This Day in History
January 8

What happened in history on this day: January 8? On January 8 in ... 482 - Severinus, German monastery founder/saint, dies. 624 - Abu Sufjan ibn Harb, Kurashite chief, dies in battle. 624 - Muslim army occupies Kurashitische Caravan. 794 - Church at Lindisfarne, England destroyed by Vikings. 871 - Battle at Ashdown: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army. 1081 - Birth of Henry V Roman German king/emperor (1098/1111-25). 1198 - Coelestinus III [Giacinto Bobo], pope (1191-98), dies. 1198 - Lotario di Segni elected Pope Innocentius III. 1214 - Earl Ferrand of Flanders drops ties with France. 1324 - Marco Polo, Venetian explorer/Governor of Nanking, dies. 1336 - Giotto di Bondone Italian Renaissance painter, dies at about age 71. 1455 - Laurentius Justitianus [Lorenzo Giustiniani], saint, dies at age 73. 1499 - Louis XII of France after papal divorce marries Anne, Duchess of Brittany to keep the duchy for the crown. 1558 - French troops under duke de Guise occupy Calais. 1567 - Jacob Vaet Flemish composer/royal chaplain master, dies at about age 37. 1583 - Birth of Simon Episcopius Dutch bishop/theologist. 1587 - Birth of Johannes Fabricius Denmark, astronomer (discovered sunspots). 1589 - Birth of Ivan [Dzivo F] Gundulic Dalmatisch writer (Dubravka). 1598 - Genoa Italy expels Jews. 1598 - Jews are expelled from Genoa Italy. 1598 - Johan Georg elector of Brandenburg (1571-91), dies at age 72. 1628 - Birth of François de Montmorency-Bouteville duc de Luxembourg, French soldier. 1632 - Birth of Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf in Dorfchemnitz, Saxony; developer of the concept of "natural law". 1642 - Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist/astronomer, dies at age 78 in Arceti, Italy. 1651 - Giovanni Battista Gagliano composer, dies at age 56. 1656 - Oldest surviving commercial newspaper begins (Haarlem, Netherlands). 1658 - Birth of Nicolas Coustou French sculptor (Descente de Croix). 1668 - Birth of Jean Gilles composer. 1675 - First American commercial corporation chartered (New York Fishing Co). 1696 - Michael de Ronghe composer, dies at age 75. 1705 - Georg F Händels first opera "Almira" premieres in Hamburg. 1711 - Philips van Almonde Zealand Lieutenant-Admiral, dies at age 66. 1713 - Arcangelo Corelli composer/violinist (Concerti Grossi), dies at age 59. 1716 - Dutch gang leader "Sjako" arrested. 1745 - England, Austria, Netherlands and Saxon sign anti-Prussian Quadruple Alliance. 1746 - Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops occupy Stirling. 1760 - Comet C/1760 A1 (Great comet) approaches within 0.0682 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. 1767 - Birth of Abraham de Veer Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1822-28). 1775 - John Baskerville English printer/type designer, dies at age 68. 1777 - Birth of Filippo Traetta Italy, composer/musicologist. 1779 - Birth of John White composer. 1786 - Birth of Nicholas Biddle made second bank of US first effective central bank. 1787 - Birth of Johann Ludwig Bohner composer. 1788 - Birth of Erik Drake composer. 1790 - President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union Address, in New York City. 1790 - John Stinstra Dutch baptist vicar, dies at age 81. 1791 - Birth of Jacob Collamer (Senator-Vermont). 1792 - Birth of Lowell Mason Medfield Massachusetts, organist/composer (Zebulo). 1796 - Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois French National Convention chairman, dies at age 46. 1798 - 11th Amendment ratified, judicial powers construed. 1800 - Austrians defeat French in second battle of Novi. 1800 - Wild Boy of Aveyron discovered in southern France. 1806 - Cape colony becomes English colony. 1806 - Lewis and Clark find skeleton of 105' blue whale in Oregon. 1808 - Messenger horse that sired many great trotters, dies. 1810 - Birth of Robert Schumann Zwickau Germany, composer (Neue Zeitschrift fuer Musik). 1811 - Death of Friedrich Nicolai in Berlin, Germany; leader of enlightenment movement in Germany, book dealer and writer. 1811 - Louisiana slave revolt by Charles Deslondes at German Coast. 1811 - Samuel Story Dutch rear admiral (Battle of Kamperduin), dies at age 58. 1812 - Birth of Sigismund Fortune François Thalberg in Geneva, Switzerland; leading pianist, rival of Franz Liszt. 1814 - Birth of Johannes Kneppelhout [Klikspaan], Dutch humorist. 1814 - Birth of Thomas Green Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864. 1815 - US 7th Infantry Regiment plus others (total 4500) defeat a British force of 8000 in the Battle of New Orleans under Major General Andrew Jackson. The battle was fought on the grounds of Chalmette Plantation, downriver from New Orleans. British killed/wounded/captured: 2055; American: 101. 1815 - Birth of George Webb Morell Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1883. 1815 - Birth of Lawrence Pike Graham Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1905. 1815 - Edward Pakenham English General (Battle of New Orleans), dies in battle. 1817 - Birth of John Selden Roane Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1867. 1819 - Christian Gottlob Saupe composer, dies at age 55. 1821 - Birth of James Longstreet Confederate General (first Corps, ANV). 1822 - Birth of Alfredo Carlo Piatti composer. 1823 - Birth of Alfred Russel Wallace British zoologist/co-discoverer (evolution). 1824 - Birth of Per August Olander composer. 1824 - Birth of William Wilkie Collins English novelist (The Woman in White, The Moonstone). 1825 - Inventor Eli Whitney dies. 1830 - Birth of Governer Kemble Warren Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1882. 1830 - Birth of Hans von Bülow in Dresden, Germany; pianist/virtuoso conductor/musical writer. 1830 - Dutch King Willem I fires him displeasing parliament members. 1831 - Franz Vinzenz Krommer composer, dies at age 71. 1833 - Boston Academy of Music, first US music school, established. 1835 - The United States national debt is zero for the only time. 1836 - Birth of Fannie M Jackson pioneer and educator, first US Black woman college grad. 1836 - Birth of Lawrence Alma Tadema Dutch/British painter/husband of Laura Epps. 1838 - In New Jersey, Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph using dots and dashes (a forerunner of Morse code). 1838 - Rebellion at Amherstburg, Ontario breaks out. 1842 - Dutch King Willem II charters Technical College Delft. 1842 - Pierre Earl the Cambronne, French General (Waterloo, Elba), dies at age 71. 1846 - Birth of Albert Cahen composer. 1846 - Birth of William Wallace Gilchrist composer. 1848 - Austrian soldiers kill ten students, Pavia. 1851 - Birth of Gérard Leman Belgian count/General. 1853 - First US bronze equestrian statue (of Andrew Jackson) unveiled, Washington. 1856 - Dr John A Veatch discovers borax, Tuscan Springs California. 1857 - Dion Boucicauly's "Poor of NY" premieres in New York City, New York. 1858 - Friedrich Karl Kuhmstedt composer, dies at age 48. 1859 - Antoine GB Schayes Belgian historian/archaeologist, dies at age 50. 1860 - Birth of Nancy Jones US black missionary in Africa. 1862 - Birth of Frank Nelson Doubleday publisher/founder (Doubleday and Co). 1863 - Birth of Paul Scheerbart [Bruno Küfer], German writer (The Seasnake). 1864 - Victor-Charles-Paul Dourlen composer, dies at age 83. 1867 - Birth of Emily Green Balch US, sociologist/feminist/pacifist (Nobel Prize 1946). 1867 - Legislation gives suffrage to DC blacks, despite President Johnson's veto. 1868 - Birth of Sir Frank Dyson proved Einstein right about light bent by gravity. 1870 - Birth of Miguel Primo de Rivera Orbaneja dictator of Spain (1923-30). 1873 - Birth of Lucien Capet composer. 1877 - Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their final losing battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana. 1878 - Secret meeting of King Leopold II's agent and Henry Morton Stanley. 1880 - [Joshua] Norton I Emperor of US/Protector of México, dies at age 60. 1883 - Birth of Josue Teofilo Wilkes composer. 1884 - Chrome tanning process for leather patented by Augustus Schultz. 1885 - Birth of John Curtin Victoria, Australian Prime Minister (Labor, 1941-45). 1886 - Birth of Noble Drew Ali [Timothy Drew], North Carolina, prophet (Moorish Science Temple). 1888 - Birth of Matt Moore County Meath Ireland; actor (Coquette, Deluge). 1888 - Birth of Richard Courant in Lublinitz, Prussia; German/American mathematics professor. 1889 - Birth of Paul Hartmann Furth Germany; actor (Haunted Castle). 1889 - Dr Herman Hollerith receives first US patent for a tabulating machine (first computer). 1890 - Birth of Sandor Rado Hungarian/US psycho analyst. 1891 - Birth of Bronislava Nijinska ballet choreographer. 1891 - Birth of Storm Jameson English novelist (The Green Man, Cousin Honoré). 1891 - Birth of Walther Bothe in Oranienburg, Germany; physics professor at the universities of Berlin, Giessen and Heidelberg, discovered neutron radiation, built Germany's first cyclotron, won the Nobel Prize for Physics for development of a method of detecting subatomic particles. 1891 - Fredrik Pacius composer, dies at age 81. 1892 - Birth of Werner Wehrli composer. 1892 - John Heykamp old-catholic archbishop of Utrecht, dies at age 67. 1892 - Birth of Giovanni Mardersteig in Weimar, Germany; typographer in Germany and Italy. 1894 - Columbus World's fair in Chicago destroyed by fire. 1894 - Pierre-Joseph van Beneden paleontologist (life of tapeworms), dies at age 84. 1896 - Birth of Jaromir Weinberger Prague Czechoslovakia, composer (Bird's Opera). 1896 - Birth of Manuel Rojas Sepulveda Chile, writer (Men of the South). 1896 - Paul M Verlaine French poet (Elégies, Bonne Chanson), dies at age 51. 1897 - Michael Eagan wins first US national amateur handball championship. 1899 - Birth of Solomon WRD Bandaranaike; premier of Ceylon (1956-59). 1900 - Billy Bates cricket player (656 runs and 50 wickets in 15 Tests for England), dies. 1900 - Birth of Queen Marie of Yugoslavia. 1901 - Birth of Edmond Vandercammen; French/Belgian writer (L'amour responsable). 1902 - First National Bowling Championship held (Chicago, Illinois, USA). 1902 - Birth of Alexander Gray in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (This is Music). 1902 - Birth of Carl R[ansom] Rogers; US psychologist (Client-Centered Therapy). 1902 - Birth of Georgy M Malenkov; Stalin's successor as head of CPSU, Prime Minister (1953-55). 1902 - Birth of Gret Palucca; German dancer/choreography (Silent Song). 1903 - Birth of Gene Roth [Eugene Stutenroth] in South Dakota, USA; actor (She Demons, Spider). 1904 - Birth of Peter Arno in New York City, New York, USA; cartoonist (The New Yorker). 1904 - Pope Pius X bans low cut dresses in the presence of churchmen. 1905 - Birth of Carl Gustav Hempel in Oranienburg, Germany; logical positivist philosopher, taught at Yale University and Princeton University in the USA. 1906 - Jacob Cornelis van Marken, peanut butter maker (Calvé-Delft), dies at age 60. 1908 - Birth of William Hartnell in London, England; actor (Agitator, Jackpot). 1909 - Birth of Bruce Mitchell; cricket player (South African bat, their top run-scorer (3471)). 1910 - Birth of Richard Cromwell [LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh] in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Jezebel). 1912 - Birth of José Ferrer in Santurce Puerto Rico; actor/director (Cyrano de Bergerac, Blood Tide, Dune, Big Bus). 1912 - Birth of Rudolf G Escher; Dutch composer (True Face of Peace). 1913 - Birth of Horace Smith; cricket player (New Zealand, only Test wicket off his first ball (Paynter)). 1917 - Austria-Hungarian troops conquer Forlani, Italy. 1917 - Birth of Stanley Prager in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (College Bowl). 1918 - Mississippi becomes first state to ratify 18th amendment (alcohol prohibition). 1918 - US President Woodrow Wilson outlines to the American Congress his 14 points for peace after war in Europe. 1923 - Birth of Iva Michiels [Rik Ceuppens]; Flemish writer (Ksiega Alfa). 1923 - Birth of Johnny Wardle; cricket player (Yorkshire and England left-arm bowler of 1950s). 1923 - Birth of Joseph Wiezenbaum; artificial intelligence pioneer. 1923 - Birth of Larry Storch in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (F Troop, Larry Storch Show). 1924 - Birth of Ron Moody in London, England; actor (Twelve Chairs, Wrong is Right). 1925 - Birth of James Saunders; English chemist/playwright (Ark). 1926 - Abdul-Aziz ibn Sa'ud becomes king of Hejaz; renames it Saudi Arabia. 1926 - Birth of Milton "Soupy Sales" Hines in North Carolina, USA; comedian (Soupy Sales Show). 1928 - Birth of Sander Vanocur in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; news anchor (NBC Weekend News). 1929 - First telephone connection between Netherlands and West-Indies. 1930 - Belgian Princess Marie-José marries Italian crown prince Umberto. 1930 - Birth of Doreen Wilber; American archer (Olympics-gold-1972). 1930 - Birth of May Wynn [Donna Lee Hickey] in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Caine Mutiny, Noah's Ark). 1931 - Birth of Bill Graham in Germany; German rock concert promoter (Fillmore) (dies 1991). 1931 - Philadelphia Quakers set NHL record of 15 straight loses. 1933 - Birth of Charles Osgood in New York City, New York, USA; news anchor (CBS Weekend News). 1933 - Birth of Jean-Marie Straub in France; director (Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach). 1934 - Alexandre Stavisky, French swindler, dies. 1934 - Birth of Jacques Anquetil in France; Tour de France bicycle racer (5-time winner). 1934 - Birth of Roy Kinnear in Lancashire, England; actor (TW3, Help!, The Three Musketeers). 1935 - Birth of Elvis Aaron Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA; musician/actor ("Blue Suede Shoes", "Hounddog"). 1935 - Birth of Jesse Garon Presley, stillborn twin brother of Elvis. 1935 - Birth of Nolan Miller in Burkburnett, Texas, USA; fashion designer (Dynasty, The Love Boat). 1935 - Spectrophotometer patented, AC Hardy. 1936 - Birth of Ferdinand Hartzenberg; South African minister of Education (1979-82). 1937 - -50 degrees F (-45.6 degrees C), San Jacinto, Nevada (state record low). 1937 - Birth of Bob Eubanks in Flint, Michigan, USA; TV host (Newlywed Game). 1937 - Birth of Shirley Bassey in Cardiff, Wales; singer (Goldfinger, Moonraker). 1938 - Birth of Bob Eubanks in Flint Michigan, USA; TV host (Newlywed Game). 1938 - Donald Bradman scores 107 for South Australia versus Queensland (first innings). 1939 - Birth of Yvette Mimieux in Hollywood, California, USA; actress (Time Machine, Where the Boys Are). 1940 - Birth of Anthony Gaurdine; rocker (Little Anthony and Imperials - "Goin' Out of My Head"). 1940 - Britain's first war rationing (bacon, butter and sugar). 1941 - Birth of Graham Chapman in England; comedian (Monty Python's Flying Circus) (dies 1989). 1941 - Birth of Robby Krieger; rocker (Doors). 1941 - British Air Marshal Richard Peirse resigns. 1941 - Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, dies at age 83. 1942 - Birth of Stephen Hawking; English physicist (Black Holes and Baby Universes). 1942 - Birth of Vyacheslav Dmitriyevich Zudov in USSR; cosmonaut (Soyuz 23). 1943 - Birth of Lee Jackson; rocker (Nice). 1943 - Birth of Marcus Hutson; rock vocalist (Whispers). 1944 - Birth of Terry Brooks; American sci-fi author (Sword of Shannara). 1945 - Birth of John Peters; rock drummer (Harpers Bizarre). 1945 - Jac[obus] P Thijsse, Dutch biologist (Omgang met planten), dies at age 79. 1946 - Birth of Elaine Cheris in Dotham, Alabama, USA; fencer-epee (Olympics-1996). 1946 - Birth of Kathleen Noone; actress (All My Children, Party of Five, Knots Landing). 1946 - Birth of Robbie Kreiger in Los Angeles, California, USA; guitarist (The Doors - "Come on Baby Light My Fire"). 1946 - Birth of Tod Brannan; Vice President (Logos Network Corp). 1947 - Birth of David Bowie [Jones] in London, England; singer ("Major Tom", "Ziggy Stardust"), actor (The Man Who Fell to Earth). 1947 - Birth of Igor Ivanov in Leningrad, Russia; Canadian chess champion (1981-84, 1985-). 1947 - Birth of Terry Sylvester; rocker (Hollies - "The Air that I Breathe"). 1947 - American General George Marshall becomes Secretary of State. 1947 - Toronto Maple Leafs' rookie Howie Meeker scores five goals in a game. 1948 - Birth of Gillies Mackinnon; director (Playboys). 1948 - Dutch Queen Wilhelmina signs death sentence against Ans van Dijk for treason. 1948 - Death of Richard Tauber in London, England (born Richard Denemy in Linz, Austria) at age 55; operatic tenor/composer. 1949 - Make Mine Manhattan play closes at Broadhurst Theater in New York City, New York after 429 performances. 1949 - Birth of Lawrence Rowe; cricket player (prolific West Indies batsman, 302 versus England 1974). 1950 - George Rowe, cricket player (15 wickets in four Tests for South Africa 1895-1902), dies. 1950 - Joseph A Schumpeter, Austrian/American economist/Minister of Finance, dies at age 66. 1950 - Joseph Issac Shneerson, Jewish Lubavitch Chabal leader, dies. 1951 - Birth of Gérard Leman; Belgian General. 1951 - Birth of John McTiernan in Albany, New York, USA; actor (Predator, Die Hard, Medicine Man). 1951 - Thought extinct since 1615, a Cahow is rediscovered in Bermuda. 1952 - Antonia Maury, discoverer (supergiant, giant and dwarf stars), dies. 1952 - Birth of Laurie Walters in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (Joannie - Eight is Enough). 1952 - Birth of Norm Jarvis in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada; golfer (1984 Chilliwack). 1952 - Jordan adopts constitution. 1952 - Joseph Arendt, Belgian worker's union leader, dies at age 66. 1953 - Birth of Bruce Sutter; pitcher (Chicago Cubs, Saint Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves). 1953 - Cleveland Indians bar night games with Cleveland Browns (who refuse to share TV receipts). 1953 - René Mayer forms French government. 1954 - Elvis Presley pays US$4 to a Memphis studio and records his first two songs, "Casual Love" and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way". 1955 - Birth of Mike Reno in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; rock vocalist (Loverboy - "Get Lucky", "Heaven in Your Eyes"). 1955 - Furman sets NCAA basketball single-game scoring record with 154 points. 1955 - Georgia Tech ends Kentucky's 130-game home basketball win streak. 1955 - Louise Sugg wins LPGA Los Angeles Golf Open. 1956 - Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Conrad Aiken. 1956 - Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog" single goes to #1 and stays #1 for a record 11 weeks (for a single). 1958 - Cuban revolutionary forces capture Havana. 1959 - Birth of Michael Harwood in Sydney, New South Wales; Australasia golfer. 1959 - Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as President of France's 5th Republic. 1961 - Birth of Shoaib Mohammad; cricket player (son of Hanif Patient and prolific batsman). 1961 - Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Yvor Winters. 1962 - Leonardo Da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time. 1962 - Dutch express train crashes into slow commuter train, 91 die (Netherlands). 1962 - Golfer Jack Nicklaus, 21, first pro appearance, comes in 50th. 1963 - Mona Lisa painting, on loan, is unveiled in America's National Gallery of Art. 1963 - Birth of Hiromi Kobayashi in Fukushima, Japan; LPGA golfer (1993 JAL Big Apple). 1963 - Stark Young, US writer (So Red the Rose), dies at age 81. 1964 - Arnoldus JC Krafft, theologist (Atlas of Netherlands Antilles), dies at age 71. 1964 - Birth of Virgil Hill in Missouri, USA; middleweight boxer (Olympics-silver-1984). 1964 - European Parliament accepts Mansholt Plan. 1964 - Julius Raab, Austrian chancellor (1953-61), dies at age 72. 1964 - US President Lyndon B Johnson declares "War on Poverty". 1965 - Birth of Champaka Ramanayake; cricket player (Sri Lankan opening bowler). 1965 - Birth of Eric Wohlberg in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; cyclist (Olympics-1996). 1965 - Birth of Maria Pitillo in Elmira, New York, USA; actress (Dear God, Nancy Don Lewis - Ryan's Hope). 1965 - Birth of Michelle Forbes; actress (Julianna Cox - Homicide). 1965 - Star of India returned to American Museum of Natural History. 1966 - The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album goes #1 and stays #1 for six weeks. 1966 - The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" single goes #1 and stays #1 for three weeks. 1966 - Birth of Darryl Hall; Canadian Football League linebacker (Calgary Stampeders). 1966 - Birth of Loretta Lee [Lee Lai Chan] in China; actress (Happy Ghost). 1966 - Georges Pompidou appointed French premier. 1966 - The Who and The Kinks music groups perform on the last Shindig TV show on ABC. 1967 - Birth of Hollis Conway in Chicago, Illinois, USA; high jumper (Olympics-silver/bronze-1988, 1992). 1967 - Birth of Kent Jones in Portales, New Mexico, USA; golfer (NM State Amateur-1990-91). 1967 - Birth of Roger Rowland in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Nike golfer (1990 Macon Open-second). 1967 - Birth of Willie Anderson; American NBA guard (New York Knicks, Olympics-bronze-1988). 1967 - Zbigniew Cybulski, Polish actor (See You Tommorrow), dies at age 39. 1968 - Birth of Alexander Alexeev; NHL defenseman (Belarus, Olympics-1998). 1968 - Birth of Ami Dolenz in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (General Hospital, Can't Buy Me Love). 1968 - Birth of Brian Johnson in Oakland, California, USA; catcher (San Diego Padres). 1968 - Birth of Mark Duane Croghan in Akron, Ohio, USA; 3k steeplechase (Olympics-5th-1996). 1968 - Birth of Paul Carey; US baseball infielder (Baltimore Orioles). 1968 - The ABC TV network airs the first The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau 60-minute documentary TV show in the USA. 1969 - Birth of Brian Boehringer in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; pitcher (New York Yankees). 1969 - Birth of R Kelly; singer ("I Wish I Could Fly"). 1970 - Birth of Jon Klemm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; NHL defenseman (Colorado Avalanche). 1971 - 29 pilot whales beach themselves and die at San Clemente Island, California. 1971 - Birth of Billy Joe Hobert; NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders). 1971 - Birth of Branislav Janos; hockey forward (Team Slovakia 1998). 1971 - Birth of Brenda Lee Armstrong in Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA; Miss Minnesota-America (1990). 1971 - Birth of Brook Mahealani Lee; Miss Universe/Miss USA-1997 (Hawaii). 1971 - Birth of Darren Langdon in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, Canada; NHL left wing (New York Rangers). 1971 - Birth of Jason Giambi in West Covina, California, USA; infielder (Oakland Athletics). 1971 - Birth of Roosevelt Potts; NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts). 1971 - Birth of Stephane Barin; hockey forward (Team France 1998). 1971 - French Line's Antilles passenger liner (20,000 gross tons, 1663 passengers) strikes an unchartered rock off Mustique, rupturing an oil pipeline, engulfing the entire ship. The 635 passengers are rescued by other ships. 1971 - Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota established. 1972 - Birth of Brandie Burton in San Bernardino, California, USA; LPGA golfer (1993 du Maurier Ltd). 1972 - Birth of Devlin Murphy in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; canoe (alternate-Olympics-1996). 1972 - Dmitri Shostakovich's 15th Symphony premieres in Moscow. 1972 - Kenneth Patchen, American writer (See You in the Morning), dies at age 60. 1972 - NCAA announces freshman can play on teams starting in fall. 1973 - Greg Chappell's best Test bowling, 5-61 versus Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground. 1973 - Secret peace talks between US and North Vietnam resume near Paris, France. 1973 - USSR launches Luna 21 for Moon landing. 1974 - Birth of Arjan Blaauw; Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen). 1974 - Birth of Brian Roberson; wide receiver (New York Giants). 1974 - Gold hits record US$126.50 an ounce in London, England. 1974 - Silver hits record US$3.40 an ounce in New York. 1975 - Anthony Warde, actor (Big Punch, Buck Rogers), dies at age 66. 1975 - Birth of Vitali Yachmenev in Chelyabinsk, Russia; NHL right wing (Los Angeles Kings). 1975 - Gertrude Olmsted, actress (Cobra, Torrent), dies at age 70. 1975 - John Dierkes, actor (Red Badge of Courage), dies at age 69. 1975 - John Gregson, actor (Rooney, Assassin), dies at age 55. 1975 - US Judge Sirica orders release of Watergate's John W Dean III, Herbert W Kalmbach and Jeb Stuart Magruder from prison. 1975 - Louis J H C A de Bourbon, Dutch writer/poet (Gypsy Blood), dies at age 66. 1975 - Richard Tucker [Reuben Ticker], US tenor (La Gioconda), dies at age 61. 1976 - Birth of Jenny Lewis in Las Vegas, Nevada; actress (Becky - Life With Lucy). 1976 - Birth of Brad Snyder in Ontario, Canada; shot putter (Olympics-1996). 1976 - Chou En-lai, China's Prime Minister (1949-76), dies of cancer in Beijing at age 78. 1976 - Franklin Mint strikes first gold coins for Netherlands Antilles. 1977 - Birth of Pearl Amoah; Miss Ghana-Universe (1996). 1977 - Birth of Ryan Frances; actor (Trevor - Sisters). 1978 - Birth of Petra Minarova; Miss Czech Republic-Universe (1997). 1978 - Israel's Cabinet votes to 'strengthen' settlements in occupied Sinai. 1978 - Walter Keirnan, TV panelist (I've Got a Secret), dies at age 75. 1979 - 512 die as oil tanker Bantry Bay blows up. 1979 - Argentina and Chile sign Beagle Canal accord. 1979 - Birth of Sarah Polley, actress (Sweet Hereafter). 1979 - Vietnamese troops overtake Khmer Rouge and occupy Phnom Penh. 1980 - NCAA decides to sponsor women's championships in five sports. 1980 - Oscar Ewing, US government official (Everybody's Business), dies at age 90. 1980 - Death of John Mauchly, American physicist and inventor (born 1907). 1980 - Birth of Rachel Nichols; American actress. 1980 - New York Islanders' Glenn Resch's 20th shut-out opponent-Vancouver Canucks 3-0. 1981 - Birth of Xie Xingfang; Chinese badminton player. 1981 - Pirates of Penzance opens at Uris Theater in New York City, New York for 772 performances. 1981 - India all out 63 in one-day international versus Australia. 1981 - Cincinnati Reds become last team to sign a free agent (Larry Biitner). 1981 - Disneyland welcomes its 200-millionth guest, Gert Schelvis. 1981 - Woody Chamblis, actor (Mr Lathrop - Gunsmoke), dies at age 66. 1981 - Birth of Genevieve Cortese; American actress. 1981 - Birth of Jeff Francis; Canadian pitcher. 1982 - The US government and AT&T settle their antitrust suit, with AT&T splitting its 22 regional companies into individual entities. 1982 - The US Justice Department decides to drop its antitrust suit against IBM, which was launched 13 years ago. One of its aims had been to break IBM up into several companies. 1982 - Reta Shaw, actress (Ghost and Mrs Muir), dies of emphysema at age 69. 1982 - Birth of Gaby Hoffman, actress (Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck, Now and Then). 1982 - Gregoire Aslan, character actor (Concrete Jungle), dies of a heart attack at age 73. 1983 - Birth of Chris Masters; American wrestler. 1983 - Gale Page, actress (Four Daughters, Knute Rockney), dies of cancer at age 72. 1983 - Lois Wilson, actress (Alice - Aldrich Family), dies at age 88. 1983 - A riot breaks out at Sing Sing prison, New York. 1984 - NHL Washington Capitals' Bengt Gustafsson scores five goals. 1984 - Birth of Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player. 1984 - In Sulawesi, Indonesia, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurs. 1984 - NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams. 1986 - US President Ronald Reagan freezes Libyan assets in the US. 1986 - Willie McCovey is 16th elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year. 1986 - Yaroslav Seifert, Czechoslovakian poet (Nobel Prize 1984), dies at age 84. 1986 - Death of Pierre Fournier, French cellist (born 1906). 1987 - Dow Jones Industrial Index closes above 2,000 for first time (2,002.25). 1987 - P G Joshi, cricket player (12 Tests for India 1951-60, ct 18 stp 9), dies. 1987 - Peter Adams, actor (Alternative, Blowing Hot and Cold), dies at age 69. 1988 - 9th largest NBA crowd 38,873-Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons. 1988 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 140.58 points (6.85 percent) to close at 1,911.31 in a mini-crash. 1988 - Frank Pace Jr, US Secretary of Army (1950-53), dies at age 76. 1988 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Debi Thomas. 1988 - Birth of Michael Mancienne, English football player. 1989 - 42nd Street closes at Winter Garden Theater in New York City, New York after 3,486 performances. 1989 - In England, a British Midland Boeing 737-400 plane crashes on approach to East Midlands Airport, leaving 47 dead. 1989 - Johnny Jordaan [Jan van Musscher], Dutch folk singer, dies at age 64. 1989 - Kenneth McMillan, actor (Our Family Honor, Malone, Concrete Beat), dies of heart attack at age 67. 1989 - Soviet Union promises to eliminate stockpiles of chemical weapons. 1990 - Terry Thomas, English comic (Heroes), dies of Parkinson's disease at age 78. 1990 - Demonstrations in Leipzig, Germany, demand reunification; "Wir sind ein Volk!" is the chant used on this day during the demonstrations. 1991 - Davis Rules with Jonathan Winters and Randy Quaid premieres on ABC-TV. 1991 - Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, and Rod Carew elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1991 - Steve Clark, English guitarist (Def Leppard - "Hysteria"), dies at age 30 (born 1960). 1991 - Tamás Darnyi swims world record 400m medley (4:12.36). 1992 - Abderrahim Bouabid, Morroco prime secretary (1972), dies. 1992 - Johnny [Jan] Meijer, Dutch king of accordions (Body and Soul), dies. 1992 - US President George H. W. Bush is televised falling violently ill at a state dinner in Japan, vomiting into the lap of Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and fainting. 1993 - Asif Nawaz, Pakistani General, dies. 1993 - Chicago Bulls' player Michael Jordan scores his 20,000th career point. 1993 - Hakija Turajlic, Bosnian vice-premier, murdered. 1993 - NBC offers The Tonight Show to David Letterman. 1993 - Theo Bruins, Dutch pianist/composer (Syncope), dies at age 63. 1994 - Edward Duke, actor (Decadence, Silver Bears), dies of cancer at age 40. 1994 - Harvey Haddix, pitcher (12 perfect inning game), dies at age 68. 1994 - Jay Blackton, US conductor/arranger (Oklahoma!), dies at age 84. 1994 - Lady Caithness, wife of British undersecretary, commits suicide. 1994 - Pat Buttram, American actor (Haney - Green Acres), dies of kidney failure at 78 (born 1915). 1994 - Rintje Ritsma skates world record 1500m (1:51.60). 1994 - Russian manned space craft TM-18 is launched into orbit. Valeri Polyakov begins his 437.7 day orbit on the Mir space station, eventually setting the world record for days spent in orbit. 1994 - Sri Chandrashekhara Saraswathi, guru of Kanchi, dies at age 99. 1994 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Davis. 1994 - Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Italian actor (Octopus), dies at age 52. 1995 - Guys and Dolls closes at Martin Beck Theater in New York City, New York after 1143 performances. 1995 - Carlos Monzon [El Macho], Argentine middleweight boxing champion (1970-77), dies at age 52. 1995 - Joyce McCartan, peace campaigner, dies at age 68. 1995 - Louis "Loulou" Gasté, guitarist/composer (Doggy in the Window), dies at age 88. 1995 - Mike Schmidt is elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame. 1996 - For first time in 25 years no one is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. 1996 - Francois Mitterrand, President of France (1981-95), dies of cancer at age 79. 1996 - A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital Kinshasa - 350 dead. 1996 - William Mac Lance "Tiny" McCloud, musician/songwriter, dies at age 52. 1997 - Intel releases the 166 MHz and 200 MHz Pentium processors with MMX multimedia extension instructions. Bus speed is 66 MHz. They incorporate 4.5 million transistors. Performance of the 200 MHz version is 350 MIPS. Code-name during development was P55C. MMX originally stood for "matrix-multiplication extensions". 1997 - Carole Carr, singer/actress (Down Among the Z Men), dies at age 68. 1997 - Joseph George Handy Hendleman, musician, dies at age 76. 1997 - Melvin Calvin, scientist, dies at age 85. 1997 - Phyllis Hartnoll, writer/editor, dies at age 90. 1997 - Ronald William Eastman, cinematographer, dies at age 60. 1998 - Death of Michael Tippett, English composer, at age 93 (born 1905). 1998 - New York Giants' general manager George Young resigns to accept NFL position. 1998 - Walter Diemer, inventor (bubble gum 1928), dies of heart failure at age 93. 1998 - Ramzi Yousef is sentenced to life in prison for planning the World Trade Center bombing. 1998 - Cosmologists announce that the universe's expansion rate is increasing. 2001 - Noah, a gaur, is born, the first individual of an endangered species to be cloned. 2002 - IBM announces it will no longer manufacture desktop personal computers in most of the world. It will sell its desktop facilities in US and Europe to Sanmina-SCI. 2002 - Juan Gonzalez agrees to a $24 million, two-year deal with the Texas Rangers. 2002 - Death of Alexander Prochorow, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916). 2002 - Death of Dave Thomas, American fast food entrepreneur (born 1932). 2003 - US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people aboard. 2003 - Death of Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (born 1925). 2004 - Queen Elizabeth II christens the Cunard Line's RMS Queen Mary 2 cruise liner, the largest ocean liner in the world (151,400 gross tons, 3090 passengers). 2005 - Over night, violent storm Gudrun sweeps across the southern half of Sweden, the worst storm in the country since 1969, and one of the worst natural catastrophes in recorded Swedish history. Storm gusts reached 150 km/hour, knocking down 250 million trees, the equivalent of a year's normal harvest of 80 million cubic metres throughout the country. Seven die in the storm, another nine die in clean-up work. 500,000 households are left with no electricity, and the Öresund bridge is closed to road traffic. 2006 - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 earthquake centered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin. 2006 - Death of Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, British politician (born 1943). 2007 - Russian oil supplies to Poland, Germany, and Ukraine are cut as the Russia-Belarus energy dispute escalates; restored three days later. 2007 - Death of Iwao Takamoto, Japanese animator (born 1925). 2007 - Death of Yvonne de Carlo, American actress (born 1922). 2008 - In the USA, CBS airs the 34th Annual People's Choice Awards. 2008 - In New Hampshire, USA, the Democratic caucuses choose Hillary Clinton as candidate for the presidential election on November. The Republican caucuses choose John McCain. 2008 - An attempted assassination of Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is thwarted after a Boy Scout grabs the attacker's knife. The Boy Scout is injured, but after a scuffle police arrest the attacker. 2009 - In Los Angeles, California, the Critics' Choice Awards are announced. Best picture: Slumdog Millionaire Best director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire Best writer: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire Best young actor: Dev Patel for Slumdog Millionaire Best composer: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire Best song: "The Wrestler" by Bruce Springsteen Best actor: Sean Penn for Milk Best acting ensemble: Milk Best actress: Meryl Streep for Doubt, and Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight Best action film: The Dark Knight Best supporting acrtess: Kate Winslet for The Reader 2009 - The Bank of England cuts interest rates to 1.5 percent, the lowest level since the Bank of England was founded in 1694. 2010 - The Togo national football team is involved in an attack in Angola, and as a result withdraws from the Africa Cup of Nations. 2011 - Jared Loughner shoots at a political event in Tucson, Arizona, killing 6, wounding 13 others.         Your Ad Here         You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://thisdayinhistoryinfo.info/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of World History Today in Sports History Today in USA History Today in Disney History Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Computers