CoM Moderators

51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth) 1238 - Battle of the Sit River: Mongol forces of Batu Khan overcome Russians under Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal near Yaroslavl in Russia, ending Russian resistance 1793 - French troops conquer Geertruidenberg, Netherlands 1853 - Pope Pius IX recovers Catholic hierarchy in Netherlands 1970 - NY Rangers set then NHL record of 126 games without being shut-out 1972 - Abercorn Restaurant bombing: a bomb explodes in a crowded restaurant in Belfast, killing two civilians and wounding 130 1974 - Harold Wilson replaces resigning Edward Heath as British premier 1976 - John Pezzin bowls 33 consecutive strikes at Toledo, Ohio 1979 - 200th episode of "All in the Family" 1983 - U.S. Public Health Service's publishes its guidelines for blood donors and AIDS More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1863 - Territory of Idaho established 1925 - US President Coolidge's inauguration broadcast live on 21 radio stations 1968 - Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched 1979 - US Voyager I photo reveals Jupiter's rings 1980 - Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) comes to power, winning the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe, making Mugabe Zimbabwe's first black prime minister 2019 - US Democrats announce a wide-ranging corruption investigation into President Donald Trump More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1900 - Herbert Biberman, American screenwriter (d. 1971) 1931 - Wally Bruner, American broadcast journalist (ABC News), and TV host (What's My Line?, 1968-72), born in Ames, Iowa (d. 1997) 1936 - Jim Clark, Scottish auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1965; F1 World Champion 1963, 65), born in Kilmany, Fife, Scotland (d. 1968) 1948 - James Ellroy, American crime writer (L.A. Confidential), born in Los Angeles, California 1962 - Brant Ian Woodward, New Zealand trap shooter (Olympics 1996), born in Hurstville, New Zealand 1966 - Grand Puba [Maxwell Dixon], American rapper (Grand Nubian), born in New Rochelle, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1866 - Alexander Campbell, Irish-American clergyman and Founder of Disciples of Christ, dies at 77 1915 - William Willett, British inventor of Daylight Saving Time, dies of influenza at 58 1945 - Mark Sandrich [Goldstein], American film director, writer and producer (The Gay Divorcee; Top Hat; Holiday Inn), dies of a heart attack at 44 1977 - Toma Caragiu, Romanian actor (b. 1925) 2009 - George McAfee, American football player, NFL halfback (Chicago Bears), dies at 90 2011 - Arjun Singh, Indian politician (b. 1930) More Famous Deaths »

1857 - Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China 1869 - University of South Carolina opens to all races 1873 - US Congress authorizes federal departmental postage stamps 1920 - Montreal Canadiens scores NHL record 16 goals beating Quebec Bulldogs 1936 - Clarence Grimmett ends his Test career with 13 wkts in 5th Test v South Africa 1945 - US 7th Army occupies last part of Westwall 1985 - National Union of Mine Workers in Britain ends a 51 week strike 2015 - "Under the Dome" a documentary on pollution in China by Chai Jing has been viewed over 150 million times in 3 days on Tencent 2020 - Iran releases 54,000 people from prison to avoid spread of COVID-19 as country reports 77 deaths and 2,300 cases including two dozen MPs 2022 - Russian forces seize the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1638 - Duke Bernard of Saxe-Weimar occupies Rheinfelden 1821 - American tailor and inventor Thomas L. Jennings (30) receives US patent for his "dry-scouring" process. the forerunner of today’s modern dry-cleaning 1959 - San Francisco Giants rename their stadium Candlestick Park 1962 - British Antarctic Territory forms 1985 - "Moonlighting" with Cybill Shepard and Bruce Willis premieres on ABC TV in the US 1991 - United Airlines 737 crashes near Colorado Springs, kills 25 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1886 - (Reginald Owen) R.O. Morris, British composer and music teacher, born in York, England (d. 1948) 1920 - James Doohan, Canadian actor (Star Trek), born in Vancouver, British Columbia (d. 2005) 1933 - Alfredo Landa, Spanish actor (The Crach, Sinatra), born in Pamplona, Spain (d. 2013) 1940 - Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer and journalist 1951 - Lindsay Cooper, British bassoonist, oboe player, and composer (Henry Cow; News from Babel), born in Hornsey, North London, England (d. 2013) 1981 - Sung Yu Ri, South Korean singer and actress More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1965 - Carlo Gatti, Italian musicologist (Verdi), dies at 88 1988 - Lois Wilson, American silent and sound screen actress (Miss Lulu Bett; The Great Gatsby; The Covered Wagon: Bright Eyes), dies of pneumonia at 72 1993 - Carlos Montoya, American flamenco guitarist (Suite Flamenco 1966), dies at 89 2004 - Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director (b. 1958) 2012 - Leonardo Cimino, Italian-American actor (The Monster Squad, V, Dune, Waterworld, Hudson Hawk), dies from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 94 2012 - Alex Webster, American football coach (NY Giants), dies at 80 More Famous Deaths »

1836 - Republic of Texas declares independence from Mexico in Columbia 1896 - Best 9-wicket haul in cricket history; George Lohmann takes 9-28 as England beats South Africa by an innings and 197 runs in 2nd Test at Johannesburg 1944 - Fumes from locomotive stalled in a tunnel suffocate 521 in Italy 1966 - After suffering a hairline fracture of his right hind foot, 5-time US Horse of the Year Kelso is immediately retired; racing's all-time leading money winner with lifetime earnings of $1,977,896 1969 - 1st test flight of the supersonic Concorde 1993 - Actress Claudette Colbert suffers a stroke at 89 2000 - America's Cup, Auckland: Team New Zealand beats Italian yacht Prada Challenge by 0.48s for a 5-0 series sweep; NZ only the 2nd country in 150 years to successfully defend the Cup 2019 - FESPACO, Africa's largest film festival in its 50th year awards the Golden Stallion of Yennenga to "The Mercy of the Jungle" by Joel Karekezi, in Burkina Faso 2019 - Australian wonder horse Winx sets world record for Group 1 wins in the Chipping Norton Stakes in Sydney; stretches unbeaten run to 31 races, and her 23rd in the highest class of thoroughbred racing 2020 - American singer-songwriter Garth Brooks receives Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1121 - Dirk VI becomes count of Holland 1903 - Martha Washington Hotel, catering to women only, opens in NYC 1941 - World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact. 1946 - Kingman Douglass becomes deputy director of CIA 1959 - Ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Sydney Opera House at Bennelong Point, Sydney 1970 - American Airlines' 1st flight of a Boeing 747 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1481 - Franz von Sickingen, German knight, born in Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg, Germany (d. 1523) 1908 - Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (d. 1968) 1917 - John Gardner, English classical composer, born in Manchester, England (d. 2011) 1963 - Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter (Olympic gold 10m air pistol 1988, 50m pistol 2000), born in Ruse, Bulgaria 1970 - Alexander Armstrong, British comedian, TV presenter and baritone singer (Armstrong and Miller, Pointless), born in Rothbury, Northumberland 1982 - Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey goaltender (Olympic gold 2006; NHL Vezina Trophy 2012; NY Rangers), born in Åre, Sweden More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 986 - Lotharius, King of France (954-86), dies at 44 1797 - Horace Walpole, British horror writer (Castle of Otranto), dies at 79 1822 - Friedrich Christian Hermann Uber, composer, dies at 40 1868 - Carl Eberwein, German composer and violinist, dies at 81 1970 - Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Quebec painter (b. 1888) 1975 - Jean Kurt Forest, German composer, dies at 65 More Famous Deaths »

1831 - Lord John Russell introduces the Reform Bill in the British House of Commons on the government's behalf to revamp the electoral system of England and Wales and increase the franchise 1864 - Louis Ducos du Hauron patents movie machine (never built) 1867 - Howard University, Washington, D.C., chartered 1914 - Dutch Minister of War Hendrikus Colijn named director of British Petroleum 1941 - Former University of Notre Dame star fullback Elmer Layden is named first Commissioner of the NFL 1944 - U-358 sinks in Atlantic 1972 - Two Catholic teenagers shot dead by the Royal Ulster Constabulary while 'joy riding' in a stolen car in Belfast 1996 - New toll-free 888 area code introduced in USA 2002 - The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 kilometers (500 miles) above the Earth on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500 kilograms (9.5 tons). 2006 - English-language Wikipedia reaches its one millionth article, Jordanhill railway station More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1780 - Pennsylvania becomes 1st US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only) 1886 - The Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore is founded by Bishop William Oldham. 1953 - KTNT (now KSTW) TV channel 11 in Tacoma-Seattle, WA (IND) begins 1974 - Watergate grand jury indicts 7 presidential aides 1980 - Commonwealth Trade Union Council established 1999 - Daryll Cullinan scores South African cricket record 275no in the drawn 1st Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland; Gary Kirsten 128 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1924 - Donald "Deke" Kent Slayton, Sparta Wisc, Major USAF/astro (Apollo 18) 1933 - Joan Hackett, American stage and screen actress (Will Penny; Only When I Laugh; Mourning Becomes Electra), born in East Harlem, NYC (d. 1983) 1952 - Steven Barnes, American writer 1966 - Paul Hollywood, English baker and TV judge (The Great British Bake Off), born in Wallasey, England 1974 - Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor (Zack-Saved by the Bell) 1990 - Harry Eden, English actor, born in Old Harlow, Essex More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1244 - Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, son of Welsh leader Llywelyn the Great, dies trying to escape from the Tower of London (b. 1200) 1788 - Orazio Mei, Italian organist, and composer, dies at 56 1859 - Josef Theodor Krov, Bohemian composer, singer and teacher, dies at 61 1928 - Jacob Adolf Hägg, Swedish composer, dies at 77 1932 - Frank Teschemacher, American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, killed in a car accident at 25 2022 - Warner Mark [McPherson], American country music singer-songwriter (Sittin' on a Rock (Cryin' in a Creek)); Talkin' to the Wall), dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1653 - -Mar 3] 3 Day Sea battle English beat Dutch 1849 - 11th Grand National: Tom Cunningham wins aboard 20/1 Peter Simple; 2nd consecutive year there are 3 equine fatalities during the race 1912 - Australian batting great Victor Trumper scores 50 in his final Test innings in 5th Test loss v England at Sydney Cricket Ground 1933 - On Adolf Hitler's advice, German President Paul von Hindenburg signs the Reichstag Fire Decree after the building is destroyed by fire in Berlin; this eliminates many civil liberties in Germany 1970 - WUTR TV channel 20 in Utica-Rome, NY (ABC) begins broadcasting 1971 - WDRB TV channel 41 in Louisville, Kentucky (IND) begins broadcasting 1981 - People's Republic of China throws out the Netherlands ambassador due to Dutch sales of submarines to Taiwan 1997 - FBI agent Earl Pitts pleads guilty to selling secrets to Russia 1998 - First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace. 2001 - The US Environmental Protection Agency announces that it intends to proceed with implementation of tighter restrictions on sulfur content in diesel fuel; the rule is opposed by many in the refining industry More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1784 - John Wesley charters Methodist Church 1933 - Pacifist and anti fascist writer Carl Von Ossietzky arrested, sent to Esterwegen-Papenburg concentration camp 1959 - Chicago Cardinals trade running back Ollie Matson to the LA Rams for an unprecedented 9 players 1981 - Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws 1993 - 7th American Comedy Award: Jerry Seinfeld 2005 - Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, resigns amid large anti-Syria street demonstrations in Beirut. More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1820 - John Tenniel, English cartoonist and illustrator (Punch, Alice in Wonderland), born in London, England (d. 1914) 1865 - Arthur Symons, Welsh poet and critic (co-founder Savoy magazine), born in Milford Haven, Wales (d. 1945) 1957 - Ian Stanley, British rock keyboardist and songwriter (Tears For Fears, 1981-87 - "Shout"; "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"), born in Bath, England 1982 - Natalia Vodianova, Russian supermodel, born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia 1986 - Alex Tanas, Canadian pop-reggae drummer (Magic! -"Rude"), born in Toronto, Ontario 1996 - Karsten Warholm, Norwegian athlete (Olympic gold 400m hurdles WR 45.94 2021; World C'ship gold 2017, 19), born in Ulsteinvik, Møre og Romsdal, Norway More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1929 - Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet, Austrian artist (React of P), dies at 54 1956 - Emile Buisson, French murderer executed (b. 1902) 1963 - Rajendra Prasad, Indian independence activist and 1st President of India (1950-62), dies at 78 1977 - Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American comedian and actor (The Jack Benny Program), dies at 71 1986 - Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-76, 1982-86), assassinated at 59 while walking home from the cinema with his wife 1986 - William Dollar, American ballet dancer and choreographer, dies at 79 More Famous Deaths »

1626 - Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after he led the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci 1670 - Jews expelled from Austria by order of Leopold I 1813 - US Congress authorizes use of steamboats to transport mail 1864 - 6th and last day of battle at Dalton, Georgia (about 600 casualties) 1943 - The Rosenstrasse protest starts in Berlin 1960 - US Olympic Ice Hockey Team beats USSR 3-2 en route to gold medal 1966 - 8th Daytona 500: Polesitter Richard Petty comes from 2 laps down to win the event after 198 laps were completed because of rain 1970 - NY Times (falsely) reports US army has ended domestic surveillance 1980 - Israel and Egypt exchange ambassadors 2012 - Wikileaks begins disclosing 5 million emails from private intelligence company Stratfor More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1919 - American Association for Hard of Hearing forms (NYC) 1959 - Chicago Cards trade running back Ollie Matson to LA Rams for 9 players 1967 - Rio de la Plata Treaty 1968 - CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite delivers a scathing editorial on America's chances of winning the Vietnam War 1970 - NY Times (falsely) reports US army has ended domestic surveillance 1998 - Britain's House of Lords agrees to end 1,000 years of male precedence by giving a monarch's first-born daughter the same claim to the throne as any first born son More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1691 - Edward Cave, English editor and publisher (Gentlemen's Magazine, coined term "magazine"), born in Newton, England (d. 1754) 1832 - Alfred Pollard Edward, Civil War journalist, (d. 1872) 1921 - András Szőllősy, Hungarian composer, and musicologist (cataloged works of Béla Bartók), born in Orăştie, Hungary (d. 2007) 1947 - Ashley Woodcock, Australian cricketer (one Test Aust v NZ 1974, only knock 27), born in Adelaide, Australia 1960 - Stoney Jackson, American actor (White Shadow, Insiders), born in Richmond, Virginia 1970 - Matthias Lechner, German art director, born in Mannheim, Germany More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1906 - Samuel Pierpont Langley, American astronomer and pioneer aviator, dies at 71 1945 - HJ Lochtman, Dutch chaplain/resistance fighter, dies in Bergen-Belsen 1989 - Paul Oswald Ahnert, German astronomer, dies at 91 1994 - Harold Acton, English-Italian historian and art collector, dies at 84 2010 - Madeleine Ferron, French Canadian writer, dies at 87 2016 - George Kennedy, American actor (Cool Hand Luke, Naked Gun films), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »

1917 - 1st Annual fair at Utrecht Harbor (Netherlands) 1924 - Trial against Adolf Hitler for treason in "Beer Hall Putsch" begins in Munich, Germany 1930 - Play "Green Pastures" opens at Mansfield Theater 1935 - RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt 1953 - Allen Dulles officially promoted from deputy director to become the 5th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency 1981 - 84 penalties (406 mins) assessed for a brawl between NHL Minn and Bost 1991 - Coalition planes bomb Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait during the Gulf War, killing hundreds and creating the so-called 'Highway of Death' 1998 - Total solar eclipse in Venezuela-Pacific Ocean (4m09) 2018 - Cold weather nicknamed "the Beast from the East" hits Europe, killing 7 and covering Pompeii in snow 2019 - Catholic Cardinal George Pell convicted of child sexual abuse in Melbourne, Australia. As treasurer at the Vatican, the highest-ranking church official to be convicted; overturned in 2020 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1869 - Franz Schubert's Symphony number 4, "The Tragic", premieres 1918 - Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse and burn, killing 604 1923 - Italian nationalist and fascists merge (blue-shirts and black-shirts) 1933 - Golden Gate Bridge groundbreaking ceremony held at Crissy Field 1940 - US Air Defense Command forms at Mitchel Field, LI, NY 1991 - NY-NJ Knights (WLAF) players 1st come together More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1837 - Charles Woeste, Belgian count, Minister of Justice, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1922) 1880 - Lionel Logue, Australian speech therapist who treated King George VI (The Kings Speech), born in Adelaide (d. 1953) 1917 - Robert Taft Jr, American politician (Sen-R-Ohio), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1993) 1946 - Bobby "Bingo" Smith, American NBA star (Cleveland Cavaliers), born in Memphis, Tennessee 1970 - Meeno Peluce, Dutch actor (Bad News Bears), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands 1981 - Kertus Davis, American auto racer (competition director NASCAR team JD Motorsports), born in Gaffney, South Carolina More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1650 - Claude Favre de Vaugelas, Savoyard grammarian and man of letters, dies at 65 1883 - Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1817) 1933 - Princess Thyra, daughter of Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1853) 1990 - Maurine Stuart, Zen teacher (head of Cambridge Buddhist Association), dies 2016 - Andy Bathgate, professional ice hockey player (New York Rangers, 1958 NHL MVP), dies at 83 2017 - Robert Allworth, Australian composer (A Different Time, A Different Place), dies at 74 More Famous Deaths »

1799 - US Congress passes 1st federal quarantine legislation 1904 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Toronto Marlboroughs in 2 games 1910 - Dalai Lama flees Tibet for British India to escape Chinese troops 1919 - Oregon is 1st state to tax gasoline (1 cent per gallon) 1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets record their smash hit "That'll Be the Day" in Clovis, New Mexico 1962 - India Congress Party wins elections 1981 - Rita Jenrette (wife of Abscam congressman) appears on Donahue 1986 - 28th Grammy Awards: "We Are the World", Sade, Phil Collins win 1992 - 34th Grammy Awards: "Unforgettable";, Marc Cohn win 1999 - British chef Gordon Ramsay comes to prominence appearing in the TV documentary "Boiling Point" detailing the opening of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1862 - First Legal Tender Act 1862 is passed by the US Congress, authorizing the United States Note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that was legal tender in America 1940 - 1st televised (W2XBS, NYC) hockey game (Rangers vs Canadians) 1957 - US Supreme Court decides 6-3, baseball is only antitrust exempt pro sport 1963 - Beatles release their 1st US single - "Please Please Me" 1971 - P Zindel's "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" premieres in NYC 2021 - Chinese President Xi Jinping claims the country has eradicated extreme poverty (earning less than US$620 a year), though many observers remain skeptical about the accuracy of Chinese data due to widespread corruption and lack of transparency More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1868 - Anthony John Blok, Dutch lawyer (strafproces), born in Hees, Netherlands (d. 1934) 1902 - Oscar Cullmann, French-Swiss Lutheran theologist (Das Petrusproblem), born in Strasbourg, Germany (d. 1999) 1918 - Bobby Riggs, American tennis player ("The Battle of the Sexes", US Open 1939, 41), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1995) 1934 - Robert Neame, British brewer (Shepherd Neame) 1947 - Doug Yule, American bassist and singer (Velvet Underground, 1968-73), born in Mineola, Long Island, New York 1986 - Danny Saucedo [Grzechowski], Swedish pop singer-songwriter ("Play It for the Girls"; E.M.D. - "Jennie Let Me Love You"), born in Stockholm, Sweden More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 779 - Walburgis, Anglo-Saxon abbess and saint (Walpurgis Night), dies 1851 - Ferdinand Simon Gassner, Austrian composer, dies at 53 1957 - Mark Aldanov, Russian-French writer and critic (Novy Zhurnal), dies at 70 1967 - Walter "Fats" Pichon American jazz pianist, singer, and big bandleader, dies at 60 2013 - C Everett Koop, American pediatric surgeon, health administrator and 13th US Surgeon General (1982-89), dies at 96 2016 - Tony Burton, American actor (Rocky films) and boxer, dies at 78 More Famous Deaths »

1552 - Privileges of Hanseatic League in England are abrogated 1894 - Nicaragua captures Tegucigalpa, Honduras 1917 - German plan to get Mexican help in WW I exposed (Zimmerman telegram) 1943 - Major General Omar Bradley flies to Algiers 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1987 - American radio and television personality Larry King suffers a heart attack 1997 - Qatar inaugurates the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporting facility and formally launches Qatar Liquefied Gas Co. 2002 - 55th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Best Film, Peter Jackson Best Director 2018 - Men's big air snowboarding event makes Olympic debut at Pyeongchang; Canada's Sébastien Toutant is inaugural gold medallist 2019 - 91st Academy Awards: Best Picture "Green Book", Best Director Alfonso Cuarón, Best Actor Rami Malek, Best Actress Olivia Colman More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1807 - 17 die and 15 wounded in a crush to witness execution of Holloway, Heggerty and Elizabeth Godfrey in England 1839 - Steam shovel patented by William Otis, Philadelphia 1893 - The American University is chartered by an act of the Congress of the United States of America 1951 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Milan won by Richard Button of USA 2010 - Europe risks a double-dip recession after bad results emerge from France, Germany and Italy, it is reported today; the Eurozone only grew by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2009 2013 - Raúl Castro is elected to a second term as the President of Cuba More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1934 - Renata Scotto, Italian soprano and opera director (La Traviata - "Violetta"), born in Savona, Italy 1940 - Jimmy Ellis, WBA heavyweight boxing champ (1968-70), born in Louisville, Kentucky, (d. 2014) 1943 - Pablo Milanés, Cuban Nueva Trova singer-songwriter and guitarist (Yolanda; Yo Me Quedo), born in 1943, Bayamo, Cuba (d. 2022) 1953 - Derek St. Holmes, American musician rock guitarist and singer (Ted Nugent band, 1975-78; 2011-14), born in Riverview, Michigan 1974 - Chad Hugo, American musician and producer (The Neptunes) 1984 - Sterling James Keenan, American professional wrestler More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1986 - Tommy Douglas, Canadian politician and "Father of Medicare", dies of cancer at 81 2001 - Claude Shannon, American mathematician and information theorist (A Mathematical Theory of Communication), dies at 84 2008 - Philip Bodner, American jazz clarinetist and studio musician (also played flute, oboe, saxophone, piccolo, and English horn), dies at 90 2011 - Anant Pai, Indian educationalist and creator of comics (b. 1929) 2019 - Margaret Scott, South-African ballet dancer and founder (Australian Ballet School), dies at 96 2022 - Jan Gomola, Polish soccer goalkeeper (7 caps; Górnik Zabrze), dies at 80 More Famous Deaths »

1660 - Charles XI becomes king of Sweden 1778 - Baron von Steuben joins Continental Army at Valley Forge 1910 - 1st radio contest held (Philadelphia) 1945 - US Marines raise American flag on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Pulitzer Prize winning photo of which by Joe Rosenthall later became iconic, inspiring the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture 1969 - Groundbreaking TV documentary series "Civilisation" presented by art historian Kenneth Clark premieres on BBC2 in the UK 1979 - Frank Peterson Jr named 1st black general in Marine Corps 1985 - Goaltender Patrick Roy makes his NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens 2007 - A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents. 2016 - US primary elections: Nevada Republican Primary - Donald Trump wins with 45.9.5% 2019 - Clashes on Venezuelan border kills two as its country's officials try to stop aid getting in More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1574 - France begins 5th "holy war" against Huguenots 1822 - Boston, Massachusetts, is incorporated as a city 1921 - 1st US transcontinental air mail flight arrives in NYC from San Francisco 1999 - Hip Hop artist Eminem releases his first major record album 'The Slim Shady LP' (Grammy 2000 - Rap album) 2020 - African American Ahmaud Arbery shot to death after being chased down by two white men in Brunswick, Georgia. Video of the killing emerges in May, prompting arrests. 2020 - First major COVID-19 outbreak in Europe in Italy with 152 cases and three deaths, prompting emergency measures, locking down 10 towns in Lombardy More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1938 - Sylvia Chase, newscaster (ABC Weekend News, 20/20), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota 1953 - Satoru Nakajima, Japanese racing driver 1965 - Robert "Bob" Ferguson, American politician (Democratic Party) and Attorney General of Washington, born in Seattle, Washington 1973 - Lars-Olof Johansson, Swedish musician (The Cardigans), born in Huskvarna, Sweden 1973 - Jack Case, American artist 1994 - Dakota Fanning, American actress (I Am Sam, Man of Fire), born in Conyers, Georgia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1669 - Lieuwe van Aitzema, Dutch historian (Matters of State and War), dies at 68 1930 - Horst Wessel, German nazi lyricist (Fahne Hoch), dies at 22 1937 - Claude Buckenham, cricketer (21 wkts in 4 Tests for Eng 1909-10), dies 1987 - Esmond Knight, British actor (Hamlet, Sleeping Murder), dies from a heart attack at 80 1992 - Jacquelyn Hyde, American actress (Dark, House of Terror), dies at 61 1994 - Stuart Berger, doctor (Immune Power Diet), dies from obesity at 40 More Famous Deaths »

303 - 1st official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued by Emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia, ordering all churches to be closed and scriptures burnt 1288 - Girolamo Masci elected Pope Nicolas IV 1927 - Baruch Spinosa's house of mourning opened as a museum 1927 - ARC soccer team forms in Alphen on the Rhine 1941 - German assault on El Agheila Libya 1941 - Arthur "Bomber" Harris becomes British Air Marshal 1951 - 4th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs): "All About Eve" Best Film 1979 - Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Primate and Cat Building is dedicated (Cleveland, Ohio) 2014 - 45th NAACP Image Awards: "12 Years a Slave" wins Outstanding Motion Picture 2014 - Snowboard Olympic parallel special slalom event debuts and is run for the only time at the Sochi Winter Games; Russian Vic Wild and Julia Dujmovits of Canada win unique gold medals More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1888 - “Father of American Golf” John Reid first demonstrates golf on a Yonkers cow pasture to friends 1915 - Germany begins "unrestricted" submarine war 1932 - Purple Heart (the Badge of Military Merit) award reinstituted 1941 - Roy Harris' "Ballad of a Railroad Man" premieres 1972 - US President Richard Nixon, meets with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing 1973 - US and China agree to establish liaison offices in Beijing and Washington, D.C. More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1773 - Matthijs Ignatius van Bree, Belgian painter of historical subjects, born in Antwerp (d. 1839) 1822 - Adolf Kussmaul, German physician (stomach pump, Kuszmaul disease), born in Graben (d. 1902) 1918 - Sid Abel, Canadian NHL hockey player (1948-49 Hart Trophy), born in Melville, Saskatchewan (d. 2000) 1926 - (Alan) "Bud" Yorkin, American film and television producer and director (Divorce American Style; All in the Family; Sanford And Son), born in Washington, Pennsylvania (d. 2015) 1939 - George Haslam, British avant-garde jazz baritone saxophonist, and tárogató player, born in Preston, Lancashire, England 1969 - Thomas Jane, American actor, born in Baltimore, Maryland More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1897 - Charles Blondin, French acrobat and tight rope walker, dies at 72 1921 - Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1864) 1968 - Omer CFL Tulippe, Belgian geographer, dies at 71 1976 - Florence Ballard, American pop and RandB singer (The Supremes, 1959-67 - "Buttered Popcorn"; "Where Did Our Love Go"), dies of a heart attack at 32 1996 - Helmut Schoen, Germany football coach (manager of West Germany (1964-1978, 1974 World Cup), dies at 80 1997 - Albert Shanker, American labor leader (Amer Fed of Teachers), dies at 68 More Famous Deaths »

1795 - Freedom of worship established in France under constitution 1848 - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish "The Communist Manifesto" in London 1866 - Lucy B. Hobbs (Taylor) becomes 1st US woman to earn a DDS degree 1911 - Gustav Mahler conducts his last concerto, Berceuse élégiaque, in New York City 1922 - Airship "Rome" explodes at Hampton Roads, Virginia; 34 die 1945 - Operation Veritable: British Army captures Goch from Germany, forcing German retreat away from the Rhineland 1946 - Anti-British demonstrations in Egypt 1991 - Neil Simon's stage comedy "Lost in Yonkers" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater, NYC; runs for 780 performances 2019 - Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa-2 touches down on asteroid Ryugu on mission to collect rock samples 2019 - The Lunar Library, a 30 million page digital library launched on board Israel’s Beresheet Lunar Lander, aiming to be stored on the Moon More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1795 - Freedom of worship established in France under constitution 1902 - Dr. Harvey Cushing, 1st US brain surgeon, performs his 1st brain operation 1909 - John Galsworthy's "Strife" premieres in London 1965 - Civil rights activist and Muslim minister Malcolm X is shot dead by Nation of Islam followers at Audubon Ballroom in New York City 1969 - 1st launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur Kazakhstan (explodes) 2017 - Plane crashes into shopping centre in Essendon, Melbourne, Australia killing the five people on board More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1909 - Hans Erni, Swiss painter and sculptor, born in Lucerne, Switzerland (d. 2015) 1917 - Tadd Dameron, American jazz pianist, composer ("If You Could See Me Now"; "Lady Bird"), arranger (Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine) and band leader, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1965) 1940 - Peter McEnery, English actor (Game is Over, Moonspinners), born in Walsall, England 1955 - Kelsey Grammer, American actor, comedian, director and activist ("Frasier Crane" in Cheers and Fraiser), born in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands 1966 - Bronwen Booth, English actress (Andy-One Life to Live, Eternal Evil), born in London, England 1978 - Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani American comedian, actor and writer (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley), born in Karachi, Pakistan More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1513 - Julius II, Italian Pope (1503-13) and patron of Michelangelo, Bramante and Raphael, dies at 69 1918 - Neltje Blanchan, American nature writer, dies at 52 1919 - Habibullah Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (1901-19), murdered at 46 1996 - Morton Gould, American pianist, conductor, and theatrical, screen, and concert composer (Pulitzer Prize, 1956 - Stringmusic), dies at 82 2012 - Eiko Ishioka, Japanese Costume designer, dies from pancreatic cancer at 74 2016 - Pascal Bentoiu, Romanian composer, dies at 88 More Famous Deaths »

1922 - Vilnius, Lithuania, agrees to separate from Poland 1934 - Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" opens on Broadway at the 44th Street Theatre, NYC 1949 - 1st International Pancake Race held (Liberal Ks) 1975 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR 1987 - 37th Berlin International Film Festival: "The Theme" wins the Golden Bear 1988 - Brian Boitano wins Olympic gold medal in figure skating 1988 - Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria sets high jumps indoor world record (2.06 m) 1989 - An IRA bomb destroys a section of a British Army barracks in Ternhill, England 2018 - Venezuela becomes the first country to launch a virtual currency, the petro, to counteract their financial crisis 2021 - Englishwoman Jasmine Harrison (21) becomes the youngest woman to row across an ocean arriving in Antigua as part of the Atlantic Challenge after 70 days, 3 hours, 48 minutes More Historical Events »