmedabad India) 1987 - Tony Tucker TKOs Buster Douglas in 10 for heavyweight boxing title 1987 - North American Philips Company unveils compact disc video 1999 - Super Rugby Final, Carisbrook, Dunedin: Canterbury Crusaders retain title with a 24-19 win over Otago Highlanders; flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens kicks 3 penalties, a conversion and dropped goal for the winners More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1868 - "Decoration Day", later called Memorial Day is first observed in Northern US states 1913 - Treaty of London signed by the Great Powers, the Ottoman Empire and the victorious Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Kingdom of Bulgaria, and Montenegro) bringing an end to the First Balkan War 1933 - Patent on invisible glass installation 1954 - Hector Villa-Lobos' "Odisseia de Uma Raca" premieres 1981 - Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman is shot by group of rebel officers 1993 - Indianapolis 500: Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi passes reigning F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell with 16 laps to go for his second race win More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1901 - Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and writer (When Our Hearts Were Young and Gay), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1979) 1902 - Seton Lloyd, English Archaeologist (Arzawa civilization, Turkey), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1996) 1910 - Inge Meysel, German actress (None, Ida Rogalski), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2004) 1926 - Edouard Van Remoortel, Belgian conductor (1958-62 St Louis Symphony), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1977) 1963 - Helen Patricia Sharman, Great Britain, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-12) 1964 - Andrea Montermini, Italian racing driver More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1940 - Y de Smit-Rog, oldest citizen of Netherlands, dies at 104 1989 - Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (Ljubljana Opera 1927, NY Metropolitan Opera), dies of a stroke at 83 1992 - Daniel Addes, actor (Victor-Sunst Grill), dies at 59 1995 - Lofty England, English automotive engineer and race team manager (b.1911) 1997 - West Arkeen, American musician, best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs (It's So Easy, The Garden), dies of a drug overdose at 36 2019 - Leon Redbone [Dickran Gobalian], American blues and jazz musician ("Seduced"; Theme to Mr. Belvedere), dies at 69 More Famous Deaths »

1176 - Battle at Legnano: Lombard League beats Frederick Barbarossa and the Holy Roman Empire 1328 - French King Philip VI of Valois crowned at the Cathedral in Reims, France 1940 - In WWII, Germans capture Ostend and Ypres in Belgium and Lille in France 1965 - American long jumper Ralph Boston sets then world record 27' 4 3/4" (8.35m) at Modesto, California 1977 - Indianapolis 500: A. J. Foyt. becomes first driver to win Indy 500 four times; last time winning car built entirely within US; Janet Guthrie first female to qualify, lasts 27 laps 1980 - Larry Bird beats out Magic Johnson for NBA rookie of year 1983 - Indianapolis 500: Tom Sneva wins his first Indy 500; represents record 7th Indy victory for chief mechanic George Bignotti 1999 - Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station. 2004 - The Al-Khobar massacres in Saudi Arabia kill 22 2016 - Indianapolis 500: American driver Alexander Rossi of Andretti Herta Autosport runs out of fuel on the final lap but coasts across line for the victory in 100th running of the race More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1576 - Spanish army under Cristóbal de Mondragón conquers Zierik sea 1721 - South Carolina formally incorporated as a royal colony 1971 - "Court Room" by Clarence Carter hits #61 1983 - Yuri Dumchev of USSR throws discus a record 71.86 m 2018 - Heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan, kills 65 as temperatures soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit 2019 - Transgender no longer classified as a mental health illness by the World Health Organization More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1904 - Hubert Opperman, Australian road cyclist, politician (multi-distance world records), born in Rochester, Victoria (d. 1996) 1907 - Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide), born in Dublin (d. 1995) 1911 - James Marjoribanks, British ambassador to the European Economic Community, born in Colinton, Scotland (d. 2002) 1953 - Big Daddy Graham [Edward Gudonis], American comedian, writer, actor, recording artist, and radio personality, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2021) 1975 - Mel B {Melanie Brown], English pop singer "Scary Spice" (Spice Girls), and television personality (America's Got Talent; X-FActor), born in Leeds, England 1978 - Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player (Davis Cup 2001; world #4 2002), born in Marseille, France More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1968 - Jacques Chardonne [Boutelleau], French writer (l'Epithalame), dies at 84 1977 - Ba Maw, Burmese politician (b. 1893) 1979 - John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (b. 1916) 1994 - Erich Honecker, German politician, Head of State of East Germany (1971-89), dies in Chile at 81 2003 - David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer, dies at 30 2004 - Archibald Cox, American lawyer and special prosecutor (Watergate), dies at 92 More Famous Deaths »

1934 - The Glyndebourne festival in Sussex, England, inaugurated 1937 - Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic 1940 - British-French troops capture Narvik, Norway 1949 - French Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Osborne duPont wins her second French singles crown; beats Nelly Adamson Landry of France 7-5, 6-2 1955 - 80th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Nashua wins in 1:54.6 1957 - WPSD TV channel 6 in Paducah, KY (NBC) begins broadcasting 1962 - Suit alleging de facto school segregation filed in Rochester, NY 1965 - Fire and explosion at Dhori mine in Dhanbad India kills 400 1968 - MLB: NL grants San Diego Padres a franchise 2011 - UEFA Champions League Final, London: FC Barcelona beats Manchester United, 3-1; 4th title for Barça More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1937 - Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic 1953 - Premier of 1st animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor-"Melody" 1961 - Amnesty International founded in London (Nobel Peace Prize 1977) 1974 - 26th Emmy Awards: M*A*S*H, Alan Alda and Mary Tyler Moore win, 1st Daytime Award presentation and "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" wins 5 awards, including Cicely Tyson for Dramatic Performance 1989 - Indianapolis 500: Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil first foreign winner since 1966; completes final lap under caution after crashing with Al Unser Jr 1993 - 200,000 demonstrate against mafia terror More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1851 - Dick Barlow, English cricket all-rounder (17 Tests, 2 x 50, 34 wickets, BB 7/40; Lancashire CCC), born in Bolton, England (d. 1919) 1928 - Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and band leader, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2019) 1957 - Ben Howland, American college basketball coach, born in Lebanon, Oregon 1959 - Bernardine Evaristo, English writer ("Girl, Woman, Other" - 1st woman of Black heritage to win the Booker Prize), born in London, England 1970 - Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (d. 2002) 1986 - Seth Rollins [Colby Lopez], American professional wrestler (WWE), born in Buffalo, Iowa More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1672 - John Trevor, English politician (b. 1626) 1685 - Pieter de la Court, economist/historian, dies at about 67 1787 - Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dies at 67 1996 - Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83 2006 - Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (b. 1920) 2008 - David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938) More Famous Deaths »

1199 - John crowned King of England after the death of his brother Richard I 1856 - Doctor William Palmer (the Rugeley Poisoner) found guilty of poisoning in Stafford, England 1898 - Arthur Pinero's "Trelawney of the Wells" premieres in London 1920 - Tatar ASSR forms in Russian SFSR 1931 - 1st full scale wind tunnel for testing airplane at Langley Field, Virginia 1952 - European Defense Community forms 1982 - New owners headed by John McMullen buy NHL's Colorado Rockies and move the team to the New Jersey Meadowlands under the new name NJ Devils 1997 - Indianapolis 500: Dutchman Arie Luyendyk wins from pole position for his second Indy victory; Treadway Racing finishes 1-2 with Luyendyk's teammate Scott Goodyear runner-up 2015 - Golden State Warriors win the NBA Western Conference 2018 - IPL Cricket Final, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets; Shane Watson top scores, 117 no (57); SK's 3rd IPL title More Historical Events »

Historical Events 308 - Marcellus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope, serving until his death in 309 1960 - Military coup overthrows democratic government of Turkey 1965 - 10th European Cup Final, San Siro, Milan: Jair da Costa scores winner as defending champions Internazionale beat Benfica, 1-0 1967 - James Lipton and Laurence Rosenthal's musical "Sherry!", based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's play "The Man Who Came to Dinner" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 72 performances 1981 - 34th Cannes Film Festival: "Man of Iron" directed by Andrzej Wajda wins the Palme d'Or 2018 - IPL Cricket Final, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets; Shane Watson top scores, 117 no (57); SK's 3rd IPL title More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1861 - Victoria Earle Matthews, American author and activist, born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1907) 1884 - Max Brod, Czech-born Israeli composer, writer, and biographer of Kafka, born in Prague (d. 1968) 1911 - Torolf Elster, Norwegian journalist and writer (Frihet och demokrati), born in Kristiania, Norway (d. 2006) 1947 - Liana Alexandra, Romanian pianist and composer, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2011) 1967 - Doug West, NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves) 1970 - Tim Farron, British politician More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1580 - Jonker Barthold Entens van Mentheda until Middelstum, dies 1902 - Jan Ferguut [Jan van Droogenbroeck], Belgian poet, dies at 67 1972 - Roy K. Marshall, American astronomer and TV scientist (Nature of Things), dies at 64 2007 - Izumi Sakai, Japanese pop singer (Zard - "Makenaide (Please Don't Lose)"), dies from head injuries after a fall, while undergoing cancer treatments at 40 2009 - Clive Granger, Welsh-born British economist (Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences 2003), dies at 74 2011 - Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (b. 1974) More Famous Deaths »

1887 - Racetrack betting becomes legal in NY state 1918 - Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in the Battle of Sardarapat 1924 - US President Calvin Coolidge signs Immigration law restricting immigration 1962 - "All American" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 80 performances 1973 - British composer Michael Tippett's 3rd Piano Sonata premieres 1981 - The Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due) 1993 - 1st UEFA Champions League Final: Marseille beats Milan 1-0 at Munich 2012 - A gunman in the Finnish town of Hyvinkaa kills 2, wounds 7 2013 - 66th Cannes Film Festival: "Blue Is the Warmest Colour" directed by Abdellatif Kechiche wins the Palme d'Or. The two main actresses in the film, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux also awarded 2020 - US restricts travel from Brazil as the country posts world's second highest number of recorded cases of COVID-19 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1906 - Archaeological Institute of America forms 1923 - Socialist Workers Youth International forms in Hamburg 1941 - American Flag House (Betsy Ross' Home) given to city of Philadelphia 1967 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1972 - Joe Frazier TKOs Ron Stander in 5 for heavyweight boxing title 1996 - "Midsummer Night's Dream" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 66 performances More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1825 - Felipe Gutiérrez Y Espinosa, Puerto Rican composer, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico (d. 1899) 1846 - Arthur Coquard, French composer, born in Paris (d. 1910) 1890 - Kurt Edzard, German sculptor (nudes/portraits), born in Bremen, Germany (d. 1972) 1908 - Robert Morley, British actor (Marie Antoinette, The Young Ones, How the Other Half Loves), born in Semley, Wiltshire, England (d. 1992) 1949 - Pam Grier, American actress (The Big Bird Cage; Jackie Brown; The L-Word), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1952 - David Meece, American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, and piano player, born in Humble, Texas More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1907 - Ida McKinley, US First Lady (1897-1901) and wife of the 25th US President William McKinley, dies at 59 1924 - Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer, dies at 67 1939 - Cornelis Jacobus Snijders, Supreme commander of Dutch Navy (1910-18), dies at 86 1944 - Robert van Spaendonck, Dutch resistance fighter, dies at 27 1977 - Jim Boles, American actor (The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, One Man's Family), dies of cardiac arrest at 63 2007 - J Edward Oliver, cartoonist and composer (b. 1942) More Famous Deaths »

1571 - Pope Pius V forms The Holy League to fight the Ottomans with other Catholic maritime states including Spain, Venice, Naples and Sicily 1868 - Australian Aboriginal Cricket tour of England begins v Surrey Gentlemen 1943 - Agnes Moorehead appears in "Sorry, Wrong Number" on the radio program "Suspense", her most successful appearance 1965 - Dave Davies of The Kinks knocked unconscious in an on stage scuffle with drummer Mick Avory at Cardiff’s Capital Theatre 1968 - Rolling Stones release song "Jumping Jack Flash" 1968 - Unicorn by The Irish Rovers hits #7 1983 - Fire in Nassermeer, Egypt, kills 357 2011 - Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her twenty five year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show 2019 - First ever albino panda footage in the wild released (taken in April) from China's Wolong National Nature Reserve 2021 - Coup in Mali as military Colonel Assimi Goïta ousts country's civilian President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane arresting and detaining them More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1720 - The Ship "Le Grand St Antoine" reaches Marseille, bringing Europe's last major plague outbreak. Kills around 100,000. 1842 - Christian Doppler presents his idea, now known as the Doppler Effect (through the changing colors of binary stars), to the Royal Bohemian Society, Prague 1949 - Chinese Red army occupies Shanghai 1994 - Emmy 21st Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci not nominated 2000 - 53rd Cannes Film Festival: "Dancer in the Dark" directed by Lars von Trier and starring Björk (Best Actress) wins the Palme d'Or 2014 - Senior PGA Championship, GC at Shore Harbor: Colin Montgomerie of Scotland wins first of 3 Champions Tour majors by 4 strokes from Tom Watson More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1818 - Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss cultural historian, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1897) 1865 - John Mott, American evangelist and organizer (YMCA, Nobel 1946), born in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County, New York (d. 1955) 1945 - Dave Lee Travis [David Griffin], British DJ and presenter (Top of the Pops], convicted of indecent assault, born in Buxton, Derbyshire 1952 - Al Sarrantonio, American writer (999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense), born in NYC, New York 1961 - Hiro Saito, Japanese professional wrestler (All-Japan/NJPW/Calgary), born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan 1979 - Sam Sodje, Nigerian footballer, born in Greenwich, London More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1917 - Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet, dies at 25 1934 - Gustav Holst, English composer (The Planets; Ode to Death), dies at 59 1945 - Demjan Bednyi, Russian writer and satirist, dies at 62 1954 - Robert Capa, Hungarian war photographer and photojournalist, dies of injuries from a landmine explosion at 40 1966 - Ricardo Castillo, Guatemalan composer, dies at 71 2020 - Marvin Luster, American CFL Hall of Fame defensive back (6 x CFL All Star; Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes), dies at 82 More Famous Deaths »

1595 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library 1861 - Alexandria, Virginia occupied by Federal troops 1887 - Sultan Bargash of Zanzibar grants E African Association at East African harbors 1944 - Enver Hoxha becomes head of Albania's anti fascists 1959 - 1st house with built-in bomb shelter exhibited (Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania) 1968 - French President Charles De Gaulle proposes referendum and students set fire to Paris bourse 1976 - 1st commercial SST flight to North America (Concorde to Washington, D.C.) 1980 - Stanley Cup Final, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: In first Finals appearance, NY Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4 in OT for a 4 games to 2 series win 1984 - Revival of musical "The Wiz" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater, NYC; runs for 13 performances 2021 - India's official COVID-19 death toll passes 300,000 (303,720), the third country to do so, with experts saying it is a vast undercount More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1832 - The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference 1923 - Stanley Baldwin succeeds Andrew Bonar Law as British Prime Minister 1988 - Power outage in Boston Garden in NHL's Stanley Cup finals 1993 - Kim Basinger files for bankruptcy to avoid paying $7.4M settlement 2018 - Record US fentanyl seizure of 120lbs (54kg) confirmed by police in Nebraska in April, enough to kill 26 million people, one of largest drug busts in US history 2020 - Millions of cicadas in a once in 17-year event about to emerge from the earth in the US south posing crop danger and noise issues, according to scientists from Virginia Tech More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1840 - Frederick Walker, British social realist painter, born in London (d. 1875) 1945 - Priscilla Presley, American actress (Jenna-Dallas, Naked Gun), born in Brooklyn, New York 1963 - Vivian Trimble, American alt-rock keyboardist (Luscious Jackson; Dusty Trails), born in New York City (d. 2023) 1965 - Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese anime director (Samurai Champloo), born in Kyoto, Japan 1976 - Catherine Cox, Australian netballer, born in Whangarei, New Zealand 1979 - Tracy McGrady, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (NBA All-Star 2001–07; NBA scoring champion 2003, 04; Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets), born in Bartow, Florida More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1136 - Hugues de Payens, French co-founder of The Knights Templar and its first Grand Master, dies at about 66 1826 - Friedrich Fesca, German violinist and composer, dies of tuberculosis at 37 1956 - Guy Kibbee, American actor (Capt Blood, Babes in Arms), dies at 74 2002 - Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926) 2010 - Ray Alan, English ventriloquist and television entertainer (Lord Charles), dies at 79 2022 - Thomas Ulsrud, Norwegian curler (World C'ship gold [skip] 2014; Olympics silver 2010), dies from cancer at 50 More Famous Deaths »

1844 - Declaration of Bab (Baha'i festival) ('Azamat 7, 1) 1960 - WKBM TV (now WLII) channel 11 in Caguas/San Juan, PR 1st broadcast 1984 - Crime epic film "Once Upon a Time in America" directed by Sergio Leone starring Robert De Niro and James Woods premieres at Cannes 1997 - Mel Karmazin replaces Peter Lund as CEO of CBS TV 2002 - The "55 parties" clause of the Kyoto protocol is reached after its ratification by Iceland 2003 - NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Ottawa Senators, 4 games to 3 2010 - 63rd Cannes Film Festival: "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul wins the Palme d'Or 2018 - Hamburg, Germany, becomes the first city to ban diesel cars on some roads 2019 - Brazilian cosmetics group Natura buys UK's Avon for $2 billion, creating the world's fourth-largest cosmetics company 2021 - Belarus accused of “state-sponsored hijacking" after diverting commercial Ryanair flight to Minsk to arrest dissident journalist Roman Protasevich More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1894 - William Love hosts groundbreaking ceremonies for Love Canal 1926 - Chicago Cub's Hack Wilson is 1st to hit a home run off Wrigley Field scoreboard 1962 - OAS leader general Raoul Salan sentenced to life 1991 - San Diego Sockers win 4th consecutive Major Soccer League championship 1997 - "King David" closes at New Amsterdam Theater NYC 2018 - Hamburg, Germany, becomes the first city to ban diesel cars on some roads More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1710 - François Gaspard Adam, French sculptor (garden sculptures), born in Nancy, France (d. 1761) 1756 - Nicolas-Joseph Hüllmandel, Alsatian composer, born in Strasbourg, France (d. 1823) 1906 - Hellmuth Christian Wolff, German composer, teacher, musicologist and painter, born in Zürich, Switzerland (d. 1988) 1910 - Hugh Casson, English architect (Festival of Britain director, President of the Royal Academy), born in London, England (d. 1999) 1928 - Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom], British-born comedian, actress, singer and dancer (As Long as They're Happy; An Alligator Named Daisy), born in Yorkshire, England 1980 - Chrisl Gethard, American comedian, writer, talk show host and podcaster (Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People), born in West Orange, New Jersey More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1423 - Benedict XIII [Pedro the Luna], Spanish Pope (1394-1423), dies 1648 - Luis de Nain, painter, dies 1701 - William Kidd, Scottish pirate legend, hanged at London's Execution Dock at about 56 1941 - Slavko Osterc, Slovenian composer (Iz Satanovega Dnevnika (From Satan's Diary); Illusions), and pedagogue, dies at 45 1996 - Patrick Cargill, British actor (Help!, No Wreath for the General, Hammerhead), dies of a brain tumor at 77 2008 - David Mitton, British television director (b. 1939) More Famous Deaths »

1526 - Pope Clement VII, France, Genoa, Venice, Florence and Milan form Anti-French League of Cognac 1893 - Montreal Athletic Association beat Ottawa Generals 2-1, in 1st Cup Game 1900 - Associated Press organizes in NYC as nonprofit news cooperative 1903 - Launch of the White Star Liner SS Ionic. 1972 - US President Nixon begins visit to Moscow 1988 - Károly Grósz succeeds party leader Janos Kádár in Hungary 1996 - "Tartuffe: Born Again" opens at Circle in the Square Theater, NYC; runs for 29 performances 2010 - UEFA Champions League Final, Madrid: Internazionale beats Bayern Munich, 2-0; Inter's 3rd title and first treble (Italian Serie A and Cup) 2016 - Independent Alexander Van der Bellen defeats Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer by just 31,000 votes to become President in Austrian elections 2017 - South Africa's Western Cape province declares a drought disaster - worst for 113 years More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1690 - San Francisco De Los Tejas Mission founded by the Spanish on San Pedro Creek - first Spanish mission in East Texas (later relocated) 1930 - Yankees' future Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman Lou Gehrig becomes first to hit 3 HRs three times as NY outscores Philadelphia A's, 20-13; teams combine for then-record 10 homers 1939 - Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini sign the "Pact of Steel" formalizing the 1936 alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis 1957 - South Africa's government approves race separation in universities 1965 - Mad Dog Vachon beats Igor Vodic in Omaha, to become NWA champ 1974 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1821 - Alfred Sully, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1879) 1924 - Charles Aznavour [Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian], French-Armenian singer (Monsieur Carnavel; She; Tin Drum), born in Paris, France (d. 2018) 1940 - E. A. S. Prasanna, Indian cricketer (one of India's big four spinners), born in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India 1973 - Julian Tavarez, Santiago Dom Rep, pitcher (Cleveland Indians) 1977 - Dre Bly, American Football Player 1989 - Christian Sands, American jazz pianist and composer, born in New Haven, Connecticut More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 748 - Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 680) 1455 - Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (killed in battle) (b. 1406) 1856 - Jacques-Nicolas-Augustin Thierry, French historian, dies at 61 1880 - Heinrich von Gagern, German liberal politician, dies at 80 1885 - Victor Hugo, French author (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables), dies at 83 1910 - Jules Renard, French writer (Le plaisir the rompre), dies at 46 More Famous Deaths »

1216 - French crown prince Louis enters England, having been invited by barons at war with King John 1499 - Francisco De Bobadilla appointed Governor of the Indies, succeeding Christopher Columbus 1864 - General David Hunter takes command of Department of West Virginia 1866 - 1st-class debut of cricketer Fred Grace aged 15 years 159 days at the Magdalen Ground, Oxford 1958 - Indonesian paratroopers reconquer Morotai Island 1961 - Governor Patterson declares martial law in Montgomery, Alabama 1964 - 1st nuclear-powered lighthouse begins operations (Chesapeake Bay) 1977 - Albert Innaurato's "Gemini" premieres in NYC 1992 - New Jersey Senate overrides Governor Florio's veto and lowers sales tax to 6% 2019 - Oldest and most distant gravitational waves detected from collision of two black holes with first intermediate-mass black hole ever discovered, 7 billion light years away More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1979 - Dan White convicted of the voluntary manslaughter of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay councilor Harvey Milk. The conviction on a lesser charge outraged the gay community and led to the White Night riots. 1979 - Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: 4 consecutive titles for Montreal Canadiens; beat NY Rangers, 4-1 for a 4 games to 1 series win 1983 - David Bowie's "Let's Dance" single goes #1 2005 - 50th Eurovision Song Contest: Helena Paparizou for Greece wins singing "My Number One" in Kiev 2018 - Truckers begin a 10 strike in Brazil, blocking roads in protest at the price of diesel leading to country-wide shortages 2019 - More than 600 people, 75% children, identified as HIV in a month in Sindh province, Pakistan, thought to be due to use of infected needles More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1843 - Louis Renault, French lawyer, born in Autun, France (d. 1918) 1901 - Horace Heidt, American orchestra leader (Swift Show Wagon), born in Alameda, California (d. 1986) 1909 - François-Albert Angers, Quebec economist (d. 2003) 1932 - Gabriele Wohmann, German writer, born in Darmstadt (d. 2015) 1967 - Rogel Nachum, Israeli Men's triple jumper (Olympics 1996) 1987 - Ashlie Brillault, American actress (Lizzie Guire), born in San Francisco, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 987 - Louis V, last Carlovingians King of France (966-987), dies 1686 - Otto von Guericke, German scientist, inventor, and politician, dies at 83 1894 - Emile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872) 1968 - Doris Lloyd, English American actress (Oliver Twist), dies of heart strain at 71 1975 - Boris Klyuzner, Russian Soviet composer, dies at 65 1990 - Moelvi Mohammed Farouk, Indian spiritual leader, murdered More Famous Deaths »

1310 - Shoes were made for both right and left feet 1704 - Elias Neau forms school for slaves in NY 1830 - D Hyde patents fountain pen 1903 - Britain's House of Commons begins a debate on the charges of poor administration and ill treatment of natives in Belgium's colony in the Congo Free State 1948 - Cleveland Indians tie AL record of 18 walks (beat Red Sox 13-4) 1961 - 86th Preakness: Johnny Sellers aboard Carry Back wins in 1:57.6 1985 - 38th Cannes Film Festival: "When Father Was Away on Business" directed by Emir Kusturica wins the Palme d'Or 1994 - Sushmita Sen from India is crowned the 43rd Miss Universe at 18 years old 2003 - Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Lance Armstrong (rescinded); Sportswoman: Serena Williams; Team: Brazil Men's National Football team 2021 - One of Sri Lanka's worst ecological disasters as cargo ship MS X-Press Pearl, carrying toxic chemicals, catches fire off the country's coast and begins spilling debris More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1926 - Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies 1930 - 1st airplane catapulted from a dirigible, Charles Nicholson, pilot 1956 - Atomic fusion (thermonuclear) bomb dropped from plane at Bikini Atoll 1986 - Christy Fichtner, 23, (Texas), crowned 35th Miss USA 1994 - Bobcat Goldthwait charged with misdemeanors for fire on The Tonight Show 2018 - President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela wins a second term in an election marked by boycotts and accusations of vote rigging More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1754 - Hans Gram, Danish-born American composer (d. 1804) 1895 - R. J. [Reginald Joseph] Mitchell, English airplane designer (Supermarine Spitfire), born in Butt Lane, England (d. 1937) 1937 - Dave Hill, American golfer (13 PGA Tour titles), born in Jackson, Michigan (d. 2011) 1965 - Bruno Marie-Rose, French runner (world record 200 m indoor) 1966 - Mindy Cohn, American actress (The Facts of Life - "Natalie"), born in Los Angeles, California 1981 - Rachel Platten, American singer-songwriter (“Fight Song”), born in New York City More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1597 - Dutch commander Matthijs Heldt, dies in battle 1751 - Domingo Miguel Bernaube Terradellas, Spanish composer, dies at 38 1875 - Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece, German born consort of King Otto of Greece, dies at 58 1910 - Jean-Baptiste Theodore Weckerlin, French composer, dies at 88 1932 - Bipin Chandra Pal, Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, dies at 73 1994 - Vivien John, English painter and daughter of Augustus John, dies at 79 More Famous Deaths »

1506 - Christopher Columbus selects his son Diego Columbus as sole heir 1517 - Philip van Bourgondie installed as bishop of Utrecht 1828 - U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828/Tariff of Abominations into law to protect industry in the North 1893 - Heavy rain washes "quick clay" into a deep valley killing 111 in Norway 1941 - Germany occupiers in Holland forbid bicycle taxis 1958 - "South Pacific" soundtrack album goes #1 and stays #1 for 31 weeks 1968 - Frank Howard fails to homer, after hitting 10 in 6 consecutive games 1983 - Weird Al Yankovic gives live performance at Wax Museum in Washington, D.C. 1984 - 109th Preakness: Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr., aboard Gate Dancer wins his second Pimlico classic 2020 - Greenhouse gas emissions dropped 17% worldwide in April 2020 when world was in lockdown, in study published in "Nature Climate Change" More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1585 - Spain confiscates English ships 1892 - National Society of Colonial Dames of America founded 1953 - Nuclear explosion in Nevada (fall-out in St George, Utah) 1973 - "Daisy A Day" by Jud Strunk hits #14 1982 - Sophia Loren jailed in Naples, Italy for tax evasion 1999 - Lazio of Italy win 39th European Cup Winner's Cup against Mallorca of Spain 2-1 in Birmingham More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1927 - John Thompson, American football executive (GM Seattle Seahawks 1976-82; NFL Executive of the Year 1978), born in South Bend, Washington (d. 2022) 1934 - James Charles Lehrer, news anchor (McNeil-Lehrer Report), born in Wichita, Kansas 1953 - Dawud M. Mu'Min, American convicted murderer (d. 1997) 1953 - Shavarsh Karapetyan, Soviet Armenian finswimmer 1955 - Ed Whitson, pitcher (NY Yankees, San Diego Padres) 1992 - Sam Smith, British singer-songwriter ("Stay With Me"), born in London, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1895 - Jose Marti y Perez, Cuban poet (Versos sencillos) essayist and politician (fought for independence from Spain), dies fighting the Battle of Dos Rios at 42 1998 - Dorothy Donegan, American boogie-woogie, swing jazz, and classical pianist, and vocalist, dies of cancer at 76 1999 - Jonathan "Candy" Candido, American actor and radio performer (Peter Pan; The Great Mouse Detective), dies at 85 2007 - Dean Eyre, New Zealand politician (b. 1914) 2021 - Joey Cathcart, American rock guitarist (Nelson - "Love and Affection"), dies of brain cancer at 53 2021 - Alix Dobkin, American folk and feminist singer-songwriter (Lavender Jane Loves Women), dies of a brain aneurysm and stroke at 80 More Famous Deaths »