Today in the Past
Events
13 - General Tiberius’ (later Emperor) triumphant procession through Rome after siege of Germany
534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published.
1380 - French King Charles VI declares no taxes for ever
1384 - Jadwiga is crowned King of Poland, although she is a woman.
1532 - Pizarro captures Incan emperor Atahualpa after victory at Cajamarca
1632 - Battle at Lutzen: Sweden beats imperial armies under Von Wallenstein
1676 - 1st colonial prision organized, Nantucket Mass
1677 - French troops occupy Freiburg
1764 - Native Americans surrender to British in Indian War of Chief Pontiac
1776 - 1st gun salute for an American warship in a foreign port – US Andrew Doria at Ft St Eustatius
1776 - British troops captured Fort Washington during American Revolution
1798 - Kentucky becomes 1st state to nullify an act of Congress
1801 - 1st edition of New York Evening Post
1805 - Battle at Schongrabern: Russian army stop French
1835 - Charles Darwins voyage published in Cambridge Philosophical Society
1841 - Life preservers made of cork are patented by Napoleon Guerin (NYC)
1849 - A Russian court sentences Fyodor Dostoevsky to death for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group; his sentence is later commuted to hard labor.
1863 - Battle of Campbell’s Station TN, 492 casualities
1864 - Confederate retreat at Lovejoy, Georgia
1875 - Battle at Gundet: Ethiopian emperor Yohannes beats Egyptians
1885 - Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and “Father of Manitoba”, Louis Riel is executed for treason aged 41.
1894 - 6,000 Armenians massacred by Turks in Kurdistan
1894 - French capt Henri Decoeurs troops reach Nikki West Africa
1901 - 3 autos race on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, fastest speed achieved by Henry Fournier who drives a mile in 51 4/5 seconds
1907 - Oklahoma becomes the United States 46th state
1914 - Federal Reserve System formally opens
1916 - USSR La Satannaya ammunitions factory explodes, killing 1,000
1917 - British occupy Tel Aviv & Jaffa
1919 - Admiral Horthy conquerors Budapest from Béla Kuns Soviet Republic
1920 - Australia’s Qantas airways founded in Winton, Queensland as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited
1933 - Roosevelt establishes diplomatic relations with USSR
1936 - German air force begins bombing of Madrid
1938 - LSD is first synthesized by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.
1939 - Al Capone freed from Alcatraz jail
1939 - German U-boat torpedoes tanker Sliedrecht near Ireland
1940 - World War II: In response to Germany’s leveling of Coventry, England two days before, the Royal Air Force bombs Hamburg.
1941 - German troops conquer Kertsh (probably)
1942 - Assault of US B-17 Flying Fortresses on airport at Sidi Ahmed
1943 - World War II: American bombers strike a hydro-electric power facility and heavy water factory in German-controlled Vemork, Norway.
1944 - US 9th division & 1st Army attacks at Geilenkirchen
1945 - Yeshiva College (Univesity), chartered in NY, 1st US Jewish College
1945 - UNESCO is founded.
1947 - 15,000 demonstrate in Brussels against mild sentence of nazis
1948 - Operation Magic Carpet – 1st plane from Yemen carrying Jews to Israel
1955 - 1st speed-boat to exceed 200 mph (322 kph) (D M Campbell)
1955 - Johnny Cash made his 1st chart appearance with “Cry Cry Cry”
1957 - Celtic Bill Russell sets NBA record of 49 rebounds beat Phila 111-89
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA SF Warriors scores 73 points vs NY Knicks
1963 - Touch-tone telephone introduced
1965 - Venera 3 launched, 1st to land on another planet (crashes into Venus)
1965 - Walt Disney launches Epcot Center: Prototype Community of Tomorrow
1966 - Dr Sam Sheppard freed after 9 years in jail, by a jury
1966 - Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente is named NL MVP
1969 - 1968 massacre of civilians at My lai S Vietnam, by US is 1st reported
1973 - Pres Nixon authorizes construction of Alaskan pipeline
1973 - Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit
1974 - 1st intentional interstellar radio message sent, Arecibo telescope towards M 41, a cluster of stars some 25,000 light years away
1976 - René Levesque’s “Parti Québécois” wins elections in Quebec
1976 - Rick Barry (SF), ends then longest NBA free throw streak of 60
1982 - Space Shuttle Columbia completes its 1st operational flight
1988 - Benazir Bhutto wins 1st free Pakistani elections in 11 years
1988 - Estonia declares sovereignty in internal affairs
1988 - Jose Canseco is 1st unanimous AL MVP since Reggie Jackson
1988 - Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto’s PPP wins parliamentary election
1989 - 6 Jesuit priests are killed by El Salvadorian troops
1993 - Russian President Yeltsin shuts Lenin museum
1997 - After nearly 18 years of incarceration, the People’s Republic of China releases Wei Jingsheng, a pro-democracy dissident, from jail for medical reasons.
Births
42 BC - Tiberius, Roman Emperor (d. 37 AD)
1436 - Leonardo Loredan, Doge of the Republic of Venice (d. 1521)
1569 - Paul Sartorius, composer
1642 - Cornelis Evertsen the Younger, Dutch buccaneer/lt admiral of Zeeland
1643 - Jean Chardin, French explorer (d. 1703)
1717 - Jean-Baptiste Le Rond d’Alembert, French Enlightenment philosophe/mathematician (Encyclopédie), (d. 1783)
1730 - Gualtherius “Wouter” van Doeveren, Zealand-Flanders physician
1758 - Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish author and philologist (d. 1841)
1822 - Charles Smith Hamilton, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1891
1835 - Elliott Warren Rice, Bvt Mjr General (Union volunteers), died in 1887
1836 - David Kalakaua of Hawaii, Hawaiian king (d. 1891)
1841 - Jules Violle, French physicist (d. 1923)
1873 - William Christopher Handy, Alabama, jazz/bluesman (St Louis Blues) (d. 1958)
1887 - Philip Frohman, US architect
1889 - George S Kaufman, Pittsburgh Pa, playwright (This is Show Business)
1890 - George Seldes, journalist
1892 - Guo Moruo, Chinese writer (d. 1978)
1892 - Tazio Nuvolari, Italian racing driver (d. 1953)
1893 - Cornelis J van der Klauw, Dutch biologist/zoologist
1894 - Mabel Normand, [Muriel Fortescue], Boston MA, comedienne (Mickey)
1895 - Eduard Bagritsky, [Dzhubin], Russ poet/journalist (South-West)
1899 - Mary Margaret McBride, Paris Mo, radio personality (WOR-AM, NYC)
1904 - Eddie Condon, Goodland Ind, jazz guitarist (Eddie Condon’s Floor Show)
1907 - Burgess Meredith, Cleveland Ohio, actor (Mr Novak, The Penguin in Batman, Rocky), (d. 1997)
1916 - Daws Butler, Toledo OH, animation voice (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound)
1922 - Royal Dano, NYC, actor (Red Badge of Courage, Cocaine Wars, House II)
1922 - Gene Amdahl, American computer scientist
1924 - Mel Patton, American athlete
1930 - Alice Adams, sculptor
1931 - Luciano Bottaro, Italian comic book artist (d. 2006)
1931 - Hubert Sumlin, American blues musician (died,2011)
Come On Home Baby with Sunnyland Slim
Talkin’ Blues – Hubert Sumlin Interview
Hubert Sumlin Teaches “Smokestack Lightning”
1933 - Guy Stockwell, NYC, actor (Chris-Adventures in Paradise)
1938 - Toni Brown, US guitarist/singer/keyboardist (Joy of Cooking)
1938 - Robert Nozick, American philosopher (d. 2002)
A History of the Libertarian Movement
Anarchy, State, and Robert Nozick
1942 - Donna McKechnie, Pontiac Michigan, actress/dancer (Company)
1942 - Willie Carson, Scottish jockey
1944 - Joanna Pettit, London, actress (Knots Landing, Cry of the Innocent)
1948 - Chi Coltrane, US pianist/singer
1950 - Carl J Meade, Illinos, Major USAF/astronaut (STS 38, STS 50, 64)
1950 - David Leisure, actor (Joe Isuzu, Airplane, Charley-Empty Nest)
1952 - Piero Falchetta, Italian archivist, Biblioteca Marciana
1952 - Shigeru Miyamoto, Japanese video game designer
1954 - Andrea Barrett, American author
1954 - Bruce Edwards, American golf caddy (d. 2004)
1956 - Terry Labonte, American NASCAR driver
1958 - Marg Helgenberger, North Bend Nebraska, actress (China Beach)
1958 - Roberto Guerrero, Medelin Colombia, Indy racer (Rookie of Year 1984)
1958 - Boris Krivokapić, Serbian academic
1959 - Bert Cameron, Spanish Town Jamaica, 4X400m relayer (Olympic-silv-1988)
1959 - Corey Allen Pavin, Oxnard CA, PGA golfer (1995 US Open)
1961 - Frank Bruno, British boxer (European champ)
1963 - Zina Garrison Jackson, Houston Tx, tennis star (1988/90 Wimbledon)
1964 - Dwight Gooden, Tampa FL, pitcher (NY Yankees, NY Mets)
1964 - Diana Krall, Canadian Jazz pianist and singer
You Don’t Know Me with Ray Charles
1966 - Dan Nowosielski, Montreal Quebec, fencing epee (Olympics-96)
1966 - Lisa Brown Miller, ice hockey forward (USA, Oly-98)
1966 - Tricia Cast, Medford NY, actr (Amanda-Bad News Bear, Young & Restless)
1967 - Lisa Bonet, SF, actress (Cosby Show, Different World, Angel Heart)
1968 - Melvin Stewart, US butterfly swimmer (200m record)
1970 - Martha Plimpton, NYC, actress (Goonies, Mosquito Coast)
1971 - Donald Wolf, computer game creator
1971 - Koshi Rikdo, Japanese mangaka
1973 - Joe Hudepohl, US, 800m freestyle relay (Olympics-gold-96)
1973 - Sedrick Shaw, running back (New England Patriots)
1973 - Christian Horner, British Formula One team owner
1974 - Eric Judy, American Musician
1974 - Maurizio Margaglio, Italian ice dancer
1977 - Oksana Baiul, Ukraine, figure skater (Olympic-gold-1994)
1977 - Maggie Gyllenhaal, New York, actress (Donnie Darko, The Dark Knight)
1979 - Salli Wills, Australia, gymnast (Olympics-96)
1979 - Bruce Irons, American surfer
1980 - Nicole Gius, Italian alpine skier
1980 - Carol Huynh, 2008 Canadian Gold Medalist,48 kg. wrestling
1983 - Britta Steffen, German swimmer
Deaths
1271 - Henry III, King of England (1216-71, Provisions of Oxford), dies
1328 - Prince Hisaaki, Japanese shogun (b. 1276)
1512 - Gerbrand Mockema, Fries rebel, beheaded
1512 - Jemme Herjuwsma, Fries rebel, beheaded
1548 - Caspar Cruciger, German church reformer, dies at 44
1603 - Pierre Charron, French philosopher/theologian, dies
1613 - Trajano Boccalini, Italian satirist (b. 1556)
1706 - Cornelis Evertsen, mutineer/ltalian-admiral of Zeeland, dies at 64
1745 - James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish statesman and soldier (b. 1665)
1766 - Dominikus Zimmermann, German architect/painter, dies at 81
1779 - Pehr Kalm, Finnish explorer and naturalist (b. 1716)
1790 - Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, American Continental Congressman (b. 1723)
1797 - King Frederick William II of Prussia (b. 1744) Reigns 1786-97
1806 - Moses Cleaveland, founder of Cleveland, Ohio (b. 1754)
1808 - Mustapha IV, sultan of Turkey (1807-08), dies at 29
1831 - Karl von Clausewitz, Prussian strategist (Campaign 1813), dies at 51
1907 - Robert I, Duke of Parma, last ruling Duke of Parma (b. 1848)
1922 - Max Abraham, German physicist (b. 1875)
1935 - Kurt Schindler, composer, dies at 53
1939 - Pierce Butler, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1866)
1943 - Marcel Verhamme, Belgian resistance fighter, executed
1950 - Bob Smith, American doctor, co-founder of the Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1879)
1960 - Clark Gable, actor (Gone With the Wind), dies at 59
1961 - Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House for 17 years, dies at 79
1964 - John Emery, actor (Ship Ahoy, Kronos, Mademoiselle Fifi), dies at 59
1964 - Piet Moeskops, Dutch world champion cyclist (1921-24, 26), dies at 71
1971 - Charlie Dell, comedian, dies at 90
1973 - Alan Watts, writer/popularizer of Zen, dies in Calif
1974 - Walther Meissner, German physicist (Meissner Effect), dies at 91
1981 - William Holden, actor (Network, Wild Bunch, Breezy), dies at 63
The Wild Bunch – Final Shootout
1982 - Arthur Askey, British comedian, dies at 82
1982 - Lenny Murphy, Leader of Belfast’s notorious Shankill Butchers (b. 1952)
1986 - Siobhan McKenna, actress (Dr Zhivago, Hungry Hill), dies at 63
1987 - Jim Brewer, Major League Baseball relief pitcher (b. 1937)
1993 - Achille Zavatta, French clown (b. 1915)
1994 - Dino Valente, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (b.1943)
1995 - Jack Finney, author (Body Snatchers), dies at 84
1999 - Daniel Nathans, American microbiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1928)
2001 - Tommy Flanagan, American jazz pianist (b. 1930)
2005 - Robert Tisch, American football team owner (b. 1926)
2005 - Donald Watson, English founder of the Vegan Society (b. 1910)
2005 - Henry Taube, Canadian-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
2006 - Milton Friedman, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate, dies at 94
Free To Choose Part 1 of 10 The Power of the Market Socialism is Force
on Libertarianism The Role Of Gold In Great Depression
The Road To Serfdom Power of the Market – The Pencil
2007 - Trond Kirkvaag, Norwegian comedian and author (b. 1946)
2009 - Edward Woodward, British actor (The Equalizer) (b. 1930)
2010 - Donald Nyrop, American airline executive (b. 1912)
2010 - Britton Chance, American molecular biologist and yachtsman (b. 1913)
