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Historical Events 1575 - University of Leiden established by William I of Orange, given the motto "Praesidium Libertatis" (oldest university in Netherlands) 1916 - French cruiser "Admiral Charner" torpedoed off Syrian coast, kills 374 2013 - 29 people are killed and 69 are injured in a series of Iraq bombings 2014 - Ole Einar Bjørndalen equals the Winter Olympics medal record with 12 2014 - Netherlands sweeps the medals in the men's 5,000m speed skating at the Sochi Winter Olympics; Sven Kramer retains title ahead of teammates Jan Blokhuijsen and Jorrit Bergsma More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1813 - Jacob Georg Agarah, Swedish botanist, born in Lund, Sweden (d. 1901) 1828 - Jules Verne, French novelist known as the "Father of Science Fiction" (Around the World in 80 days), born in Nantes, France (d. 1905) 1928 - Jack Larson, American actor (The Adventures of Superman - "Jimmy Olsen"), screenwriter, and librettist (Virgil Thomson's "Lord Byron"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015) 1956 - Dave Meros, American progressive rock bassist (Spock's Beard), born in Salinas, California 1961 - Sammy Llanas, American rock singer-songwritrer (Bodeans, 1983-2011 - "Closer To Free"), born in Wisconsin More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1265 - Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler, grandson of Genghis Khan (besieged and pillaged Baghdad) (b. 1217) 1599 - Robert Rollock, Scottish educator (1st Regent of Edinburgh University), dies 1993 - Franz Schnyder, Swiss director (10th of May), dies at 82 1995 - Wilhelm J. Soukop, Austrian-British sculptor, dies at 88 2012 - Gunther Plaut, German-Canadian rabbi, dies at 99 More Famous Deaths »

1668 - Dutch Prince William III dances in premiere of "Ballet of Peace" 1827 - Ballet (Deserter) introduced to US at Bowery Theater (NYC) 1845 - The Portland Vase, thought to date to the 1st century BC is shattered into more than 80 pieces by a drunken visitor to the British Museum 1972 - Dutch Olympic 1,500m and 5,000m speed skating champion Ard Schenk wins his 3rd gold medal at the Sapporo Winter Games when he takes out the 10,000m 1973 - Iggy Pop and The Stooges release their influential 3rd album "Raw Power" 1974 - UK Prime Minister Edward Heath calls for a 'snap' general election in the midst of a protracted miners' strike 1979 - "Supertrain", TV Anthology, Superbomb of 1979, debuts on NBC 1998 - NHL's Dallas Stars retire Neal Broten's #7 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1795 - Dutch Prince William V accepts British occupation of Dutch Indies 1817 - Baltimore becomes the 1st American city lit by gas street lamps with the first turned on at Market and Lemon Streets (currently Baltimore and Holliday Streets) 1857 - French writer Gustave Flaubert is acquitted on a charge of obscenity for his work "Madame Bovary" 1903 - VVV '03 soccer club is established in the Dutch southeastern city of Venlo 1973 - Iggy Pop and The Stooges release their influential 3rd album "Raw Power" More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1809 - Frederik Paludan-Muller, Danish Romantic poet (Danserinden), born in Kerteminde, Denmark (d. 1876) 1877 - Julius Curtius, German Foreign Minister of the Weimar Republic (1929-31) and Minister for Economic Affairs (1926-29), born in Duisburg, Prussia (d. 1948) 1895 - Irving Aaronson, American jazz pianist and big band bandleader, born in New York City (d. 1963) 1945 - Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (In the Name of the Father, Inception), born in Warrington, England (d. 2011) 1959 - Sammy Lee, English footballer (Liverpool), born in Liverpool, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1965 - Nance O'Neil, American actor (Cimarron, Royal Bed, Rogue Song), dies at 90 1970 - Abe Attell, American boxer known as "The Little Hebrew" and World Featherweight Champion (1906-12), dies at 86 1997 - Danil Shafran, Soviet-Russian concert cellist, dies at 74 2020 - Harold Strachan, South African writer, anti-apartheid activist, and explosives expert, dies of liver disease complications at 94 2020 - Nexhmije Pagarusha, Albanian singer ‘the Nightingale of Kosovo’ and actress, dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1819 - Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading post 1862 - General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee 1941 - British troops conquer Bengazi, Libya 1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan 2005 - Tony Blair, now the longest-serving Labour PM, marks 2,838 days as British Prime Minister 2009 - President Barack Obama announces the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, with Paul Volcker as Chairman and Austan Goolsbee as Staff Director and Chief Economist 2012 - Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot is presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario 2024 - Landslide kills at least 68 with more missing, amid torrential rain, in Maco town, Davao de Oro, southern Philippines More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1947 - Magnum Photos founded in Paris by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour 1953 - Ian Craig makes Test Cricket debut at 17 yrs 239 days, youngest Aussie 1978 - Snowstorm hits New England, parts of Rhode Island (54" / 137cm) 1990 - Brett Hull becomes 1st son of NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to also score 50 goals 2020 - Date of the 1st COVID-19 related death in the US (confirmed by the CDC April 21) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1848 - Luigi Mancinelli, Italian orchestral composer, born in Orvieto, Italy (d. 1921) 1866 - Karl Sapper, German traveller, explorer, and natural historian, born in Germany (d. 1945) 1905 - Władysław Gomułka, Polish communist politician, born in Krosno, Poland (d. 1982) 1982 - Alice Eve, English actress (She's Out of My League; Star Trek Into Darkness), born in London 1986 - Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwean cricketer, born in Harare, Zimbabwe More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1899 - Alfred Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, dies at 24 in mysterious circumstances 1923 - Edward Emerson Barnard, American astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65 1958 - David Pegg, English soccer outside left (1 cap; Manchester United 127 games), dies in Munich air disaster at 22 1991 - Marten Levendig, Dutch TV correspondent to Moscow, dies 2021 - Ken McCaffery, Australian rugby league centre (12 Tests; North Sydney; Queensland), broadcaster (9 Network) and administrator (North Sydney DRLFC), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »

1918 - Separation of church and state begins in USSR 1930 - 5th Aliyah to Israel begins 1953 - Sweet rationing imposed in WWII ends in Britain 1958 - Clifton R Wharton confirmed as 1st US African American foreign minister (to Romania) 1958 - Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated as the first President of the United Arab Republic 1972 - Two IRA members are killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely 1998 - Author Tom Clancy confirms he signed agreement to purchase Minnesota Vikings for slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record 2004 - Twenty-three Chinese people drown when a group of 35 cockle-pickers are trapped by rising tides in Morecambe Bay, England. Twenty-one bodies are recovered. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1919 - NL President John Heydler dismisses charges that Hal Chase bet against his team and threw games in collusion with gamblers 1943 - Clandestine Radio Atlantiksender, Germany, 1st transmission 1970 - WSCV TV channel 51 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (IND) suspends broadcasting 1974 - John Murtha of Pennsylvania becomes the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the United States Congress 1995 - NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 41-13; MVP: Marshall Faulk, Indianapolis Colts, RB, HI More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1864 - Carl Teike, German military composer, born in Stettin-Altdamm, Pomerania (now Szczecin, Poland) (d. 1922) 1903 - Nathaniel Owings, American architect (Oak Ridge, TN; Sears Tower), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1984) 1947 - Mary Louise Cleave, American engineer and NASA astronaut (STS 61-B, STS 30), born in Southampton, New York 1968 - Eyþór Guðjónsson, Icelandic actor (Oli in "Hostel"), born in Iceland 1972 - Christina Bailey, American ice hockey defenseman (Olympics gold 1998, silver 2002; World C'ship silver 1994, 97, 99, 2000, 01), born in Marietta, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1957 - Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon (b. 1890) 1975 - Åke Persson, Swedish bebop jazz trombonist (Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, 1963–71), dies at 42 1977 - Oskar Klein, Swedish theoretical physicist known for Kaluza–Klein theory, dies at 82 1998 - Timothy "Tim" Kelly, American guitarist (Slaughter), dies in a car accident at 35 2023 - Phil Spalding, English new wave and progressive rock bass player (Tovah; GTR; Mike Oldfield), and hepatitis patient support group founder, dies at 65 More Famous Deaths »

1877 - Ludwig Minkus' ballet "La Bayadère", choreographed by Marius Petipa premieres at Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia 1904 - John Millington Synge's play "Well of Saints" premieres in Dublin 1922 - After boycotts and international pressure, Japan agrees to return Shantung Province to China 1938 - Adolf Hitler seizes control of German army and puts Nazis in key posts 1962 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Barbara Roles 1962 - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opens in Memphis, Tennessee; funding for the cancer fighting facility led by entertainer Danny Thomas 1968 - Around 100 Indians and Pakistanis from Kenya arrive in Britain, escaping discrimination 1975 - Haicheng earthquake, M 7.3, strikes Haicheng, Liaoning, China More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1194 - Ransom of 100,000 pounds of silver is paid for the release of Richard I, King of England, to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI 1960 - Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park 1962 - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opens in Memphis, Tennessee; funding for the cancer fighting facility led by entertainer Danny Thomas 1983 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton 1990 - Anders Holmertz swims world record 400 m freestyle (3:40.81) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1549 - Eustache du Caurroy, French Renaissance composer, born in Gerberoy, France (d. 1609) 1891 - [Madabhushi Ananthasayanam] M. A. Ayyangar, Indian politician (Speaker of Lok Sabha, Governor of Bihar), born in Thiruchanoor, Madras, British India (d. 1978) 1892 - Andreu Nin, Catalan revolutionary politician during the Spanish Civil War (P.O.U.M.) and translator, born in El Vendrell, Spain (d. 1937) 1929 - Paul Burlison, American rockabilly musician (The Rock N Roll Trio), born in Brownsville, Tennessee (d. 2003) 1960 - Tim Booth, British rock singer (James - "Sit Down"), born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1909 - John Clarkson, American Baseball HOF pitcher (Triple Crown 1889; no-hitter 1885; 3 × NL wins leader; 3 × NL strikeout leader; Chicago White Stockings, Boston Beaneaters), dies of mental illness and pneumonia at 47 1940 - Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet Head of Soviet NKVD under Stalin responsible for enacting the Great Purge, executed in secret at 44 1987 - (Wladziu) Liberace, American Emmy Award-winning pianist, showman (The Liberace Show), and actor (Batman -"Evil Chandell"), dies of AIDS-related pneumonia at 67 2021 - Lord Samuel Vestey, British food magnate (Vestey Holdings) and Master of the Horse to the Royal Household (1999-2018), dies at 79 2023 - Arnold Schulman, American playwright and screenwriter (A Hole in the Head, Love with the Proper Stranger), dies at 97 More Famous Deaths »

1576 - Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV) escapes from Paris 1908 - Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act 1943 - "The Four Chaplains" drown after giving up their life jackets to others as the US Army transport ship Dorchester sinks in the North Atlantic 1962 - US President John F. Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food and drugs 1992 - Labor strike at Royal Canadian Mint ends 1997 - Public memorial held for Carl Sagan at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 1998 - Karla Faye Tucker is executed in Texas, first woman executed in the United States since 1984 2013 - 33 people are killed by a suicide bombing by an explosive-packed truck in Kirkuk, Iraq More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1913 - Paul A. Rubens and Arthur Wimperis' musical "The Sunshine Girl", with additional songs by and John Golden and Joseph Cawthorne, opens at the Knickerbocker Theatre, NYC, runs for 181 performances 1928 - Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China, in the journal Nature and declares them to be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo erectus') 1942 - Baseball owners agree to permit each club up to 14 night games in 1942 1947 - -81°F (-63°C), Snag Yukon (North American record) 1972 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1817 - Samuel Ryan Curtis, American politician and Major General (Union Army), born in Champlain, New York (d. 1866) 1899 - Lao She, Chinese writer and playwright (Rickshaw Boy, Teahouse), born in Beijing, China (d. 1966) 1940 - Jim Hartz, American journalist and newscaster (NBC-TV Today, 1974-77; PBS - Innovations), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2022) 1941 - Gary Bartlett, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (10 Tests, 24 wickets, BB 6/38; Central Districts, Canterbury, Marlborough), born in Blenheim, New Zealand 1977 - Daddy Yankee [Ramón Rodríguez], Puerto Rican reggaeton singer and rapper ("Despacito"; "Gasolina"), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1558 - Alfonsus de Castro, Spanish theologist (Council of Trent), dies 1959 - Buddy Holly [Charles Holley], American rock and roll musician and songwriter ("Peggy Sue"; "That'll Be the Day"; "Words Of Love"), dies in a plane crash at 22 1989 - Lionel Newman, American film music composer (Hello Dolly!, Star Wars, Cleopatra), dies from cardiac arrest at 73 1996 - Wild Jimmy Spruill, American blues guitarist, dies at 61 1998 - Karla Faye Tucker, American murderer, executed at 38 More Famous Deaths »

1787 - Arthur St. Clair is elected the 9th President of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation 1852 - Alexandre Dumas Jr's play, an adaptation of his novel "La Dame aux Camélias" premieres in Paris 1924 - International Ski Federation (FIS) forms 1974 - The F-16 Fighting Falcon flies for the first time. 1986 - Oscar Arias Sanchez elected president of Costa Rica 2012 - MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea with 246 people saved and 126 missing (100 of these estimated to be trapped inside) 2013 - Shinzō Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister vows to defend the Senkaku Islands "at all costs" 2022 - More than one million Afghans have fled the country for Iran since October due to the country's economic crisis, according to immigration authorities threatening a new migrant crisis More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1653 - New Amsterdam becomes a city, later renamed New York City 1900 - Gustave Charpentiers opera "Louise" premieres at the Salle Favart, in Paris France; performed by the Opéra-Comique conducted by André Messageri 1957 - Leonard Bernstein's musical "Candide" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 73 performances 2014 - Protests in Ukraine turn violent after parliament passes legislation that outlaws protest 2020 - Palindrome Day: the date 02022020 reads the same forward and backward including in the US and China (last one like this 11 November 1111) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1827 - Oswald Aschenbach, German landscape painter, born in Düsseldorf, Prussia (d. 1905) 1883 - S Z Sakall [Gerö Jenö], Hungarian stage and film character actor (Dolly Sisters, Casablanca), born in Budapest Hungary (d. 1955) 1899 - Benny Rubin, American actor and comedian (Benny Rubin Show), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1986) 1907 - Bernardas Brazdzionis, Lithuanian poet, editor and critic, born in Stebeikėliai, Lithuania, Russian Empire (d. 2002) 1944 - Geoffrey Hughes, British actor (Keeping Up Appearances, Coronation Street), born in Wallasey, England, (d. 2012) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1673 - Kaspar Förster, German composer, dies at 56 1881 - Alekey Pisemski, Russian novelist and playwright (A Bitter Lot), dies at 59 (OS 21 Jan) 1993 - Alexander Schneider, Lithuanian violinist (Budapest String Quartet), dies at 84 1999 - Marie Van Brittan Brown, American nurse and co-inventor of the home security system with her husband Albert L. Brown, dies at 76 2021 - Tom Moore, English army captain knighted for raising £32 million for the NHS, dies with COVID-19 at 100 More Famous Deaths »

1662 - Dutch garrison on Formosa surrenders to Chinese pirates 1790 - US Supreme Court convenes for 1st time (NYC) 1809 - Dutch King Louis Napoleon accepts metric system 1965 - Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Australian Margaret Smith wins 6th straight home singles title; beats Maria Bueno of Brazil 5-7, 6-4, 5-2; Bueno retired injured 1970 - West-Germany and USSR sign gas contract 1981 - NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 21-7; MVP: Eddie Murray, Detroit Lions, PK 1984 - China and Netherlands regain diplomatic relations 1998 - NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 29-24; MVP: Warren Moon, Seattle Seahawks, QB, HI More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1940 - Soviet Union begins new offensive against Finland 1954 - Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Mervyn Rose wins his first Grand Slam title; beats fellow Australian Rex Hartwig 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2 1968 - Former US VP Richard Nixon announces candidacy for president 1980 - Sears Radio Theater moves from CBS to Mutual Broadcasting System 1985 - -61°F (-52°C), Maybell, Colorado (state record) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1877 - Thomas Dunhill, British light classical composer (The Wind Among The Reeds; Tantivy Towers), teacher, and musicologist, born in London, England (d. 1946) 1942 - Muna Wassef, Syrian actress (The Message) and UN Goodwill ambassador, born in Damascus, Syria 1951 - (Clide) "Sonny" Landreth, American blues and zydeco slide guitar player, born in Canton, Mississippi 1962 - Takashi Murakami, Japanese artist (Superflat), born in Tokyo, Japan 1980 - Moisés Muñoz, Mexican soccer goalkeeper (19 caps; Morelia, América), born in Aguililla, Mexico More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1328 - Charles IV, the Handsome, King of France (1322-28), dies at 33 1905 - Oswald Aschenbach, German landscape painter, dies at 77 1966 - William Harrigan, American actor (Invisible Man, Girl in 419), dies at 71 1991 - Jimmy MacDonald, Scottish-American voice actor (Mickey Mouse), dies at 84 2003 - Mongo Santamaria, Cuban Latin jazz percussionist and bandleader, dies at 85 More Famous Deaths »

1938 - Australian Championships Men's Tennis: American Don Budge wins the 1st-leg of his Grand Slam; beats John Bromwich of Australia 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 1956 - French government of Guy Mollet forms 1971 - US male Figure Skating championship won by John Misha Petkevich 1971 - Special Veterans Committee adds 6 former players and 1 executive to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Dave Bancroft, Jake Beckley, Chick Hafey, Harry Hooper, Joe Kelley, Rube Marquard and George Weiss 1985 - South African President P. W. Botha offers to free Nelson Mandela if he denounces violence 2006 - US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retires and is replaced by Samuel Alito 2007 - Suspects are arrested in Birmingham in the UK, accused of plotting the kidnap, holding and eventual beheading of a serving Muslim British soldier in Iraq 2017 - Romanian government passes emergency decree to release prisoners and decriminalise corruption charges, triggering huge protests in Bucharest More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1891 - First attempt of a republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto, Portugal 1966 - Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith wins her 7th consecutive Australian singles title; beats American Nancy Richey in a walkover, Richey injured 1968 - Nauru (formerly Pleasant Island) declares independence from Australia the UK and New Zealand, becoming the world's smallest republic 1975 - Barry Manilow's single "Mandy" goes gold 2009 - Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins 10th Grand Slam singles title; outclasses Dinara Safina of Russia 6-0, 6-3 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1597 - John Francis Regis, French priest and Roman Catholic saint, born in Fontcouverte, France (d. 1640) 1919 - Jackie Robinson, American Baseball HOF second baseman (1st African-American MLB player Brooklyn Dodgers; 6 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1955; NL MVP 1949), born in Cairo, Georgia (d. 1972) 1920 - Bert Williams, English soccer goalkeeper (24 caps; Wolverhampton Wanderers 381 games), born in Bradley, Staffordshire (d. 2014) 1924 - William Bryant, American character actor (King Dinosaur, Hell Squad), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2001) 1942 - Gerald Chanberlain, American jazz trombonist (Woody Herman's Thundering Herd), born in Refugio, Texas (d. 2007) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1815 - José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan independentist leader (b. 1775) 1865 - Aristide Farrenc, French flautist, music publisher, and musicologist (Trésor des pianistes), dies at 70 1925 - George W. Cable, American writer (Northampton Years), dies at 80 1974 - Glenn Morris, American athlete (Olympic gold decathlon 1936) and actor (Tarzan's Revenge; Hold That Co-ed), dies of congestive heart failure at 61 1990 - Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-American biochemist and imam, stabbed to death at 54 (b. 1935) More Famous Deaths »

1820 - British explorer Edward Bransfield aboard Williams sights Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica, claiming it for Britain 1933 - After Paul von Hindenburg appoints Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, his former WWI colleague General Erich Ludendorff sends a letter to him stating "this accursed man will cast our Reich into the abyss and bring our nation to inconceivable misery" 1944 - World War II: United States troops land on Majuro, Marshall Islands 1954 - Belgium ends trade agreement with USSR 1956 - Home of Martin Luther King Jr. is bombed 1969 - US/Canada ISIS 1 launched to study ionosphere 1993 - Australian Open Women's Tennis: Monica Seles beats Steffi Graf 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her 3rd consecutive Australian singles crown 1995 - Norway's Statoil announces a newly formed consortium that will supply Norwegian natural gas to the European continent More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1820 - British explorer Edward Bransfield aboard Williams sights Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica, claiming it for Britain 1925 - Turkish government throws out Constantine VI of Constantinople 1934 - Former Australian cricket spin bowler Bert Ironmonger ends Sheffield Shield career age 51 years 298 days as Victoria draws with NSW at the Sydney Cricket Ground 1960 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Carol Heiss 1993 - 100,000 Europeans demonstrate against fascism and racism More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1617 - William Sancroft, 79th Archbishop of Canterbury, born in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England (d. 1693) 1900 - Martita Hunt, Argentine-born English actress (Man in Grey, Great Expectations), born in Buenos Aires (d. 1969) 1920 - George Skibine, Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer (Tragedy in Verona), born in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia (d. 1981) 1951 - Trevor Laughlin, Australian cricketer (Australian all-rounder 1978-79), born in Nyah West, Australia 1956 - Jeremy Gittins, British actor (Michael the Vicar in "Keeping Up Appearances"), born in Manchester, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1956 - Gerrit Mannoury, Dutch mathematician and philosopher, dies at 88 1972 - Karel Boleslav Jirak, Czech composer and pedagogue, dies at 81 1999 - (Henry) "Huntz" Hall, American radio, stage, and screen actor (Dead End Kids: The Bowery Boys; Gas Pump Girls), dies from congestive heart failure at 78 2016 - Ken Sailors, American basketball point guard (popularised and may have invented the jump shot), dies at 95 2022 - Jon Appleton, American electronic and electro-acoustic music composer, educator and co-developer of the Synclavier, dies at 83 More Famous Deaths »

1943 - U.S. cruiser "Chicago" is heavily damaged by Japanese bombers on the first day of the Battle of Rennell Island 1968 - Australian Championships Women's Tennis: American Billie Jean King beats home favourite Margaret Court 6-1, 6-2 for her 13th Grand Slam singles title 1968 - Nauru (formerly Pleasant Island) adopts constitution 1980 - 6 Iranian-held US hostages escape with help of Canadians 1993 - US postal service issues a stamp commemorating chemist Percy Lavon Julian 1996 - The 6,138th performance of "Cats" is held in London, surpassing the record of Broadway's longest-running musical, "A Chorus Line" 2012 - 100th Australian Open Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković beats Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5; longest Grand Slam singles final in duration in the Open Era, 5 hours 53 minutes 2017 - 62nd NHL All Star Games, Staples Centre, Los Angeles, CA: Metropolitan All Stars win four team 3-on-3 tournament; MVP: Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers, RW More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1895 - King Koko's Kopermannen assault on Akassa Niger, 100's killed 1908 - Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, at Cornell University, incorporates 1982 - Wayne Garland, baseball's first millionaire free agent, is waived by the Indians 1995 - Greg Blewett scores century on Test debut vs England, Adelaide 2011 - Australian Open Women's Tennis: Kim Clijsters wins her 4th and final Grand Slam title; beats Li Na of China 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1889 - Francisco Santiago, Filipino pianist, composer (Taga-ilog Symphony), conductor, and pedagogue, born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines (d. 1947) 1940 - Katharine Ross, American actress (Graduate, Francesca-Colbys), born in Hollywood, California 1948 - Felice Taylor, American RandB singer ("I Feel Love Comin' On"), born in Richmond, California (d. 2017) 1964 - Maarika Järvi, Estonian-American classical flautist), born in Tallinn, Estonian SSR, US 1967 - Sean Burke, Canadian ice hockey goalie (NHL All-Star 1989, 2001, 02; Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes; Canada Cup gold 1991), born in Toronto, Ontario More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1933 - Sara Teasdale, American lyric poet (Pulitzer Prize 1918 "Love Songs"), commits suicide at 48 1934 - Fritz Haber, German physicist and chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry - 1918, for process to synthesize ammonia), dies at 65 1999 - Lili St. Cyr [Marie Van Schaack], American dancer and strip tease performer, dies at 80 2004 - Otto Wilhelm Fischer, Austrian actor (Helden, Ich suche dich), dies of kidney disease at 88 2021 - Hilton Valentine, British rock guitarist (Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), dies at 77 More Famous Deaths »

1846 - Battle of Allwal, British beat Sikhs in Punjab 1855 - The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway 1917 - Municipally owned streetcars take to the streets of San Francisco, California 1928 - Christopher Hornsrud chosen Prime Minister of Norway 1939 - Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Emily Hood Westacott beats Nell Hall Hopman 6-1, 6-2 for her only Grand Slam singles title 1942 - WW II Navy flier Don Mason sends message "Sighted sub sank same" 1968 - Thai boxer Chartchai Chionoi retains his world flyweight title with a 13th-round TKO of home favourite Efren Torres in Mexico City; first of 3 meetings between the pair 1968 - 29th PGA Seniors Golf Championship: Chandler Harper More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1916 - US President Woodrow Wilson nominates Louis Brandeis for the Supreme Court of the United States 1957 - "Tonight! America After Dark" premieres, with Jack Lescoulie and Al (Jazzbo) Collins on NBC (between Steve Allen and Jack Paar) 2001 - Australian Open Men's Tennis: Andre Agassi retains title; beats Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 for his 3rd Australian trophy 2007 - Australian Open Men's Tennis: Swiss ace Roger Federer successfully defends his title beating Fernando González of Chile 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 2024 - 100 Ballads names "The Wandering Prince of Troy" the most popular ballad of the 17th century in a project documenting "the earliest form of commercial pop music in England" More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1784 - George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Peelite: 1852-55) and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1841-46), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1860) 1865 - Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author, politician, and freedom fighter, born in Dhudike, British India (d. 1928) 1886 - Marthe Bibesco, Romanian-French writer, socialite, and political hostess, born in Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania (d. 1973) 1928 - Martin Sinnatt, British army Major-General (Korean War), and administrator (Secretary and CEO of the Kennel Club, 1984-93), born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England (d. 2022) 1986 - Shruti Haasan, Indian actress and one of the highest paid South Indian cinema actresses, born in Madras, India More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1932 - Franz Xavier Arens, German-American conductor and composer (Cleveland Philharmonic), dies at 75 1939 - W. B. Yeats, Irish poet (Wild Swans at Coole-Nobel 1923), dies at 73 1947 - Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-French singer, composer, conductor, and music critic, dies at 72 2005 - Jim Capaldi, British drummer, singer, and songwriter (Traffic - "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"), dies of stomach cancer at 60 2014 - Fernand Leduc, Canadian abstract expressionist painter (Les Automatistes), and teacher, dies of cancer at 97 More Famous Deaths »

1302 - Dante becomes a Florentine political exile 1927 - Australian Championships Women's Tennis, Melbourne: Esna Boyd wins title after 5 consecutive runner-up finishes; beats Sylvia Lance Harper 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 1951 - US begins 126 nuclear tests at Nevada Test Site 1964 - South African cricket batsmen Eddie Barlow (201) and Graeme Pollock (175) combine for a 341-run stand in the 4th Tests against Australia at the Adelaide Oval 1973 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gordon McKellen Jr 1982 - Philadelphia Phillies trade shortstop Larry Bowa and infielder Ryne Sandberg to Chicago Cubs for second baseman Ivan DeJesus 1986 - 13th American Music Awards: Whitney Houston, Huey Lewis and Crystal Gayle 2013 - NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii: NFC beats AFC, 62-35; MVP: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings, TE More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1671 - Welsh pirate Henry Morgan lands at the gates of Panama City 1864 - Civil War skirmish at Kelly's Ford, Virginia 1917 - Coen de Koning wins 2nd official 11 cities race (9:53) (record) 1961 - Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson beats fellow Australian Rod Laver 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 for his first Grand Slam title 1996 - Australian Open Women's Tennis: Monica Seles beats Anke Huber of Germany 6-4, 6-1 for her first and only Grand Slam victory after her stabbing More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1918 - William Seawell, American Army Brigadier General and CEO of Pan Am, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (d. 2005) 1936 - Barry C. Barish, American Physicist (Nobel Prize 2017, gravitational waves), born in Omaha, Nebraska 1955 - Eugene Jarvis, American video game designer (Cruis’n USA, Cruis’n World), born in Palo Alto, California 1962 - Roberto Paci Dalò, Italian writer, theater director, visual artist, and composer, born in Rimini, Italy 1965 - Alan Cumming, Scottish stage and screen actor (X2, The Good Wife), born in Aberfeldy, Scotland More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 847 - Sergius II, Pope (844-47), dies 1773 - Philippe Buache, French geographer and cartographer (pioneered use of contour lines), dies at 72 1921 - Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29 1970 - Lawren Harris, Canadian landscape painter (South Shore, Baffin Island; The Old Stump), and co-founder of the Group of Seven, dies at 84 1995 - Willem R "Wim" van der Zee, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of the Netherlands, dies at 64 More Famous Deaths »