Today in History for 4th September 2025

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1940 - Nazi collaborator Anton Mussert puts the fate of the Netherlands in Hitler's hands
1950 - NASCAR's first paved superspeedway, Darlington Raceway, hosts the Southern 500, the first 500-mile event in NASCAR history; Johnny Mantz wins in a Plymouth
1983 - Californian skier Scott Michael Pellaton sets barefoot waterski speed record at 119.36 mph (191.51 km/h)
1998 - First "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" hosted by Chris Tarrant debuts on ITV in Britain
2012 - A "magic carpet" that can help prevent falls among the elderly by warning them of unusual footsteps is developed by researchers at the University of Manchester

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Famous Birthdays

1622 - Jacob Hintze, German composer, born in Bernau, Electorate of Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1702)
1905 - Antanas Račiūnas, Lithuanian composer and pedagogue, born in Užliaušiai, Lithuania (d. 1984)
1915 - Rudolf Schock, German opera tenor, born in Duisburg, Germany (d. 1986)
1944 - Gene Parsons, American rock drummer (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers), born in Morongo Valley, California
1948 - Samuel Hui, Hong Kong Canto-pop singer-songwriter, born in Xiguan, Guangzhou, Republic of China

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Famous Deaths

1977 - Jean Rostand, French biologist and philosopher, dies at 82
1989 - Georges Simenon, Belgian born writer and director (Maigret detective novels), dies at 86
1991 - Dottie West [Dorothy Marsh], American country singer ("Here Comes My Baby"; with Kenny Rogers - "What Are We Doin' in Love"), dies from internal injuries sustained in a car crash at 58
2010 - Paul Conrad, American cartoonist (Pulitzer 1964, 71, 84), dies at 86
2018 - Bill Daily, American actor and comedian (I Dream of Jeannie - "Roger"; The Bob Newhart Show - "Howard"), dies at 91

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