This Day in History
January 4

What happened in history on this day: January 4? On January 4 in ... 275 - Saint Eutychian begins his reign as Catholic Pope. 838 - Babak, Persian social/religious reformer, martyred. 871 - Battle at Reading: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army. 1334 - Birth of Amadeus VI [Green Earl], Earl of Savoye. 1357 - Flemish Earl Louis and Luxembourg Duke Wenceslaus sign peace treaty. 1428 - Death of Friedrich I in Altenburg, Germany; Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire. 1493 - Christopher Columbus leaves the New World, ending his first journey. 1519 - First Altenburger sermon (Luther and Karl von Miltitz). 1567 - Birth of Franciscus Aguilon physicist/mathematician/jesuit/architect. 1570 - Spanish viceroy Alva banishes Zutphen City's only physician, Joost Sweiter, "because he is a Jew". 1579 - Birth of Willem Teellinck Dutch theologist/vicar. 1581 - Birth of Bishop James Ussher Archbishop of Armagh, calculated Earth's beginning (November 23, 4004 BC). 1584 - Tobias Stimmer Swiss painter/cartoonist/playwright, dies at age 44. 1604 - Birth of Jacob Balde German jesuit/barok conductor (Jephthe). 1612 - Henry L Spieghel Dutch merchant/writer, dies at age 62. 1642 - King Charles I with 400 soldiers attacks the English parliament. 1643 - Birth of Isaac Newton in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England; physicist/mathematician/astronomer (Laws of Motion and Gravity) (dies 1727). 1675 - Birth of Bl. Liberatus (Johannes Laurentius Weiß) in Konnersreuth, Germany (near Bayreuth); missionary to Ethiopia, beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988. 1678 - Johan Maetsuyker Dutch Governor-General of Ceylon (1653-78), dies at age 71. 1695 - Duke of Luxembourg Luxembourg/French marshal, dies. 1701 - Ernst R Tarhemberg Austria, field marshal, dies at age 62. 1707 - Louis Willem I count of Baden-Baden, dies. 1710 - Birth of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Italian composer (Il Prigioniero Superbo). 1717 - Birth of Antonio Maria Mazzoni composer. 1717 - Netherlands, England and France sign Triple Alliance. 1720 - Birth of Johann Friedrich Agricola German (court)composer/organist. 1725 - Benjamin Franklin arrives in London. 1726 - Birth of Cornelis Ploos van Amstel Dutch engraver/art collector. 1729 - Joseph de Montesquiou Earl d'Artagnan French Lieutenant-General , dies at age 77. 1729 - Meir Bacharach Hebrew poet, dies. 1739 - Birth of Henrik C Cras Dutch lawyer (Laudatio Hugonis Grotii). 1745 - Willem I Kerricx the Young, Flemish architect/painter, dies at age 62. 1752 - Gabriel Cramer Swiss mathematician (paradox of Cramer), dies at age 47. 1754 - Columbia University founded, as Kings College (New York City New York). 1756 - Birth of Anne Nagell van Ampsen Dutch politician. 1759 - Birth of Maria Rosa Coccia composer. 1761 - Stephen Hales English vicar/inventor (ventilator), dies at age 83. 1762 - England declares war on Spain and Naples. 1765 - Joseph Franz Xaver Dominik Stalder composer, dies at age 39. 1772 - Birth of Paul-Louis Courier (de Méré), French writer/interpreter. 1773 - Birth of Johann Peter Heuschkel composer. 1778 - Charles D J Eisen French engraver/painter, dies at age 57. 1780 - Snowstorm hit Washington's army at Morristown New Jersey. 1781 - André Méchain discovers M80 (globular cluster in Scorpio). 1782 - Ange-Jacques Gabriel French architect (Ecole Military), dies at age 83. 1785 - Jakob Grimm is born in Hanau, Germany; linguist, published collection of German legends and a complete German grammar, worked on a complete German dictionary, he and brother Wilhelm known most for the Grimms' fairy tales. 1786 - Moses Mendelssohn Jewish/German philosopher (Haksalah), dies at age 56. 1789 - Birth of Benjamin Lundy philanthropist/abolitionist. 1793 - Bengt Lidner Swedish poet (Medea/Yttersa domen), dies at age 35. 1797 - Birth of Wilhelm Beer in Berlin, Germany; amateur astronomer, constructed first Moon map. 1799 - Galib Dede/Seyh Galib Turkish poet (Hüsn ü Ask), dies at about age 40. 1804 - Charlotte Lennox English novelist (The Female Quixote), dies. 1805 - Birth of Stephan Hale Alonzo Marsh composer. 1807 - Birth of Baltasar Saldoni composer. 1809 - Bartolomeo Giacometti composer, dies at age 67. 1809 - Birth of Louis Braille in Coupvray, France; developer (reading system for blind) (dies 1852). 1813 - Birth of Alexander Freiherr von Bach Austria attorney/premier (1852-59). 1813 - Birth of Louis L Bonaparte English/French linguist/senator. 1813 - Birth of Sir Isaac Pitman inventor (shorthand). 1821 - Birth of John James Peck Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1878. 1821 - Elizabeth Ann Seton first native-born American saint, dies in Maryland. 1822 - Birth of Joseph Jones Reynolds Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1899. 1823 - Birth of Otto van Rees Governor-General of Dutch-Indies (1884-88). 1823 - Birth of Peter Joseph Osterhaus Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1917. 1825 - Ferdinand I King of Sicily/Naples (Ferdinand IV), dies at age 73. 1831 - Nikola P Neofit Rilski Bulgaria abbot/poet, dies at age 37. 1832 - Insurrection of Trinidad negroes. 1837 - Birth of Casimiro de Abreu Brazil, poet (Camoes e o jau). 1838 - Birth of Charles Stratton [General Tom Thumb] (famous short person). 1839 - Birth of Karl Humann in Steele, Germany; archaeologist, excavated ancient Greek cities. 1843 - Gaetano Donizetti's opera "Don Pasquale" premieres in Paris. 1843 - Petronella Moens Frisian author/poetess, dies at age 80. 1843 - Royal Academy (Technical Hague court) Delft opens. 1844 - Birth of Thomas H Rollinson composer. 1847 - Birth of Hendrik Goeman Borgesius Dutch politician. 1861 - Fort Morgan, Mobile, seized by Alabama. 1861 - President Buchanan appoints a fast on account of threatened succession. 1862 - Battle of Fort Hindman, Arkansas (Arkansas Post). 1862 - Battle of Helena, Arkansas. 1862 - Romney Campaign - Stonewall Jackson occupies Bath. 1863 - Four-wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of New York. 1864 - Mateo Ferrer composer, dies at age 75. 1869 - Birth of Percy Pitt composer. 1872 - Birth of Edmund Rumpler Austria, auto/airplane builder. 1874 - Birth of Josef Suk Czech violinist/composer (Asrael). 1874 - Birth of Sven Fleuron writer. 1877 - Birth of Gibson Gowland England; actor (Blind Husbands, Phantom of the Opera). 1877 - Cornelius Vanderbilt US robber baron, dies at age 82. 1878 - Birth of Alfred Edgar Coppard England, writer (Black Dogs and Other Stories). 1880 - Anselm Feuerbach German painter, dies. 1881 - Birth of Wilhelm Lehmbruck in Meiderich, German; painter/poet/sculptor (Seated Youth). 1881 - Johannes Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture" premieres, Breslau. 1883 - Birth of Johanna Westerdijk botanist/Netherlands first female profressor (Utrecht, 1917-52). 1883 - Birth of Max F Eastman US, critic/essayist (Masses). 1883 - Nicolas Ledesma composer, dies at age 91. 1883 - Ontario Rugby Football Union (forerunner of Canadian Football League) formed. 1884 - Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario). 1885 - Dr W W Grant of Iowa, performs first appendectomy (on Mary Gartside, 22). 1885 - Eduard Yosif Kotek composer, dies at age 29. 1886 - Ernest Panckoucke French publisher (Horace), dies at age 77. 1887 - Thomas Stevens is first man to bicycle around the world (San Francisco-San Francisco); 21,700km. 1888 - Birth of Arthur Berry England, soccer player (Olympics-gold-1908, 1912). 1889 - Birth of Albertus W "Albert" van Dalsum actor/director (Abandoned Child). 1890 - Birth of Alfred G Jodl German Wehrmacht General/Chief of Staff. 1890 - Birth of Mosa Pijade Yugoslavia, Member of Parliament (communist). 1891 - Joe Hunter cricket wicket-keeper (England on 1884-85 Autralian tour), dies. 1893 - Birth of Manuel Palau Boix composer. 1893 - US President Harrison grants amnesty to Mormon polygamy. 1894 - Birth of Wesley La Violette composer. 1894 - France ratifies Duple Alliance with Russia. 1895 - Birth of Lourens G M Baas Becking Dutch botanist/resistance fighter. 1896 - AFL charters Actors' National Protective Union, New York City, New York. 1896 - Birth of André Aimé René Masson French Surrealist artist (Labyrinth). 1896 - Birth of Everett McKinley Dirkson (Senator-Republican-Illinois). 1896 - Following Mormon abandonment of polygamy, Utah admitted as 45th state. 1898 - First installment of William Dean Howell's "Life and Letters" appears. 1898 - Birth of Roger Vuataz composer. 1898 - Frantisek Pivoda composer, dies at age 73. 1903 - Birth of Joris Diels; Flemish actor/director (Haagsche Comedy). 1903 - Birth of Ramón Ernesto Cruz Uclés; Honduras President (1971-72); overthrown. 1903 - W H M "Dicky" Richards, cricket player (score 4 and 0 in Test for South Africa), dies. 1904 - Ottawa Silver Seven beat Winnipeg Rowing Club two games to one (Stanley Cup). 1904 - US Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US. 1905 - Birth of Sterling Holloway in Cedartown, Georgia, USA; actor (Waldo - Life of Riley). 1906 - South Africa beats England in cricket by one wicket, their first Test win. 1908 - Antony Winkler Prins, writer (Groiller Encyclopaedia), dies at age 70. 1908 - Birth of Angela Maria "Geli" Raubal; Austrian nude model/Hitler's lover. 1912 - Smallest earth-moon distance this century, 356,375 km center-to-center. 1913 - Death of Alfred Graf von Schlieffen in Berlin, Germany, at age 79; Prussian General-field marshal, developed "Schlieffen Plan" used in World War I. 1913 - Birth of Malietoa Tanumafili II; King of West-Samoa (1962-). 1914 - Birth of Mohammed Sahir; shah (Afghanistan). 1914 - Silas Weir Mitchell, US physician/author (Free Quaker), dies at age 84. 1915 - Trans-Caucausus Russians defeat Turkish troops. 1916 - Birth of Robert Parrish in Columbus, Georgia, USA; director (Casino Royale). 1917 - Birth of Jesse Marc Weidenfeld AKA Jesse White in Buffalo, New York, USA; actor (Maytag Repairman, Bedtime for Bonzo, Million Dollar Mermaid). 1918 - Birth of Norman Dale Baker AKA Buddy Baker in Missouri, USA; musician, composer for hundreds of Disney attractions, movies, TV shows, The Mickey Mouse Club, The Monkey's Uncle, named a Disney Legend in 1998. 1919 - Birth of Albert Richard Collins AKA Jazzbo in New York City, New York, USA; disk jockey (Tonight! America After Dark). 1919 - Birth of Havelock Henry Trevor Hudson; underwriter (Lloyd's of London). 1920 - Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish writer (Gloria), dies at age 76. 1920 - Birth of Benito Perez Galdos; Spanish writer (Fortunata y Jacinta). 1920 - Birth of William Egan Colby; US Central Intelligence Agency director (under President Richard Nixon). 1923 - Vladimir Lenin's "Political Testament" calls for removal of Josef Stalin. 1925 - Birth of Veikko Hakulinen in Finland; 30km/50km cross country skier (Olympics-gold-1956). 1925 - Death of George T. Morgan, chief engraver of the US Mint (1917-25). 1926 - Theodorus Pangalos resigns as Greek dictator. 1927 - Birth of Barbara Rush in Denver, Colorado, USA; actress (Marsha - Peyton Place, Flamingo Road). 1929 - Birth of Amitai W Etzioni; American sociologist (Active Society). 1930 - Birth of Don Shula; NFL coach (Miami Dolphins). 1930 - Birth of Iain Cuthbertson; British actor (Guilty, Scandal, Rep, Danger UXB). 1930 - Birth of Sorrell Booke in Buffalo, New York, USA; actor (Bye Bye Braverman, Black Like Me, Boss Hogg - Dukes of Hazzard). 1931 - Death of Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, British royal, eldest daughter of Edward VII (born 1867). 1931 - Art Acord, American western actor (Set Free, Spurs and Saddles), dies at age 40. 1932 - Birth of Richard Stahl in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actor (Howard - It's a Living). 1932 - Donald Bradman scores 167 for Australia versus South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 1932 - British East Indies' Viceroy Willingdon arrests Gandhi and Nehru. 1932 - State of siege proclaimed in Honduras. 1933 - Birth of Ed Jenkins; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Georgia, 1977-). 1933 - Lucas Lindeboom, Dutch evangelist (Vredebond), dies at age 87. 1933 - In an attempt to gain power, Franz von Papen makes a deal with Adolf Hitler and is able to have him appointed chancellor of Germany. Von Papen believed he would be able to control Hitler and the Nazis. 1934 - First Dutch talkie movie, Jan Teunissen's Willem of Orange premieres. 1935 - Birth of Floyd Patterson; heavyweight champion (1956-59, 1960-62) (Olympics-gold-1952) (dies 2006). 1935 - Birth of Kenneth Money in Canada; astronaut (STS 42-alternate). 1935 - Fort Jefferson National Monument, Florida established. 1936 - Billboard magazine publishes its first music hit parade. 1936 - Clarrie Grimmett becomes world record wicket taker with no 190 versus South Africa. 1937 - Birth of Dyan Cannon in Tacoma, Washington, USA; Mrs Cary Grant, actress (Heaven Can Wait). 1937 - Birth of Grace Bumbry in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; mezzo-soprano ("Venus in Tannhäuser"). 1937 - Birth of R Surendranath; cricket player (Indian pace bowler in 11 Tests early 60s). 1938 - Birth of Louis Krebs Graham in Nashville, Tennessee, USA; PGA golfer (1975 US Open). 1939 - Birth of Oliver Clark in Buffalo, New York, USA; actor (Bob Newhart Show, Two of Us). 1939 - Hermann Goering appoints Reinhard Heydrich head of Jewish Emigration. 1940 - Birth of Anthony Skooter Teague in Texas, USA; actor (How to Succeed in Business). 1940 - Birth of Brian Josephson; British physicist (Nobel Prize 1973). 1940 - Conrad Weiss, German writer/poet (Heart of Words), dies at age 59. 1941 - Birth of John Bennett Perry in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA; singer/actor (Falcon Crest). 1941 - Birth of Jörg Remé; German/Dutch painter/graphic artist. 1941 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher (Le Rire, Nobel Prize 1928), dies at age 81. 1942 - Birth of John McLaughlin; rock guitarist ("Sentimental Journey" / "Clouds of Joy"). 1942 - NFL Pro Bowl: Chicago Bears beats NFL All-Stars 35-24. 1942 - Rogers Hornsby is 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame. 1943 - Birth of Tom Wilkinson; Canadian Football League quarterback (Edmonton Eskimos). 1943 - Thomas Mann completes his tetralogy, Joseph and His Brothers. 1944 - Birth of Volker Hornback; rocker (Tangerine Dream). 1944 - Kaj Munk [Harald Leininger], anti-fascist writer (Kaj Munk), dies. 1945 - Birth of Jay Dee Maness in Loma Linda, California, USA; singer (Desert Rose Band - "Love Reunited"). 1945 - Germans execute resistance fighters in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 1945 - US jeep-aircraft carrier Ommaney Bay sinks after kamikaze attack. 1945 - Sixty-nine American B-29 bombers from the Marianas Islands attack Kobe, Japan, with incendiary bombs, destroying 2.5 million square feet of the city. 1946 - Birth of Bernard Sumner; rocker (New Order - "Round and Round"). 1947 - The first issue of the German news magazine Der Spiegel is published. It starts as a publication under the authority of the British occupation forces. Former name was Diese Woche. 1947 - Show Boat closes at Ziegfeld Theater in New York City, New York after 417 performances. 1947 - Forrest Reid, Irish author/critic (Young Tom, Apostate), dies at age 71. 1948 - Britain grants independence to Burma. 1951 - Birth of Barbara Ann Cochran in Claremont, New Hampshire, USA; slalom skier (Olympics-gold-1972). 1951 - During Korean conflict, North Korean forces capture Seoul. 1952 - Constantly Permeke Flemish, painter (Boerin), dies at age 65. 1953 - Arthur Hoyt, actor (Gold Rush Gertie, Lost World), dies at age 78. 1954 - TV soap opera The Brighter Day premieres. 1955 - Birth of Kathy Forester in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, USA; country singer (Forester Sister - "Men"). 1955 - Birth of Mark Hollis; English pop musician ("Talk Talk", "Dum Dum Girl"). 1955 - Jan D Domela Nieuwenhuis Nyegaard, Dutch preacher, dies at age 84. 1956 - Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov, Russian/American composer, dies at age 91. 1956 - Birth of Ann Magnuson in Charleston, West Virginia, USA; actress (Anything But Love, Hunger). 1956 - Birth of Barney Sumner; rock guitarist/vocalist (New Order - "Blue Monday"). 1956 - Birth of Bernard Albrecht; English pop guitarist (Joy Division). 1957 - Blondie situation comedy premieres on NBC TV. 1957 - Birth of Patty Loveless [Ramey] in Pikeville, Kentucky, USA; singer ("Blue Side of Town"). 1957 - Brooklyn Dodgers buy 44-passenger twin-engine airplane for US$775,000. 1957 - Death of Theodor Körner in Vienna, Austria, at age 84; colonel in the Austrian army when World War I began, rose to the office of chief of staff, then inspector general of the new Austrian army after the war, post-war mayor of Vienna, then finally elected president of Austria in 1951. 1958 - Birth of Matt Frewer in Washington DC, USA; actor (Max Headroom, Doctor Doctor). 1958 - Birth of Nina Foust in Asheboro, North Carolina, USA; LPGA golfer (1994 Hawaiian Ladies Open-6th). 1958 - Sputnik 1 re-enters Earth's atmosphere from its orbit and burns up. 1958 - Waverley John Anderson of Scotland, Viscount/Governor of Bengal, dies at age 75. 1959 - Birth of Vanity [Denise Marquardt] in Ontario, Canada; actress (52 Pick Up). 1959 - Luna 1 (Mechta) becomes first spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the vicinity of the Moon. 1959 - CBS premieres The General Electric College Bowl 30-minute TV game show. 1960 - Albert Camus, French author (Stranger), dies in an automobile accident at age 46. 1960 - Birth of Cory Everson in Racine, Wisconsin, USA; body builder (six times Ms Olympia). 1960 - Birth of Michael Stipe; US rock vocalist (REM - "Losing My Religion", "Stand"). 1960 - European Free Trade Association forms in Stockholm, Sweden. 1961 - Barry Fitzgerald, actor (Going My Way), dies at age 72. 1961 - Birth of Lee Curreri in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Bruno Martelli - Fame). 1961 - Longest recorded strike ends-33 years-Danish barbers' assistants. 1961 - Death of Erwin Schrödinger in Vienna, Austria; theoretical physicist, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933 for his work on the wave theory of matter. 1962 - New York City introduces the first automated subway train that operates without a crew on-board. 1962 - Birth of Joe Kleine; NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls). 1962 - Birth of Martin McAloon; rocker (Prefab Sprout-2 Wheels Good). 1962 - Birth of Patrick Cassidy in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor/composer (Fever Pitch, Off the Wall). 1963 - Birth of Dave Foley; actor/comedian (Kids In The Hall, Dave Nelson - News Radio). 1963 - Birth of Linda Muri in Killingly, Connecticut, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1963 - Soviet Luna (4) reaches Earth orbit but fails to reach Moon. 1964 - Birth of Stephanie Maxwell-Pierson in Somerville, New Jersey, USA; American rower (Olympics-1992). 1964 - Ralph Dumke, actor (Movieland Quiz), dies at age 64. 1965 - Birth of David Glasper; rocker (Breathe - "All I Need"). 1965 - Birth of Guy Forget in Morocco; tennis star. 1965 - Birth of Jergus Baca Liptovsky in Mikulas, Czechoslovakia; IHL defenseman (Team Slovakia 1998). 1965 - Birth of John Jackson; NFL offensive tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers). 1965 - Birth of Julia Ormond in London, England; actress (Sabrina, Legends of the Fall). 1965 - Birth of Kevin Wickander; US baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds). 1965 - Birth of Mitch Booth; Australian tornado yachter (Olympics-1996). 1965 - Birth of Rick Hearst Howard Beach, New York City, New York, USA; actor (Alan-Michael - Guiding Light). 1965 - US President Lyndon Johnson gives "Great Society" State of the Union Address. 1965 - T.S. Eliot, poet (Washed Country), dies in London, England, at age 76. 1966 - Birth of Deana Carter; country singer ("Strawberry Wine"). 1966 - Doug Walters scores second Test century in his second Test. 1967 - Birth of David Wayne Toms in Monroe, Louisiana, USA; PGA golfer (1992 Northern Telecom-third). 1967 - Birth of Michael "Mike" Peterson in Washington DC; rower (Olympics-1996). 1967 - Birth of Rick Cunningham; NFL tackle (Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders). 1967 - Donald Campbell, boat racer, dies trying to break 300 mph on water. 1968 - Birth of Jackie Harris; NFL tight end (Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 1968 - Joseph Pholien, Belgian Prime Minister (1950-52), communist fighter, dies at age 83. 1968 - Leo Fender sells Fender Guitars for US$13 million. 1969 - Birth of Corie Blount; NBA forward (Los Angeles Lakers). 1969 - Birth of Kees van Wonderen; Dutch soccer player (NEC/NAC). 1969 - Birth of Lindsay Kennedy in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; actor (Jeb - Little House on the Prairie). 1969 - France begins arms embargo against Israel. 1970 - Beatles last recording session at EMI studios. 1970 - Birth of Colin Scrivener; Canadian Football League defensive tackle (Winnipeg Blue Bombers). 1970 - Birth of Sean Lumpkin; NFL safety (New Orleans Saints). 1970 - Kansas City Chiefs beat Oakland Raiders 17-7 in AFC championship game. 1970 - Minnesota Vikings beat Cleveland Browns 27-7 in NFC championship game. 1970 - Walter Cronkite ends hosting weekly documentary. 1970 - In Tonghai, Yunnan Province, China, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. 10,000 deaths. The quake was felt at Hanoi, Vietnam. 1971 - Birth of Carlos Perez; Dominican/US baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos). 1971 - Birth of Deb Sonnenberg in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; softball pitcher (Olympics-1996). 1971 - Birth of Errol Brown; Canadian Football League defensive back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers). 1971 - Birth of Garrison Hearst; NFL running back (Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers). 1971 - Birth of Jeremy Licht in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Mark-Valerie/Hogan Family). 1971 - Birth of Orlanda Truitt; wide receiver (Oakland Raiders). 1971 - Birth of Richard Chee Quee; cricket player (New South Wales opening batsman Fiji/Chinese ancestry). 1971 - US Congressional Black Caucus organizes. 1971 - Dr Melvin H Evans inaugurated as first elected Governor of Virgin Islands. 1971 - Ohio agrees to pay US$675,000 to relatives of Kent State prison victims. 1971 - Philadelphia's Veteran Stadium dedicated. 1972 - Birth of Mike McCoy; WLAF quarterback (Amsterdam Admirals). 1973 - Birth of Lamont Warren; NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts). 1973 - Birth of Ray Mickens; cornerback (New York Jets). 1973 - Birth of Todd Sauerbrun; NFL punter/kicker (Chicago Bears). 1974 - Birth of Carl Powell; defensive end (Indianapolis Colts). 1974 - US President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee. 1975 - Carlo Levi, Italian writer (Parole Sono Pietre), dies at age 72. 1975 - US President Gerald Ford signs Executive Order No. 11828 on US Central Intelligence Agency Activities within the US. 1975 - Ice thickness measured at 4776m, Wilkes Land, Antarctica. 1975 - Montreal Canadiens shutout Washington Capitals 10-0. 1976 - Jan B Cammans, Flemish actor (Brothers Karamazov), dies at age 84. 1977 - Mary Shane is hired by Chicago White Sox as TV play-by-play. 1978 - Willem Bruynzeel, Dutch timber/lumber/wood manufacturer, dies at age 76. 1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. 1980 - Birth of Erin Cahill; American actress. 1981 - 69th Australian Mens Tennis: B Teacher beats Kim Warwick (7-5, 7-6, 6-3). 1981 - Sheffield police arrest Peter Sutcliffe, a 34-year-old lorry driver, on suspicion of being the Yorkshire Ripper who has killed 13 women and attacked seven others over the last six years (later convicted). 1982 - Chris Wallace becomes co-anchor of the Today Show. 1982 - San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge closed for third time by fierce storm. 1982 - Bryant Gumbel became co-host of NBC's Today Show. 1983 - US Football League holds its first player draft. 1983 - Birth of Spencer Chamberlain; American musician. 1984 - Edmonton Oilers beats Minnesota North Stars 12-8 - highest-scoring modern NHL game to date. 1984 - Night Court starring Harry Anderson premieres on NBC TV. 1985 - Birth of Al Jefferson; National Basketball Association player. 1985 - Brian Gwynne Horrocks, English Lieutenant-General (A Full Life), dies at age 89 (born 1895). 1986 - Christopher Isherwood, British writer (Lions and Shadows), dies at age 81. 1986 - David Boon's second Test century, 131 versus India at Adelaide. 1986 - NCAA basketball's David Robinson blocks a record 14 shots. 1986 - Phil Lynott, lead singer and bassist of rock group Thin Lizzy, dies of overdose at age 34 (born 1949). 1987 - Danish East India Company merchant vessel Nicobar is discovered off the coast of False Bay, South Africa, where it sunk in 1783. 1987 - An Amtrak train en route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16. 1987 - F van Heek, Dutch sociologist, dies at age 79. 1987 - Jack Martin, cricket player (English pace bowler, 1-111 and 0-18 in Test), dies. 1987 - Peggy Bacon, author/illustrator (Off With Their Heads), dies at age 91. 1988 - Birth of Nabila Jamshed, Indian fantasy novelist. 1989 - Comet Tempel 1 at perihelion. 1989 - Over the Gulf of Sidra, two Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" are engaged and shot down by two US Navy F-14 Tomcats. 1989 - US Vice President George Bush is first since Vice President Van Buren to declare himself President. 1990 - Alberto Lleras Camargo, President of Colombia (1945-46, 1958-62), dies. 1990 - Robert F Adams, American sci-fi author (Castaways in Time), dies at age 57. 1990 - Over 300 people are killed in a train accident in Ghotki, Pakistan. 1990 - Death of Doc Edgerton, American electrical engineer (born 1903). 1991 - Berry Kroeger, actor (Demon Seed), dies of kidney failure at age 78. 1991 - Fu Mingxia, 12, of China wins World Swimming Championships gold medal. 1991 - Harry Krimer, actor (Napoleon), suicide at age 94. 1991 - Jan Krzystof Bielecki becomes premier of Poland. 1991 - The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to condemn Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. 1991 - Leo N Wright, US saxophonist ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"), dies at age 57. 1992 - William Walker, stuntman/actor (Our Man Flint), dies at age 74. 1993 - 7th largest wrestling crowd (63,500-Tokyo Dome). 1993 - Daniel H Craven, South African rugby coach, dies. 1993 - Joe Keenan, actor (Conviction of Kitty Dodd), dies of cancer at age 69. 1994 - 10th largest wrestling crowd (58,000-Tokyo Dome). 1994 - Jim Booth, New Zealand producer (Heavenly Creatures), dies at age 48. 1994 - The last episode of the TV show Bakersfield P.D. airs. 1994 - Michiel P "Michael" Gorsira, Governor of Curaçao (1951-67), dies at age 80. 1995 - D Elmina Davies, filmmaker, dies at age 36. 1995 - Dorothy Granger, US actress (Hog Wild, Dentist), dies at about age 80. 1995 - Death of Sol Tax, American anthropologist (born 1907). 1995 - Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor, dies in air crash at age 52. 1995 - Jonathan Zeitlyn, artist, dies at age 43. 1995 - Leonard Hirsch, British violinist/conductor (BBC Empire Orchestra), dies at age 92. 1995 - Birth of María Isabel, Spanish singer. 1995 - The 104th US Congress convenes, the first controlled by Republicans in both houses since 1953. Newt Gingrich is speaker of the House. 1995 - Robert Clifford Latham Pepys, scholar, dies at age 82. 1996 - Ramon Vinay, operatic tenor/baritone, dies at age 83. 1996 - Roy McKelvie, soldier/sports writer, dies at age 83. 1997 - Death of Harry Helmsley, American real estate mogul (Empire State Building), at age 87 (born 1909). 1998 - Wilaya of Relizane massacres in Algeria: Over 170 are killed in three remote villages. 1998 - Death of Mae Questel, American actress (born 1908). 1999 - Aluminum Company of America changes its company name to Alcoa Incorporated. 1999 - Gunmen open fire on Shiite Muslims worshipping in a mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 16 people and injuring 25. 2000 - Birth of Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, American actress. 2000 - Alan Greenspan is nominated for a fourth term as U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman. 2000 - The Russian-registered tanker Volganeft 248 splits apart in the strait through Istanbul, Turkey, dumping about 1 million litres of fuel oil which washes up along 5km of the coast. 2002 - The Saint Louis Cardinals agrees to a three-year, $27 million deal with Matt Morris. 2003 - Death of Conrad Hall, Tahitian-born cinematographer (born 1926). 2003 - Death of Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese-born violinist (born 1923). 2004 - The LSU Tigers defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 21-14 for the national Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title. 2004 - Mikhail Saakashvili wins the presidential elections in Georgia. 2004 - NASA's MER-A (Spirit) lands on Mars at 04:35 UTC. 2004 - Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 2004 - Death of Joan Aiken, English author (born 1924). 2005 - Death of Alton Tobey, American artist (born 1914). 2005 - Death of Guy Davenport, American author, artist, and scholar (born 1927). 2005 - Gunmen assassinate the Governor of Baghdad, Ali Al-Haidri. 2006 - Death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (born 1946). 2006 - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his deputy, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after Sharon suffers a massive hemorrhagic stroke. 2007 - Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female speaker of the United States House of Representatives. 2007 - A dense metallic meteorite about 1-inch in diameter crashes through the roof of a house in eastern New Jersey, USA. 2007 - Death of Marais Viljoen, State President of South Africa (born 1915). 2008 - In the USA, Warner Bros studio announces it will drop support for the HD DVD video disc format on June 1, and will exclusively release high-definition DVDs in Sony's Blu-ray format. Warner Bros is Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs, representing about 19 percent of sales in the United States. 2009 - At least 33 people die in a landslide in northern Guatemala; many more are missing. 2010 - Dubai opens the world's tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa tower, at 828 metres, built at a cost of US$1.5 billion. 2010 - Death of Johan Ferrier, 1st President of Suriname (born 1910). 2010 - Death of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese dual atomic bomb survivor (born 1916). 2012 - (to January 5) In New York City, The New York Sale auctions the Prospero Collection. Some highlights: Greek Pantikapaion gold stater, circa 350-300 BCE, unique: US$3.8 million, record price for a single Greek gold coin, Greek Naxos silver tetradrachm: US$994,500, record price for a single Greek silver coin, Roman gold aureus of Galba, circa 68-69, extremely fine: US$432,000.         Your Ad Here         You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. 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