Today in History for 31st July 2024

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Historical Events

1741 - Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.
1809 - First practical US railroad track is laid in Philadelphia. It is made of wood and designed for horse-drawn cars.
1852 - Hottest July in Netherlands since at least 1783 (68.4°F (20.2°C) avg)
1978 - Gunman shoots his way into Iraqi Embassy in Paris
1988 - Oakland DH Jose Canseco smacks 2 home runs off Scott Bankhead in A's 6-2 win over Seattle Mariners; becomes first MLB player to hit 30 HRs in first 3 years
1992 - Three world record swims on final night session at the Barcelona Olympics; Australian Kieren Perkins 1,500m (14:43.4); Tamás Darnyi of Hungary 200m backstroke (1:59.36); China's Yang Wenyi women's 50m freestyle (24.79)

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Famous Birthdays

1916 - Billy Hitchcock, American baseball infielder, manager, official (Detroit Tigers; president Double-A Southern League 1971–80), born in Inverness, Alabama (d. 2006)
1919 - Hemu Adhikari, Indian cricket batsman (21 Tests; HS 114 1st Test v WI 1948), born in Pune, Maharashtra (d. 2003)
1922 - Lucy Killea, American Californian politician who supported pro-choice, born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2017)
1944 - Sherry Lansing, American actress (China Syndrome, Black Rain), born in Chicago, Illinois
1967 - Tony Massenburg, American NBA forward who played for 12 different teams, born in Sussex, Virginia
1976 - Marty Booker, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 2002, Chicago Bears), born in Jonesboro, Louisiana

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Famous Deaths

1508 - Na'od, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1494)
1566 - Bartholome de Casas, Spanish historian/bishop of Chiapa, dies at 92
1940 - Whitey Krakow [or Krakower], American gangster and hitman (Murder Inc), murdered by "Bugsy" Siegel
1994 - G de Ru, chairman of Dutch Reformed Synode, dies
1998 - Barbara Giuranna, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 98
2003 - John Aston Sr., English soccer striker (17 caps; Manchester United 253 games), dies at 81

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