CoM Moderators

Historical Events 1864 - William Huggins discovers chemical composition of nebulae 1941 - German Einsatzkommando in Russia kills 1,469 Jewish children 1949 - USSR performs its first nuclear test at Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR 1953 - KHSL TV channel 12 in Chico, CA (CBS) begins broadcasting 1960 - Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser wins blue ribband 100m freestyle gold medal at the Rome Olympics; retains title won in Melbourne 1956; will win unprecedented 3rd consecutive 100m gold in Tokyo 1964 1962 - Some provisions of Kuwaiti constitution are suspended More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1881 - Valery-Nicolas Larbaud, French novelist and translator (Enfantines), born in Vichy, France (d. 1957) 1898 - Preston Sturges [Edmund Biden], American director and screenwriter (Sullivan's Travels), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1959) 1926 - María Dolores Pradera, Spanish melodic singer and actress, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2018) 1941 - Robin Leach, English TV host (Life Styles of Rich and Famous), born in London, England (2018) 1949 - Peter Wiegold, British composer (Earth and Stars; Kafka's Wound), born in Ilford, Essex, England 1957 - Jerry D. Bailey, American Racing Hall of Fame jockey/broadcaster (Kentucky Derby 1993, 1996), born in Dallas, Texas More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1856 - Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, British Christian writer, dies at 77 1990 - Sandy, dog in the play Annie, dies at 16 1991 - Dixie Dunbar [Charlotte King], American singer and actress, dies of heart attack at 72 1995 - Frank Perry, American film director (Diary of Mad Housewife, David and Lisa), dies at 65 2003 - Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, Iraqi political leader (b. 1939) 2007 - Alfred Peet, Dutch-American entrepreneur and the founder of Peet's Coffee and Tea (b. 1920) More Famous Deaths »

1542 - Turkish-Portuguese War (1538-1557) - Battle of Wofla: the Portuguese are scattered, their leader Christovão da Gama is captured and afterwards executed. 1951 - Pirates snap NY Giants 16 game winning streak 1956 - Australia clings on for a draw in 5th Test at The Oval, London; England retain cricket Ashes with Jim Laker's 46 wickets a record series haul 1964 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1981 - National Centers for Disease Control announces high incidence of Pneumocystis and Kaposi's sarcoma in gay men 1986 - Largest wrestling crowd in Canada (69,300) at Toronto Stadium 2004 - The diving competition at the Athens Olympics concludes with the Chinese contingent dominant, winning 6 of the 8 gold medals 2013 - 70th Venice Film Festival: "Sacro GRA" directed by Gianfranco Rosi wins Golden Lion 2017 - North Korea launches missile that flies over Japan, the country's J-Alert warning system warns people to take cover 2018 - Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing issues public apology after second Hitch passenger killed within three months More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1840 - Nine Jewish prisoners are released from Damascus jails 1914 - World War I: British General John French orders civilian evacuation of Amiens, France as German forces push in from Belgium 1957 - US Senator James Thurmond (Rep, SC) begins 24-hr filibuster against civil rights bill 1963 - Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I have a dream" speech addressing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom civil rights march at Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. 1973 - India and Pakistan sign POW accord 1981 - John Hinckley pleads innocent to attempt to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1025 - Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan, 70th Emperor of Japan, born in Heian-kyō, Japan (d. 1068) 1582 - Taichang Emperor [Zhu Changluo], 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, born in Beijing (d. 1620) 1789 - Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden, born in Versailles, France (d. 1860) 1906 - John Betjeman, poet (Mount Zion) and English Poet Laureate (1972-1984), born in London (d. 1984) 1949 - Hugh Cornwell, Britsh punk singer-songwriter (The Stranglers - "Dreamtime"), born in Tufnell Park, North London, England 1971 - Shane Andrews, infielder (Montreal Expos), born in Dallas, Texas More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1544 - Alardus Aemstelredamus, Dutch priest and humanist, dies at about 53 1969 - Clarence Hennecke, American actor (The Strong Man, Murder by Television, Keystone Kops), dies at 74 1981 - Paul Anspach, Belgian fencer (Olympic gold individual epée, team epée 1912), dies at 99 1988 - Paul Whitelaw, New Zealand cricket batsman (2 Tests; Auckland), dies at 78 1991 - Eleanor Berry, actress (Death Valley Days), dies 2013 - Rob du Bois, Dutch composer, dies at 79 More Famous Deaths »

1832 - Black Hawk, leader of Sauk-indians, gives himself up 1957 - The Constitution of Malaysia comes into force 1969 - Mike Procter hits six consecutive sixes (across two overs) 1969 - Lindy's Pride wins Hambletonian Stakes 1990 - Market prices plunge as OPEC nears informal agreement to increase output to cover shortfall due to invasion; cash market trading experiences abrupt decline. 1993 - Yak-40 crashes in Tadzjikistan, 79 killed/1 lives 1995 - 95th US Golf Amateur Championship won by Tiger Woods 1996 - Dino Ciccarelli is traded by the Detroit Red Wings to the Tampa Bay Lightning 2004 - In a huge upset in the men's basketball semi final at the Athens Olympics, Argentina beats a star-studded but unsettled US team 89-81; they go on to take gold and US bronze 2006 - Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia killing 49 of 50 on board More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1913 - Lt Pyotr Nesterov, of Imperial Russian Air Service, performs a loop in a monoplane at Kiev (1st aerobatic maneuver in an airplane) 1966 - Oakland Pitcher Paul Lindblad begins a 385 cons errorless streak 1983 - Haiti adopts constitution 1984 - US President Ronald Reagan announces 'Teacher in Space' project 1992 - CFL revokes BC Lions franchise 2004 - In a huge upset in the men's basketball semi final at the Athens Olympics, Argentina beats a star-studded but unsettled US team 89-81; they go on to take gold and US bronze More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1752 - Herman Muntinghe, Dutch theologist (History of Mankind), born in Termunten, Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1824) 1899 - C. S. Forester, English historical novelist (Horatio Hornblower), born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 1966) 1937 - J.D. Crowe, American bluegrass banjo player and band leader (The New South), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 2021) 1939 - Edward Patten, American soul singer (Gladys Knight and the Pips), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2005) 1943 - [Susan] Tuesday Weld, American actress (Dobie Gillis, Wild in Country), born in NYC, New York 1979 - Sarah Neufeld, Canadian violinist (Arcade Fire), born in British Columbia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1828 - Eise J Eisinga, constructed planetarium at Franeker, dies at 84 1871 - William Whiting Boardman, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut), dies at 76 1879 - Rowland Hill, English inventor who introduced 1st adhesive postage stamp (1840), dies at 84 1979 - Louis Mountbatten, British naval officer and statesman, last Viceroy of India (1947), is assassinated by an IRA bomb on his boat in Ireland at 79 1999 - Hélder Câmara, Brazilian Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1909) 2003 - Pierre Poujade, French politician (b. 1920) More Famous Deaths »

1071 - Battle of Manzikert: Seljuq Turks led by sultan Alp Arslan beat and capture Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes 1545 - Pope Paul III names his son Pierluigi Farnese as Duke of Parma 1629 - Cambridge Agreement, Massachusetts Bay Company stockholders agree to emigrate 1939 - 1st major league baseball telecast on W2XBS- Cincinnati Reds defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn 1967 - Dutch 2nd Chamber demands US stop bombing North Vietnam 1974 - Soyuz 15 carries 2 cosmonauts to space station Salyut 3 1986 - Robert Chambers, the "Preppie Killer" murders Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park, afterwards claimed "rough sex" as motive 1995 - Brian Lara completes his 7th Test Cricket century, scoring 179 at The Oval in London 1999 - Michael Johnson breaks the 400 metres world record with a time of 43.18 seconds. 2017 - Hurricane Harvey downgraded to a tropical storm, National Hurricane Center warns of “multiday rainfall disaster” More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1922 - Japanese cruiser Niitaka driven onto rocks in storm at Kamchatka, 284 killed 1945 - Japanese diplomats board USS Missouri to receive instructions on Japan's surrender at the end of WWII 1962 - Minnesota Twins Jack Kralick no-hits KC A's, 1-0 1973 - David Eisenhower writes his last sports column 1984 - Tatyana Kazankina of USSR sets 3k woman record (8:22.62) in Leningrad 1986 - Robert Chambers, the "Preppie Killer" murders Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park, afterwards claimed "rough sex" as motive More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1862 - Herbert Booth, American son of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1926) 1900 - Hellmuth Walter, German engineer and inventor (rocket engines and gas turbines), born in Wedel, Germany (d. 1980) 1942 - John E. Blaha, American USAF/astronaut (STS 29, 33, 43, 58, 79/81), born in San Antonio, Texas 1946 - Mark Snow [Martin Fulterman], American television and film composer (The X-Files theme), born in New York City 1949 - Leon Redbone [Dickran Gobalian], American blues and jazz musician ("Seduced"; "Theme to Mr. Belvedere"), born in Nicosia, Cyprus (d. 2019) 1974 - Eric D. Snider, American humor columnist / movie reviewer, born in Lake Elsinore, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1666 - Frans Hals, Dutch painter known for his portraiture (Laughing Cavalier) (b. circa 1580) 1770 - Domingos dos Reis Quita, Portuguese playwright and poet, dies at 42 1894 - Te Wherowhero Tāwhia, Second Māori King and leader of the Waikato tribes in New Zealand, dies at 71 or 72 1980 - Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908) 1994 - Tariq Yunus, Indian actor (Bollywood; Ashanti; Deceivers), dies at 54 2003 - Wayne Andre, American jazz and session trombonist, dies at 72 More Famous Deaths »

1515 - Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founds Havana in modern day Cuba, on the southern coast of the island. Moved to its current location in 1519. 1894 - -26] Balinese troops assault Dutch army, 97 killed 1912 - The Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party, is founded. 1932 - Amelia Earhart completes transcontinental flight 1962 - 23rd Venice Film Festival: "Family Diary" directed by Valerio Zurlini and "Ivan's Childhood" directed by Andrei Tarkovsky jointly awarded Golden Lion 1976 - Yanks beat Twins 5-4 in 19 innings 1979 - California Angels trounce Toronto Blue Jays, 24-2 1984 - USSR performs underground nuclear test 1988 - Challenger Center opens its classroom doors in Houston 2003 - The Tli Cho land claims agreement is signed between the Dogrib First Nations and the Canadian federal government in Rae-Edzo (now called Behchoko). More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1515 - Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founds Havana in modern day Cuba, on the southern coast of the island. Moved to its current location in 1519. 1926 - Pavlos Koundouris becomes president of Greece 1951 - Cleveland Indians win 16th straight home game 2004 - Greek athlete Fani Chalkia comes out of retirement to compete in her home Olympics in Athens; wins 400m hurdles gold medal in 52.82 2006 - Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko is sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for money laundering, wire fraud, and extortion 2013 - 41 people are killed in a wave of bomb attacks across Iraq More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1530 - Ivan IV [Ivan the Terrible], 1st tsar of Russia (1533-84), born in Kolomenskoye, Russia (d. 1584) 1880 - Robert E. Stolz, Austrian composer and conductor, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1975) 1906 - Jim Smith, English cricket all-rounder (5 Tests), born in Corsham, Wiltshire (d. 1979) 1954 - Marty Jourard, American keyboardist and vocalist (Motels - "Only the Lonely"), born in Atlanta, Georgia 1971 - Quintis "Chico" Ristie, Suriname radio host 1978 - Kel Mitchell, American actor More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1942 - W van Daalen, opposition leader on Celebes, beheaded 1989 - Gunnar Johnsen Berg, composer, dies at 80 1997 - Robert Pinget, French novelist (The Interrogation) and playwright, dies at 78 2008 - Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer (b. 1959) 2008 - Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), dies at 64 2013 - Gilmar, Brazilian football player, dies from complications from a heart attack at 83 More Famous Deaths »

1215 - Pope Innocent III declares the Magna Carta invalid 1349 - Jews of Cologne Germany set themselves on fire to avoid baptism 1814 - British forces capture Washington, D.C. and destroy many landmarks (War of 1812) 1912 - NYC ticker tape parade for Jim Thorpe and victorious US Olympians 1919 - Having pitched into the 9th inning Cleveland's Ray Caldwell is flattened by a bolt of lightning; goes on to record final out for Indians' 2-1 win over Philadelphia A's 1921 - Battle of Sakaray Valley begins between Turkey and Greece 1936 - Australian Antarctic Territory created 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1966 - USSR launches Luna 11 for orbit around Moon 2012 - A US jury in California finds that Samsung is guilty of patent infringement and awards over US$1 billion in damages to Apple meanwhile in a South Korea court both are found guilty of patent infringement More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1853 - 1st potato chips prepared by chef George Crum at Moon's Lake House, near Saratoga Springs, New York (popular legend says he invented though earlier recipes exist) 1877 - American outlaw John Wesley Hardin, wanted for murder, is arrested by Texas Rangers on a train in Pensacola, Florida 1883 - US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport R.I.: Two-time defending champion Richard Sears wins 3rd straight title; beats James Dwight 6-2, 6-0, 9-7 2013 - 4 people are killed in a helicopter crash in the Shetland Islands 2015 - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces that for the 1st time 1 billion people logged into Facebook 2021 - 16th Paralympic Games opens in Tokyo, Japan More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1787 - James Weddell, British sailor and Antarctic explorer (Weddell Sea), born in Ostend, Belgium (d. 1834) 1899 - Ruth Schaumann, German painter, writer and sculptor (Rose, Black King), born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1975) 1929 - Willie Winfield, American doo-woop singer (Harptones - "Life Is But A Dream"; “A Sunday Kind of Love”), born in Surrey, Virginia (d. 2021) 1942 - Joe Chambers, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Chambers Brothers), born in Los Angeles, California 1952 - Vaneese Thomas, American RandB, jazz and soul blues singer, ("Let's Talk It Over"), born in Memphis, Tennessee 1972 - Ava DuVernay, American director, writer and producer (13th, Selma, Queen Sugar), born in Long Beach, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1683 - John Owen, English non-conformist theologian (b. 1616) 1921 - Nikolay Gumilyov, Russian poet, dies at 35 1992 - Andreas M Donner, Dutch state leader/jurist (Constitution), dies at 74 2002 - Nikolay Guryanov Russian Orthodox Christian mystic and priest (b. 1909) 2003 - John Jacob Rhodes, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona), dies at 86 2010 - Satoshi Kon, Japanese anime film director, dies at 46 More Famous Deaths »

1906 - Cuba's 1st president Tomés Estrada Palma asks for US intervention 1921 - Austria and the US formally end war; the US does the same with Germany on the 25th, and Hungary on the 29th 1926 - US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Elizabeth Ryan 4-6, 6-4, 9-7 for her 8th and final US singles title 1943 - 50th day of Battle of Kursk, USSR: Largest tank battle in history ends with Russia's defeat of Germany; over 10,000 tanks take part, nearly 250,,000 combatants killed 1946 - "The Big Sleep" directed by Howard Hawks and starring Humphrey Bogart (Philip Marlowe) and Lauren Bacall, premieres 1975 - Classical Way wins Championship Cup at Roosevelt Raceway 1982 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR 1993 - Fred McGriff and David Justice are 6th to hit back-to-back HRs twice in same game 2004 - Outstanding British athlete Kelly Holmes wins 1st leg of her 800/1,500m double at the Athens Olympics taking the gold medal in 1:56.38 2005 - Hurricane Katrina forms over the Bahamas, later becoming a category 5 hurricane More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1328 - Battle at Kassel: French troops stop uprising of Flemish farmers 1944 - Sammellager Drancy freed 1953 - Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinches his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten 1964 - St Louis Cardinals are 11 games back in NL; go on win Baseball World Series, 4-3 v New York Yankees 2013 - 26 people are killed and 55 are injured by a suicide bombing in Baghdad, Iraq 2020 - US Republican party convention begins by formally renominating Donald Trump for a second presidential term More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1486 - Siegmund Freiherr von Herberstein, Austrian diplomat, born in Vipava, Slovenia (d. 1566) 1623 - Stanisław Lubieniecki, Polish astronomer, born in Raków, Kielce County, Poland (d. 1675) 1783 - William Tierney Clark, English civil engineer, born in Bristol, England (d. 1852) 1852 - Arnold Toynbee, English economic historian and social reformer, born in London (d. 1883) 1911 - Elizabeth "Betty" Robinson, US 100m sprinter (Olympic gold 1928), born in Riverdale, Illinois (d. 1999) 1953 - Bobby Gubby, English rocker (Bucks Fizz-My Camera Never Lies), born in Epsom, Surrey, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1867 - Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy, French poet (b. 1796) 1979 - Richard Hearne, British actor (Tons of Trouble, The Time of His Life), dies at 71 1992 - Virginia Sale-Wren, entertainer, dies of heart failure at 92 1993 - Victorine Hefting, historian/wife of Bert Baker, dies at 88 2005 - Harold "Hal" Kalin, American singer (Kalin Twins), dies in a road accident at 71 2020 - Greg Montgomery, American NFL punter (Baltimore Ravens), dies at 55 More Famous Deaths »

1454 - Jews are expelled from Brunn Moravia by order of King Ladislaus 1914 - 1st encounter between British and German troops (in Belgium) 1939 - Premier De Geer recalls Dutch holidaymakers in Black Forest 1946 - Baseball approves a 168-game schedule, but later rescinds it 1966 - The Beatles arrive in New York 1978 - Sandinistas occupy National Palace in Managua, Nicaragua 1984 - Met pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes 11th rookie to strikeout 200 1988 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1992 - FBI HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi shoots and kills Vicki Weaver during an 11-day siege at her home at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. 2021 - Tropical storm Henri makes landfall near Westerly, Rhode Island More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1543 - Emperor Charles V's army occupies Duren 1654 - Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan) aboard the Peartree, one of the first Jewish colonists 1902 - US President Theodore Roosevelt became 1st US chief executive to ride in a car 1934 - Red Sox pitcher Wes Ferrell hits 2 HRs to beat White Sox 3-2 in 12 2004 - American sprinter Justin Gatlin wins the coveted Olympic 100m gold medal in Athens in 9.85 ahead of Francis Obikwelu of Portugal and American Maurice Greene 2021 - Tropical storm Henri makes landfall near Westerly, Rhode Island More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1822 - George Stoneman, US Union general-major and Governor of California (1883-87), born in Busti, NY (d. 1894) 1916 - John Slater, British actor (Deadlock, Cartel, Devil's Pass), born in London, England (d. 1975) 1947 - Cindy Williams, American actress (Shirley- Laverne and Shirley), born in Van Nuys, California 1955 - Will Shetterly, American writer (Dogland), born in Columbia, South Carolina 1975 - Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian actor (Love Actually), born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1995 - Dua Lipa, British-Kosovo Albanian pop singer-songwriter ("New Rules", "One Kiss"), born in London More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1607 - Bartholomew Gosnold, English explorer and privateer (b. 1572) 1944 - Raymond Aimos, actor (Golem, Mayerling, La Bandera), dies at 55 2004 - Konstantin Aseev, Russian chess player (b. 1960) 2008 - Gladys Powers, Canadian World War I veteran (b. 1899) 2011 - Vicco von Bülow [Loriot], German comedian, cartoonist and film director (Unsere Besten), dies at 87 2021 - Brian Travers, British rock saxophonist (UB40 - "Red, Red Wine"), dies of cancer at 62 More Famous Deaths »

1689 - Battle of Dunkeld fought in Scotland between supporters of King James VII of Scotland and troops of William of Orange 1929 - Chicago Cardinals become 1st pro football team to train out of town 1962 - Verne Gagne beats Mister M (doctor X) in Minn, to become NWA champ 1972 - US orbiting astronomy observatory Copernicus launched 1982 - American MLB Milwaukee Brewers' relief pitcher Rollie Fingers becomes 1st pitcher to get save #300 1983 - 110°F (43°C) at Fayetteville, North Carolina (state record) 1991 - Latvia declares its independence from USSR 1997 - US government forces closure of Hudson Foods due to E Coli break out 2008 - Japan edges the United States 3-1 for the gold medal in the final of the women's softball tournament at the Beijing Olympics 2017 - London's parliament clock Big Ben chimes for the last time before a four-year restoration process for its tower starts More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1856 - America's first consul to Japan, Townsend Harris, arrives in Shimoda. (Traditional Japanese date: July 21, 1856) 1891 - Dutch Mackay government resigns 1920 - PGA Championship Men's Golf, Flossmoor CC: American based Scotsman Jock Hutchison beats J. Douglas Edgar of England, 1-up; first of Hutchinson's 2 majors 1942 - Walt Disney's animated movie "Bambi", based on the book by Felix Salten, is released 1983 - Jerry Herman's musical "La Cage aux Folles", based Jean Poiret's French play of the same name, opens at Palace Theater, NYC; runs for 1761 performances, wins 6 Tony Awards 2004 - American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins his 6th gold medal of the Athens Olympics even though he doesn't swim the final of men's 4 x 100m medley relay; US wins in world record 3:30.68 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1800 - Hiram Walden, American politician, born in Pawlet, Vermont (d. 1880) 1882 - Rik Wouters, Belgian painter (Lady in Blue), and sculptor (The Nymph), born in Mechelen, Belgium (d. 1916) 1941 - Jackie DeShannon [Sharon Lee Myers], American singer-songwriter ("What the World Needs Now Is Love"; "When You Walk In The Room"), born in Hazel, Kentucky 1957 - Janice Thomas, WBL guard (NY Stars) 1970 - Steve Everitt, NFL center (Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles), born in Miami, Florida 1974 - Pietra Gay, WNBA guard/forward (Houston Comets) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1581 - Sakuma Nobumori, Japanese retainer and samurai (b. 1527) 1723 - Dimitrie Cantemir, Romanian historian and Monarch of Moldova (1710-11), dies at 49 1957 - Nels Stewart, professional ice hockey player (b. 1902) 2005 - Polly Hill, British economic anthropologist (studied Cocoa-Farmers Of Southern Ghana), dies at 91 2005 - Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet (b. 1936) 2013 - C. Gordon Fullerton, American USMC Colonel, and NASA astronaut (STS-3; STS-51-F), dies at 76 More Famous Deaths »

1741 - Alaska first sighted by Danish explorer Vitus Bering at head of Russian expedition 1914 - German army captured Brussels as the Belgian army retreated to Antwerp 1941 - Police raid 11th district of Paris, takes 4,000+ Jewish males 1945 - Soviet troops occupy Harbin and Mukden 1947 - Turner Caldwell in D-558-I sets aircraft speed record, 1131 kph 1974 - Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed is elected fifth President of India 1978 - Tatyana Providokhina runs female world record 1k (2:30.6) 1982 - US marines land in Beirut Lebanon 1990 - George Steinbrenner steps down as NY Yankee owner 1990 - Gene Michael names NY Yankee VP/GM replacing Harding Peterson More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1672 - Former Grand Pensionary of Holland Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis are brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague 1920 - Allen Woodring wins Oympic 200 m dash wearing borrowed shoes 1944 - US and British forces destroy German 7th Army at Falaise-Argentan Gap 1949 - Las Lajas Sanctuary, a basilica built inside the Guáitara River in Colombia, is completed after 33 years 1996 - India defeat Pakistan in Under-15 World Challenge Final at Lord's 2016 - Canoeists Max Rendschmidt and Marcus Gross part of winning German crew in K-4 100m at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; wrap up K-2 / K-4 1,000m double More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1719 - Christian Mayer, Czech Catholic priest and astronomer, born in Modřice, Moravia (d. 1783) 1719 - Charles-François de Broglie, French soldier and diplomat, marquis de Ruffec, born in Paris (d. 1791) 1778 - Bernardo O'Higgins, Chillán, Chile, South American independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule (1817-1823 Supreme Director of Chile) 1927 - Yootha Joyce, British actress (Man About the House, George and Mildred), born in Wandsworth, London (d. 1980) 1941 - Jo Ramírez, Mexican motor racing team manager and author, born in Mexico City, Mexico 1946 - N.R. Narayana Murthy, Indian industrialist and co-founder (Infosys), born in Shidlaghatta, Kolar district, India More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1910 - Arthur Coquard, French composer, dies at 64 1990 - Marc Turfkruijer, Flemish movie journalist and writer, dies at 90 1993 - Sydney Arnold, British comic actor (The Meaning of Life, Top Secret!, Miss Jones and Son), dies at 93 1995 - William Kennedy, baseball player, dies at 76 2016 - Brian Rix [Lord Rix], British actor and activist (Mencap), dies at 92 2019 - Russ Conway, American sports journalist (Eagleson NHL scandal), dies of heart disease at 70 More Famous Deaths »

1263 - King James I of Aragon censors Hebrew writing 1895 - American frontier murderer and outlaw, John Wesley Hardin is shot and killed by John Selman Sr. in a saloon in El Paso, Texas 1903 - Philadelphia Phillies suffer record 9th straight postponed game 1922 - US National Championship Women's Tennis, Germantown CC, PA: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Helen Wills Moody 6-3, 6-1 for her 7th US singles crown 1944 - US general Omar Bradley visits British general Bernard Montgomery 1953 - England regains cricket Ashes from Australia after winning series 1-0 1960 - American CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers convicted of spying by USSR (U-2 incident); sentence to 3 years in prison plus 7 in a labor camp, he served 17 months before being exchanged for a captured Soviet KGB spy 1981 - 2 US Navy F-14 jet fighters shoot down 2 Soviet-built Libyan SU-22 1987 - Hungerford Massacre: in England, Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with an assault rifle and then commits suicide 1991 - Conservative members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union attempt to depose Mikhail Gorbachev in a coup d'état More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1591 - French King Henry IV occupies Rouen 1982 - Renaldo Nehemiah of US sets record for 110 m hurdles, 12.93 sec 1983 - Dodgers trade Dave Stewart and Ricky Wright to Texas for Rick Honeycut 1985 - Following the Rubicon speech four days earlier, Archbishop Desmond Tutu snubs P. W. Botha's invitation to attend a meeting to discuss the role and actions of the police and security forces in South Africa 1995 - Bruce Seldon TKOs Joe Hipp in 10 for heavyweight boxing title 2016 - A 6-way tie for first place in the final of the equestrian individual jumping competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Nick Skelton of Great Britain wins gold medal jump-off More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1881 - George Enesco, Romanian violinist, conductor, and composer (Romanian Dances), born in Liveni, Dorohoi, Romania (d. 1955) 1896 - Walter Lang, Swiss composer, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1966) 1930 - Frank McCourt, Irish-American Pulitzer Prize winning author (Angela's Ashes), and teacher, born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2009) 1940 - Jill St John [Oppenheim], actress (Diamonds are Forever), born in Los Angeles, California 1969 - Patrick Van Horn, American actor (Swingers) 1972 - Elizabeth Wolfgramm, American singer (The Jets), born in Salt Lake City, Utah More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1650 - Abraham de Verwer, Dutch painter, buried at about 55 1963 - Kathleen Parlow, Canadian violinist, and educator, dies at 72 1981 - Jessie Matthews, English actress (Gangway, First a Girl), dies at 74 2011 - Raúl Ruiz, Chilean filmmaker (Three Sad Tigers), dies at 70 2016 - Donald Henderson, American epidemiologist, led world campaign that eradicated smallpox, dies at 82 2019 - Larry "The Mole" Taylor, American session (The Monkees) and touring rock and blues bass player (Canned Heat - "On the Road Again"; John Mayall; Tom Waits), dies of cancer at 77 More Famous Deaths »

1858 - Netherlands and Japan sign trade agreement 1951 - Cricket 1st-class debut of Raymond Illingworth 1956 - Cincinnati Reds (8) and Cubs (2) combine to hit 10 HRs in a 9 inning game 1964 - Charles Helu elected president of Lebanon 1964 - USSR launch 3 Kosmos satellites 1981 - Jerry Lewis appears on "Donahue" to defend Telethons 1986 - Jim Kelly signs with NFL Buffalo Bills ($75 million for 5 years) 1989 - Bucky Dent replaces Dallas Green as NY Yankee manager 2008 - Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva sets a new world record of 5.05m to win the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics; her 24th world record 2018 - Australian mare Winx wins her Australasian record 26th consecutive race, the renamed Winx Stakes at Royal Randwick in Sydney; 19th Group One win for thoroughbreds More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1612 - Pendle Witch trial begins with 10 people accused of witchcraft in Lancaster, England, key witness 9 year-old boy 1700 - Swedish, English and Dutch army lands on Seeland, Denmark 1956 - Cincinnati Reds (8) and Cubs (2) combine to hit 10 HRs in a 9 inning game 1958 - TV game show scandal investigation starts 1965 - Dutch soccer team FC Den Bosch (successor to BVV 1906 and Wilhelmina 1890) is established at 's-Hertogenbosch 1989 - Bucky Dent replaces Dallas Green as NY Yankee manager More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1882 - Marcel Samuel-Rousseau, French organist and opera composer (Le Bon Roi Dagobert), born in Paris (d. 1955) 1907 - Cecilia Grace Hunt Reeves Gillie, Executive (BBC), born in Sheppey, Kent, England (d. 1996) 1919 - Walter J Hickel, (Gov-R-Alaska)/US Secretary of Interior (1969-71) 1941 - Dennis Claridge, American football quarterback (NFL C'ship 1965, Green Bay Packers; Atlantic Falcons), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2018) 1956 - John Debney, American composer, born in Glendale, California 1968 - Greta Lind, American actress (Katie Kennicott-All My Children), born in Goshen, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1943 - Hans Jeschonnek, German air force general/chief-staff, commits suicide 1946 - Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), dies at 53 1968 - Cy Walter, American jazz pianist (Three's Company), dies of cancer at 52 2003 - Tony Jackson, British bass player (The Searchers, 1962-64 - "Sugar And Spice"), dies from a combination of diabetes, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver at 65 2009 - Kim Dae-jung, 8th President of South Korea (1998-2003) and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize 2000 laureate, dies at 85 2015 - (Alan) "Bud" Yorkin, American film and television producer and director (Divorce American Style; All in the Family; Sanford And Son), dies at 89 More Famous Deaths »

1891 - Electric self-starter for automobile patented 1918 - Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated 1950 - Indonesia gains independence from Netherlands 1960 - Indonesia drops diplomatic relations with Netherlands 1977 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR 1977 - Russian nuclear sub "Artika" is 1st to North Pole 1985 - 1,400 meatpackers walk off the job at a Geo A Hormel and Co plant 1986 - Rioting at DMC concert at Long Beaxh (California) Convention Center - 40 injured 1989 - Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken moves into 3rd place (1,208th cons game) 2013 - 14th Athletics World Championships: Usain Bolt wins 200m More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1862 - Confederate troops under Kirby Smith enter Kentucky 1904 - George H Reid succeeds John Watson as Prime Minister of Australia 1936 - An unemployed worker, Neils B. Ruud, in Madison, Wisconsin, receives the first unemployment benefit check paid under a State law, for $15 1969 - Hurricane Camille strikes US coastline and kills 259 people (mainly in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana) 1988 - NYC 1st case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (9 year old Bronx boy) 2013 - 14th Athletics World Championships: Usain Bolt wins 200m More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1720 - Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen, French engraver and painter (Contes de La Fontaine), born in Valenciennes, France (d. 1778) 1905 - John Hay Whitney, American diplomat and publisher (NY Herald Tribune 1961-67), born in Ellsworth, Maine (d. 1982) 1955 - Colin Moulding, English pop bassist, and songwriter (XTC - "Generals And Majors"), born in Swindon, England 1966 - Maysa [Leak], American jazz and RandB singer, born in Baltimore, Maryland 1974 - Nicola Kraus, American novelist, born in New York City 1974 - Tony Hajjar, Lebanese-American musician (At the Drive-In, Sparta), born in Beirut, Lebanon More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1875 - Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (Father of Bantu Philology), dies at 48 1966 - Archibald Palm, South African cricketer (Test South Africa v England 1927-28), dies at 65 1988 - Victoria Shaw, Australian-American actress (Alvarez Kelly, Westworld), dies at 53 1993 - Max de Metz, Dutch publisher and translator, dies at 72 2004 - Gérard Souzay, French baritone, dies at 85 2010 - Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet (At Eighty), dies at 90 More Famous Deaths »