CoM Moderators

Historical Events 1931 - Chuhei Numbu of Japan, sets then long jump record at 26' 2½" 1957 - WPTA TV channel 21 in Fort Wayne, IN (ABC) begins broadcasting 1986 - Paul McCartney releases single "Pretty Little Head" 1992 - Tipper Gore, wife of future Vice President Al Gore, admits to covering the clock on her VCR with black tape so she doesn't have to watch it blink 2024 - A long-lost waltz by Frédéric Chopin is reportedly rediscovered after 200 years at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1842 - Giovanni Giolitti, 5x Prime Minister of Italy (1892-93, 1903-05, 1906-09, 1911-14, 1920-21), born in Mondovì, Kingdom of Sardinia (d. 1928) 1944 - Bob Flick, American folk musician (The Brother Four - "Greenfields"), born in Indianapolis, Indiana 1951 - K. K. Downing, British rock guitarist (Judas Priest - "Breakin' The Law"), born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England 1964 - Mary T. Meagher, American swimmer (3 x Olympic gold 100/200m butterfly, 4x100m medley 1984; WR 100/200m butterfly 1981), born in Louisville, Kentucky 1986 - Matty Pattison, South African footballer (Whickham), born in Johannesburg, South Africa More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1617 - Ralph Winwood, English politician (b. 1563) 1789 - John Cook, American farmer and Governor of Delaware (b. 1730) 1935 - Ernest Eldridge, British auto racer (world land speed record 1924 at Arpajon, France; 1 mile −145.89 mph), dies from pneumonia at 40 1999 - Charlotte Perriand, French architect and furniture designer (Unité d'habitation), dies at 96 2006 - Joe Niekro, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1979; NL wins leader 1979; Houston Astros; World Series 1987; NY Yankees), dies from a brain aneurysm at 61 More Famous Deaths »

1366 - Comet 55P/1366 U1 (Tempel-Tuttle) approaches within 0.0229 astronomical units of Earth 1912 - Woolwich Foot Tunnel under the Thames river in England opens 1913 - Dictator Victoriano Huerta elected president of Mexico 1957 - USSR fires Defense Minister Marshal Georgy Zhukov 1966 - US aircraft carrier Oriskany catches fire at Gulf on Tonken, 43 die 1969 - WHMA (now WJSU) TV channel 40 in Anniston, AL (CBS) 1st broadcast 2000 - Laurent Gbagbo takes over as president of Côte d'Ivoire following a popular uprising against President Robert Guéï 2015 - "Spectre", 24th James Bond film, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig premieres in London More Historical Events »

Historical Events 740 - An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing damage to city walls and buildings 1926 - Belgium stabilizes current value of franc (5 franc becomes 1 "Belga") 1968 - KMIR TV channel 36 in Palm Springs, CA (NBC) begins broadcasting 1972 - Edwin Land introduces the first truly instant camera the Polaroid SX-70 camera at an event in Miami, Florida 1981 - British rock band Queen and David Bowie release their serendipitous collaborative single "Under Pressure" More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1886 - Hermann Unger, German composer, music journalist, pedagogue and administrator (Rheinische Musikschule), born in Kamenz, Germany (d. 1958) 1930 - John Arden, English novelist and playwright (Left Handed Liberty), born in Barnsley, England (d. 2012) 1965 - Kelly Rowan, Canadian actress (Kirsten Cohen in "The O.C."), born in Ottawa, Ontario 1967 - Shelly Stokes, American softball catcher (Olympic gold 1996), born in Sacramento, California 1981 - Sam Brown, American comedian (The Whitest Kid U'Know), born in Sandwich, Massachusetts More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1902 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American women's rights activist, abolitionist and writer, dies of heart failure at 86 1975 - Herman van San, Belgian classical and electro-acoustic composer, dies at 46 1990 - Guus Jansen, Dutch pianist, Hammond organist, and popular song composer ("Net als Toen" - Eurovison, 1957), dies at 79 2004 - Bobby Ávila, Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (MLB All-Star 1952, 54, 55; AL batting champion 1954; Cleveland Indians), dies of diabetes and lung ailment at 80 2005 - David Townsend, American session and touring RandB guitarist (Isley Brothers; Port Authority; Surface - "Shower Me With Your Love"), and songwriter, dies at 50 More Famous Deaths »

1925 - Rightist German ministers disavows Treaty of Locarno 1941 - 16,000 Jews massacred in Odessa, Ukraine 1968 - East German swimmer Roland Matthes wins the 200m backstroke gold medal in Olympic record 2:09.6 at the Mexico City Games; wraps up backstroke double 1984 - "Give My Regards to Broad Street" premieres (Gotham Theater-NYC) 2004 - Fidel Castro, Cuba's President, announces that transactions using the American Dollar will be banned by November 8 2016 - Paul Beatty becomes the 1st American to win the Man Booker Prize for his novel "The Sellout" 2017 - The first fossil of an ichthyosaur (a marine reptile, 152 million years old) is found in India, according to a report published in the PLOS ONE science journal 2021 - Elon Musk makes a record $25 billion in one day pushing his estimated worth to $255.2 billion, likely making him the richest person ever according to Forbes More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1666 - Brandenburg, Brunswick, Denmark and The Netherlands form anti-French Quadruple Alliance 1930 - Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) begins 1st scheduled US transcontinental air service between NYC and Los Angeles, California; 30 hour trip includes overnight stop in Kansas City, Missouri 1984 - "Give My Regards to Broad Street" premieres (Gotham Theater-NYC) 1990 - NY Daily News goes on strike (lasts through March, 1991) 2024 - MLB World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman hits 1st 'walk-off' grand slam in World Series history in 6-3 win over New York Yankees in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1884 - Eduardo Barrios, Chilean novelist (The Love-Crazed Boy), born in Valparaíso, Chile (d. 1963) 1912 - Jack Kent Cooke, Canadian entrepreneur, NFL team owner (Washington Redskins), born in Hamilton, Canada (d. 1997) 1973 - Steve White, American football defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Memphis, Tennessee 1975 - Zadie Smith, British novelist (White Teeth; On Beauty; Swing Time), born in Brent, London, England 1981 - Austin John Winkler, American rock singer (Hinder, 2001-13), and songwriter, born in Oklahoma City More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1647 - Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist (inventor of barometer), dies at 39 1760 - George II [Georg August], King of Great Britain and Ireland (1727-60), Elector of Hanover, dies of thoracic aortic dissection at 76 1806 - Henry Knox, American general (Continental Army and later the United States Army) and 1st US Secretary of War (1785-94), dies at 56 after swallowing a chicken bone which lodged in his throat and caused a fatal infection 1895 - Charles Hallé, Anglo-German pianist, conductor and founder (Halle Orchestra), dies at 76 2022 - Brian Robinson, English cyclist (Tour de France: first Briton to finish 1955; first stage winner 1957), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »

1856 - Constitution of South Australia is adopted 1885 - "World Championship" Baseball Series, Cincinnati Base Ball Grounds: St. Louis Browns beat Chicago White Stockings 13–4 in Game 7; disputed series tied at 3-3-1 1924 - Christian General Feng Joe Siang occupies Beijing 1954 - Britain's Mike Hawthorn wins the season-ending Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes; Argentine Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio wins his second Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship by 17 points from countryman José Froilán González 1956 - The Associated Press names Cincinnati manager Birdie Tebbetts the National League Manager of the Year 1970 - Nancy Walker creates Ida Morgenstein role on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" 1986 - Great Britain cuts diplomatic relations with Syria 2018 - Indian cricketer Virat Kohli becomes the 12th and the fastest to score 10,000 runs in one day international matches, taking just 205 innings More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1899 - Battle of Rietfontein, South Africa: Boers vs. British army 1913 - Joe Tinker fired as Cincinnati Reds manager 1956 - Margaret Towner becomes the first woman to be ordained into the Presbyterian Church in the US (PCUSA) 1976 - First Toronto International Film Festival opens 2021 - COVID-19 cases in Eastern Europe surpass 20 million, with Russia, Ukraine, and Romania among the top five countries reporting deaths globally More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1939 - Uri Sharvit, Israeli composer, born in Jerusalem 1954 - Perry Lee "Tiny" Tavares, American rocker, born in Providence, Rhode Island 1960 - Wolfgang Güllich, German rock climber, born in Ludwigshafen, West Germany (d. 1992) 1962 - Jay Novacek, American NFL tight end (Dallas Cowboys), born in Martin, South Dakota 1984 - Kaela Kimura, Japanese model and singer (Rirura Riruha), born in Adachi, Tokyo More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1869 - Joseph Jackson Lister, British optician who perfected the optical microscope by designing the achromatic objective lens, dies at 83 1952 - Frederick Jacobi, American composer, dies at 61 1994 - Alexandr Nikolaievich Shelepin, dir of KGB (1958-61), dies 2008 - Ankie Peypers, Dutch author and poet, dies at 80 2020 - Kevin McCarra, Scottish sports journalist (The Guardian, Scotland on Sunday, The Times), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 62 More Famous Deaths »

1702 - Battle of Bay of Vigo: Dutch and English fleet destroy and occupy Spanish silver fleet and French squadron 1944 - First Central Kitchen opens in Amsterdam 1952 - Charlie Chaplin's "Limelight", starring himself and Claire Bloom, with an appearance by Buster Keaton, premieres in New York City; Not released in Los Angeles until 1972, winning Chaplin his only competitive Academy Award for original score 1953 - WTRF TV channel 7 in Wheeling-Steubenville, WV (CBS) 1st broadcast 1962 - WCIV TV channel 4 in Charleston, South Carolina (NBC) begins broadcasting 1977 - New York City Marathon: defending champion Bill Rodgers wins in 2:11:38; Miki Gorman retains women's title in 2:43:10 1998 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat agree to the Wye River Memorandum, resuming implementation of the stalled Oslo II Accord which established a level of self-government for Palestine; signed at the White House, In Washington D.C. 2022 - Brock Purdy plays against the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing for 66 yards and an interception More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1850 - First US National Women's Rights convention opens in Brinley Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts 1853 - Maastricht-Aken railway in Netherlands opens 1971 - Three Catholic civilians are shot dead by the British Army during an attempted robbery in Newry, County Down 1989 - Browns' Bernie Kosar sets club record with a 97-yard TD pass 2007 - Rounder Records releases "Raising Sand", a collaborative album by American bluegrass singer Alison Krauss and British rock vocalist Robert Plant; tops the chart in Norway, peaks at #2 in US, UK, and Sweden More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1794 - Joseph Panny, Austrian violinist and composer, born in Kollmitzberg, Austria (d. 1838) 1805 - John Russell Bartlett, American linguist and historian known for his "Dictionary of Americanisms", born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1886) 1941 - Igor Smirnov, Transnistrian politician, President of breakaway region of Moldova, born in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Soviet Union 1945 - Kim Larsen, Danish rock singer ("In the Middle of the Night"), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2018) 1991 - Mako of Akishino, Japanese former princess of the imperial family who gave up her title upon marriage, born in Toyko More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1928 - François Victor Alphonse Aulard, French historian, dies at 79 1944 - Charles Glover Barkla, English physicist (1917 Nobel Prize for Physics for X-ray scattering), dies at 67 1950 - Al Jolson [Asa Yoelson], American-Lithuanian jazz singer and silent film actor (Mamie, Swanee), dies at 64 1995 - Gavin Ewart, English poet (Pleasures of the Flesh), dies at 79 2020 - W. C. Gorden, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Jackson State University, 1976-91, record 119–48–5), dies at 90 More Famous Deaths »

362 - The temple of Apollo at Daphne, outside of Antioch, is destroyed in a mysterious fire 1932 - Charles de Broqueville becomes premier of Belgium 1979 - Deposed Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi arrives in NYC for medical treatment 1980 - 4th government of Martens forms in Belgium 1988 - Elton John sells out Madison Square Garden in New York City for a record 26th time 2001 - MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Seattle Mariners, 4 games to 1 2019 - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agree deal to jointly control former Kurdish territory in Northern Syria 2024 - Construction of the cube-shaped Mukaab skyscraper, designed to be the world's largest building, standing 400 meters tall and wide, begins in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1884 - International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. adopts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) worldwide and creates 24 international time zones with longitude zero at the Greenwich Meridian 1930 - Blake and Razaf's "Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930" premieres in NYC 1938 - Chester Carlson conducts the first successful experiment in electrophotography and later sells it to the Haloid Company, now known as Xerox Corporation, which names it xerography 1968 - Apollo 7 returns to Earth 1997 - NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky's wife Janet is knocked unconscious and gets 2 stitches after plexiglass falls on her watching a game More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1894 - Méi Lánfāng [Lan], Chinese opera performer known as "Queen of Peking Opera" for his portrayal of female roles, born in Beijing, China (d. 1961) 1908 - Helmut Gollwitzer, German anti-Nazi theologian and pacifist, born in Pappenheim, Bavaria (d. 1993) 1920 - Timothy Leary, American psychologist and advocate for psychedelic drug use, born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1996) 1952 - Greg Hawkes, American rock keyboardist (The Cars - "Shake it Up"; "Drive"), born in Fulton, Maryland 1974 - Tim Kinsella, American singer-songwriter (Cap'n Jazz; Owls), and visual artist, born in Chicago, Illinois More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1792 - Guillaume Le Gentil, French astronomer, dies at 67 1871 - Roderick Murchison, Scottish Geologist (Silurian system), dies at 79 1937 - Frank Damrosch, German-American author and music teacher (founded New York Musical Institute of Musical Art, later Julliard), dies at 88 2001 - Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcycle racer and journalist ("Motorcycle Sport", "The History of Famous Makes of Motorcycle"), dies from a heart attack at 80 2020 - Matt Blair, American football linebacker (6 × Pro Bowl 1977–82; First-team All-Pro 1980; Minnesota Vikings), dies from dementia complications at 70 More Famous Deaths »

1899 - Battle of Elandslaagte, Natal (Boers vs. British Army) 1915 - First transatlantic radiotelephone message, Arlington, Virginia, to Paris 1947 - Dutch Dakota explodes near Copenhagen, killing 16 people 1950 - Tom Powers of Duke scores six touchdowns 1966 - 116 children and 28 adults die as a coal waste heap slides and engulfs a school in Aberfan, South Wales 2001 - MLB National League Championship: Arizona Diamondbacks beat Atlanta Braves 4-1 2003 - Images of Eris are taken by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz, leading to the discovery of the dwarf planet 2024 - Australian independent indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe shouts at King Charles, "You are not our king" and "This is not your land" during the king's visit to the Australian Parliament in Canberra More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1568 - Second Altenburg sermon: Philippists/Gnesio-Lutherans 1897 - Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago is dedicated 1959 - Players Association approves two All-Star Games in 1960 to be held in Kansas City and New York 1975 - Mexico City's first major subway accident takes 26 lives 1982 - Private funeral service held for Bess Truman, former First Lady of the United States More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1757 - Pierre Augereau, Marshal of France and duc de Castiglione during the Napoleonic Wars, born in Paris, France (d. 1816) 1827 - Peter Paul Maria Alberdingk Thijm, Dutch historian and writer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1904) 1926 - Bob Rosburg, American golfer, analyst (PGA Championship 1959), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2009) 1943 - Paula Kelly, American dancer, choreographer, and actress (Night Court, 1984 - "Liz"), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2020) 1995 - Doja Cat [Amala Dlamini], American rapper and singer-songwriter ("Get Into It (Yuh)"; "Paint the Town Red"), born in Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1422 - Charles VI, King of France (1380-1422) known as "the Beloved", dies at 54 1992 - Jackson Weaver, voice of Smokey the Bear, dies of diabetes 1995 - Shannon Hoon, American vocalist (Blind Melon), dies of a drug overdose at 28 1995 - Linda Goodman, American astrologer and poet, dies from complications of diabetes at 70 2011 - Edmundo Ros, Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician and arranger, dies at 100 More Famous Deaths »

1839 - Margaret Fuller is appointed editor of new US Transcendental Magazine "The Dial" 1862 - Amnesty is proclaimed for escaped slaves of Suriname 1911 - Helen Hayes Theater (Folies Bergere) opens at 210 W 46th St, New York City 1939 - "All the Things You Are" is recorded by Tommy Dorsey Orchestra 1963 - South Africa begins the trial of Nelson Mandela and eight others on conspiracy charges 1964 - Ann Packer of Great Britain runs a world record 2:01.1 to win the women's 800 m gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics 1984 - Cleveland Metroparks' Valley Parkway All Purpose Trails is completed 2023 - Claim that the world's oldest pyramid constructed by humans is under the Indonesian prehistoric site of Gunung Padang, West Java, and is 27,000 years old causes controversy More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1905 - Great General Strike in Russia begins and lasts 11 days 1935 - Communist forces end their Long March at Yan'an in Shaanxi, China, bringing Mao Zedong to prominence 1973 - Mariette Hartley appears on "The Bob Newhart Show" in the episode "Have You Met Miss Dietz?" 2018 - President Trump threatens to pull the US out of an arms control agreement with Russia because Russia violated its terms 2018 - All-England Lawn Tennis Club announces tie break to be used when scores reach 12-12 in deciding set at Wimbledon More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1882 - Bela Lugosi [Blaskó], Austrian actor (Dracula, Plan 9 From Outer Space), born in Lugos, Austro-Hungarian Empire (d. 1956) 1927 - Joyce Brothers, American pop psychologist ($64,000 Question, Naked Gun), born in New York City (d. 2013) 1931 - Jules Eskin, American cellist (Boston Symphony, 1964-2016), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2016) 1969 - Herman Moore, American NFL wide receiver (Detroit Lions), born in Danville, Virginia 1977 - Sam Witwer, American actor (Battlestar Galactica, Riverdale), born in Glenview, Illinois More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1676 - Christopher Gibbons, British composer, dies at 61 1955 - Eino Roiha, Finnish pianist, composer, and musicologist dies at 51 2003 - Jack Elam, American actor (The Dakotas, East Street, Rio Lobo), dies at 82 2007 - Max McGee, American football wide receiver, punter (NFL C'ship 1961, 62, 65, 66, 67; Super Bowl I, II; Pro Bowl 1961; Green Bay Packers), dies at 75 2013 - Lawrence Klein, American economist who created computer models to forecast economic trends (1980 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences), dies at 93 More Famous Deaths »

615 - Pope Deusdedit [Adeodatus I] elected to succeed Boniface IV as Catholic Pope 1901 - Alberto Santos-Dumont proves airships are maneuverable by circling the Eiffel Tower in his airship No. 6, winning the Deutsch Prize and 100,000 francs 1915 - Russia and Italy declare war on Bulgaria 1932 - Jimmie Foxx wins the AL MVP, and Chuck Klein wins the NL MVP 1943 - Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey 2004 - Care International aid worker Margaret Hassan is kidnapped in Iraq 2005 - MLB National League Championship: Houston Astros beat St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 2019 - Chilean President Sebastián Piñera declares a 15-day state of emergency following widespread and violent protests over an increase in public transport costs More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1781 - Edict of Toleration issued by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, providing limited freedom of worship for non-Roman Catholic Christians 1888 - Moshav Gedera is attacked by Arabs 1983 - Grenadian Army General Hudson Austin forms a "revolutionary council" 1988 - Three Americans win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and three West Germans win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 - MLB New York Yankees win ALCS over Cleveland Guardians on the strength of Juan Soto's 10th-inning 3-run homer at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio; a 4-1 series win sends Yankees to World Series for the first time since 2009 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1784 - Leigh Hunt, English poet, critic and journalist (Romantic Movement, "Jenny Kissed Me”), born in Southgate, England (d. 1859) 1918 - Charles Evans, British mountaineer and surgeon (deputy leader 1953 British Everest expedition, led 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition), born in Liverpool, England (d. 1995) 1931 - John le Carré [pen name for David Cornwell], English novelist (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold), born in Poole, England (d. 2020) 1956 - Sunny Deol [Ajay Singh Deol], Indian actor (Ghayal), born in Sahnewal, Punjab, India 1999 - Abigail Morris, British musician and lead singer of The Last Dinner Party (2020-present), born in London More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 727 - Saint Frideswide, patron saint of Oxford, England 1954 - Hugh Duffy, American Baseball HOF outfielder (Triple Crown and MLB record .440 batting average, single season 1894 Boston Beaneaters), dies from heart failure at 87 1972 - Dr. Fredrick Arthur Willius, American cardiologist and medical historian, dies from bladder cancer at 83 1993 - Dionisio Herrero, Spanish air force general, murdered 2013 - Ronald Shannon Jackson, American avant-garde jazz and funk drummer, and composer (Cecil Taylor; Last Exit; Decoding Society), dies of leukemia at 73 More Famous Deaths »

1016 - Danes led by Cnut defeat the Saxon forces of Edmund Ironside at the Battle of Assandun (Ashingdon), completing their conquest of England 1767 - Boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, the Mason–Dixon line, is agreed upon 1918 - NHL's Quebec Bulldogs are sold to Toronto businessman P. J. Quinn 1946 - First performance of Aaron Copland's Third Symphony by the Boston Symphony Orchestra led by Serge Koussevitzky, often called the "Great American Symphony" 1953 - WTVK TV channel 26 in Knoxville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting 1954 - Hurricane Hazel becomes the most severe to ever hit the US, killing 195 in the US and Canada 1979 - Stage musical "Beatlemania" opens in London 2023 - Climate activist Greta Thunberg is arrested at a demonstration outside an oil conference in London More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1240 - Ukrainian city of Chernihiv surrenders, but despite this, it is still sacked and pillaged by the Mongolian army of Batu 1912 - The Treaty of Lausanne ends the Italo-Turkish War; Italy annexes Libya 1921 - Charles Strite is granted US patent #1,394,450 for his invention, the automatic pop-up toaster 1931 - Gangster Al Capone is convicted on five of the 23 counts of tax evasion against him, later fined $50,000 and sentenced to 11 years in prison 1979 - USSR performs a nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeastern Kazakhstan More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1844 - Harvey W. Wiley, American chemist known for leadership in the passage of the landmark Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, born in Kent, Indiana (d. 1930) 1870 - D. T. Suzuki, Japanese-American Zen Buddhist scholar, born in Kanazawa, Japan (d. 1966) 1947 - (John) "JJ" Johnson, American NBA basketball player, 1970-82 (Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and 2 other teams), born in Carthage, Mississippi (d. 2016) 1948 - Isabel Elaine Allen, American biostatistician known for her work on distance education, born in the United States 1960 - Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian actor (Double Impact, Kickboxer, No Retreat), born in Brussels, Belgium More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1570 - Manoel da Nóbrega, Portuguese missionary, founder of the Jesuit mission in Brazil, dies at 53 1788 - Jean-Guillain Cardon, French harpist, composer, and teacher, dies at 56 1845 - Jean-Dominique, comte de Cassini, French astronomer, dies at 97 1997 - Bill Rotsler, cartoonist/writer, dies of cancer at 62 2000 - Julie London, American singer ("Cry Me A River") and actress (Emergency - "Nurse McCall"), dies at 74 More Famous Deaths »

415 - Jewish autonomy in Palestine ended by the Romans and Raban Gamliel forced from office 1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in the US as a refugee from Nazi Germany 1960 - "Tenderloin" opens at the 46th Street Theatre in New York City and runs for 216 performances 1964 - Australian athlete Betty Cuthbert wins her fourth career Olympic gold medal as she triumphs in the women's 400 m at the Tokyo Games with an Olympic record of 52.0 1983 - STS-9 vehicle moves to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida due to an SRB nozzle problem 1988 - Lyndon LaRouche pleads not guilty to fraud and conspiracy indictment 1990 - Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong drops out of school to pursue a career in music 2010 - Brother André is the first Canadian to be canonized post-Federation by Pope Benedict XVI More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1888 - Thomas Edison writes a letter to the US Patent Office describing his idea for "a device that would do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear" 1968 - Soviet athlete Viktor Saneev sets a world record of 17.39m to win the triple jump at the Mexico City Olympics; the world record is improved five times by three different athletes during the competition 1970 - Anwar Sadat is sworn in as the third President of Egypt 2008 - Sachin Tendulkar becomes the highest run-scorer ever in Test cricket, surpassing Brian Lara's record and passing 12,000 runs against Australia in Mohali 2015 - Amy Schumer's comedy special "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo" premieres on HBO More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1878 - Henri Mulet, French organist, cellist, and composer (Carillon-Sortie; Esquisses Byzantines), born in Paris, France (d. 1967) 1886 - Spring Byington, American actress (December Bride), born in Colorado Springs (d. 1971) 1926 - Julie Adams [Betty May Adams], American actress (Creature from the Black Lagoon; Code Red), born in Waterloo, Iowa (d. 2019) 1957 - Steve McMichael, American College-Pro Football HOF defensive tackle (University of Texas; Super Bowl XX; First-team All-Pro 1985, 87; Pro Bowl 1986, 87; Chicago Bears), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2025) 1957 - (Giuseppe) "Pino" Palladino, Italian-Welsh session and touring rock bassist (Paul Young; The Who; John Mayer Trio), born in Cardiff, Wales More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1985 - Joseph Rosenstock, American conductor (NY City Opera), dies at 90 1999 - Ralph Grey, Baron Grey of Naunton, Governor of Northern Ireland (1968-73), dies at 89 2001 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete (Olympic gold shot put, discus; bronze high jump 1948), dies at 78 2009 - Vic Mizzy, American composer ("Green Acres" and "The Addams Family" themes), and bandleader, dies at 93 2017 - Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), dies at 95 More Famous Deaths »

1848 - First US homeopathic medical college opens in Pennsylvania 1875 - Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah 1982 - Mt. Palomar Observatory is the first to detect Halley's Comet on its 13th return 1985 - Intel introduces the 32-bit 80386 microprocessor chip 1988 - Orel Hirsheiser becomes the first player to pitch shutout in playoff and World Series 1991 - Jharkhand Chhatra Yuva Morcha is founded at a conference in Ranchi, India 1993 - General Omar al-Bashir is appointed President of Sudan 1993 - IRA bomb attack on fish and chips restaurant in Belfast kills 10 people More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1710 - British troops occupy Port Royal, Nova Scotia 1964 - New York Yankees fire manager Yogi Berra, one day after losing the World Series 1973 - The Gulf Six (Iran, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar) unilaterally raise the posted price of Saudi Light marker crude oil by 17 percent 1994 - "Addams Family" actor Raul Julia suffers a stroke 2017 - Storm formed from Hurricane Ophelia lashes Ireland, killing three people More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1714 - Giovanni Arduino, Italian geologist who established 1st system of stratigraphic chronology, born in Caprino Veronese, Republic of Venice (d. 1795) 1906 - Dino Buzzati, Italian writer (The Tartar Steppe), born in San Pellegrino, Belluno, (d. 1972) 1944 - Paul Durcan, Irish poet (The Beckett at the Gate, Six Nuns Die in Convent Inferno), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2025) 1945 - Paul Monette, American writer and LBT activist, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (d. 1995) 1980 - Sue Bird, American basketball guard (record 508 WNBA games, Seattle Storm; Olympic gold 2004, 08, 12, 16, 20), born in Syosset, New York More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1883 - Samuel Jameson Gholson, American jurist and Brigadier General in the Confederate Army, dies at 75 1946 - Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi foreign minister and war criminal, hanged at 53 1958 - Michalis Souyioul [Michail Sougioultzoglou], Greek composer and songwriter, chiefly for theater and film, dies of a stroke at 52 1981 - Moshe Dayan, Israeli military leader and politician (Minister of Defense 1967-74), dies of a heart attack at 66 1990 - Jorge Bolet, Cuban-born American pianist known for his performances of the work of Franz Liszt, dies at 75 More Famous Deaths »

1783 - Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier makes the first tethered balloon ascent 1877 - First session of the US 45th Congress (1877-79) convenes in Washington, D.C. 1919 - Fourteen horses begin a 300-mile race from Vermont to Massachusetts for a $1,000 prize 1940 - Heavy German air raid on London kills 400 people 1967 - The Motherland Calls, a monumental statue commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad, is completed in Volgograd, Russia, and is then the world's tallest statue, designed by Yevgeny Vuchetich 1968 - Al Oerter of the US wins the men's discus with an Olympic record of 64.78 m at the Mexico City Games, achieving his unprecedented fourth consecutive Olympic discus title 1970 - Anwar Sadat is elected as the third President of Egypt, succeeding the late Gamal Abdel Nasser 1987 - Lanford Wilson's play "Burn This" premieres in New York City More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1660 - Asser Levy is granted a butcher's license for kosher meat in New Amsterdam 1968 - American sprinter Wyomia Tyus wins her second consecutive Olympic 100 m title with a world record of 11.08 seconds, beating teammate Barbara Ferrell by 0.08 seconds for the gold medal at the Mexico City Games 1979 - The NY Knicks retire Walt Frazier's number 10, the second number retired by the Knicks 1987 - The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England 2000 - Larry David's comedy show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" debuts on HBO More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1934 - N. Ramani, Indian flutist, born in Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, British India (d. 2015) 1935 - Bobby Morrow, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay 1956), born in Brownsville, Texas (d. 2020) 1953 - Larry Miller, American comedian and actor (Larry-Pursuit Of Happiness), born in New York City 1968 - Didier Deschamps, French footballer and manager who won the World Cup for France both as captain (1988) and as manager (2018), born in Bayonne, France 1980 - Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist (2005 World Road Race Champion), born in Mol, Belgium More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1891 - William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 54 1910 - Larkin Goldsmith Mead, American sculptor who worked in Florence, dies at 75 1991 - Hotze de Roos, Dutch children's book writer (Chameleon series), dies at 81 1993 - Ken E. Jones, musician (New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra), dies of AIDS at 34 2003 - Ben Metcalfe, Canadian environmental activist (helped found Greenpeace), dies at 83 More Famous Deaths »