This Day in History
February 15

What happened in history on this day: February 15? On February 15 in ... 37 - Birth of Claudius Drusus Germanicus Caesar Nero, emperor of Rome (54-68). 732 - Ho-tse Shen-hui, Zen teacher disputes founder of Northern Ch'an line. 1043 - Gisela wife of Roman Catholic-German emperor Conrad II the Salier, dies at age 52. 1145 - Bernardo elected Pope Eugene III. 1145 - Lucius II [Gherardo Caccianemici], Italian Pope (1144-45), dies. 1152 - Konrad III Roman-German King (1138-1152), dies at about age 58. 1313 - Peace of Angleur. 1368 - Birth of Sigismund, near Nürnberg [Germany]; Holy Roman Emperor (1433-1437), last emperor of the House of Luxembourg. 1386 - Duke Philip the Stout forms Council of Flanders. 1483 - Birth of Babur founder of Mughal dynasty in India (1526-30. 1497 - Birth of Philipp Melanchthon Germany, Protestant reformer. 1503 - Henry Deane Archbishop of Canterbury (1501-03), dies. 1519 - Birth of Pedro Menéndez de Aviles explored Florida - founded Saint Augustine Florida. 1524 - Birth of Charles de Guise archbishop/cardinal of Reims. 1539 - Emperor Charles receives Cardinal Pole in Toledo. 1552 - Dutch coast hit by heavy storm. 1557 - Birth of Alfonso Fontanelli composer. 1563 - Russian troops occupy Polotsk Lithuania. 1564 - Birth of Galileo Galilei in Pisa, Italy; astronomer/physicist. 1568 - Hendrik van Brederode Dutch noble (Compromise of Nobles), dies at age 36. 1571 - Birth of Michael Praetorius Kreuzberg Germany, music theorist/composer (Syntagma music). 1580 - Cunerus Petri Dutch theologist/bishop of Leeuwarden, dies. 1597 - Pieter J Kies Dutch mayor of Haarlem (1572-73), dies at about age 66. 1600 - José the Acosta Spanish missionary (Peru), dies at age 59. 1620 - Birth of François Charpentier French scholar/archaeologist. 1621 - Michael Praetorius German composer (In Dulce Jubilo), dies at age 50. 1637 - Ferdinand II King of Bohemia/Hungary/German Emperor (1619-37), dies at age 58. 1637 - Ferdinand III succeeds Ferdinand II as Holy Roman Emperor. 1650 - Birth of Anne Jules duke de Noailles marshal of France (hugenot). 1660 - Birth of Frans Anneessens Belgian merchant/dean of artisans. 1660 - Klaas Geritsz Compaen Dutch buccaneer/merchant, dies at age 72. 1666 - Birth of Antonio M Valsalva Italian anatomist (eardrums, glottis). 1677 - King Charles II reports anti-French covenant with Netherlands. 1680 - Jan Swammerdam Dutch entomologist (Bible of Nature), dies at age 41. 1686 - Jean Baptiste Lully's opera "Armide" premieres in Paris. 1686 - Mathias Rauchmüller German sculptor (Piasten mausoleum Poland), dies. 1689 - German Parliament declares war on France. 1701 - Adam Drese German composer, dies at age 80. 1705 - Birth of Charles A Vanloo French painter. 1707 - Birth of Claude Prosper Paris France, novelist. 1710 - Birth of Louis XV the Well-Beloved Versailles, King of France (1715-74). 1713 - Anthony Ashley Cooper third Earl of Shaftesbury, writer, dies. 1726 - Birth of Abraham Clark farmer/lawyer, signed Declaration of Independence. 1740 - Birth of Ernst Eichner composer. 1744 - Frantisek Antonin Mica composer, dies at age 49. 1744 - John Hadley inventor (sextant), dies. 1745 - Colley Cibbers "Papal Tyranny" premieres in London. 1748 - Birth of Jeremy Bentham London England, philosopher/originator (Utilitarian). 1759 - Alexander von Papenhoven Flemish religious sculptor, dies at age 89. 1759 - Birth of Friedrich A Wolfius [Wolf], German philological (Prolegomena). 1760 - Birth of Jean-François Le Sueur composer. 1761 - Carlo Cecere composer, dies at age 54. 1763 - Austria, Prussia and Saxony sign Peace of Hubertusburg. 1764 - Birth of Jens I Baggesen Danish writer/linguist (Danske V'rker). 1764 - Saint Louis founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclade Ligue. 1768 - First mustard manufactured in America advertised, Philadelphia. 1768 - Birth of Jozef B Cannaert [Olim], Flemish lawyer. 1774 - Birth of W G Frederik prince of Orange. 1775 - Angelo Braschi chosen as Pope Pius VI. 1778 - Johann Gottlieb Gorner composer, dies at age 80. 1780 - Birth of Carel Asser Dutch jurist. 1781 - G E Lessing writer, dies at age 52. 1781 - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Saxon playwright/critic, dies. 1783 - Birth of Johann Nepomuk Poissl composer. 1785 - Birth of Claude Louis Marie Navier. 1789 - Birth of Friedrich Fesca composer. 1795 - Birth of Charles Niellon Belgian brigade general (10 day campaign). 1797 - Battle of Cape Saint Vincent. 1797 - Birth of Henry Engelhard Steinway piano maker (Steinway). 1799 - First US printed ballots authorized, Pennsylvania. 1800 - Birth of Frederik W Conrad Dutch hydraulic engineer/railway pioneer. 1803 - Birth of John Augustus Sutter Swiss/US colonist of California gold rush fame (New Helvetia California, Sutter Mill). 1804 - New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery. 1807 - Birth of Ignacy Feliks Dobrzynski composer. 1809 - Birth of Cyrus Hall McCormick inventor (Mechanical reaper). 1811 - Birth of Domingo F Sarmiento President of Argentina (1868-74). 1812 - Birth of Charles Lewis Tiffany Killingly Connecticut, jeweler (Tiffany). 1815 - Treaty of Ghent fully ratified, ending War of 1812. 1817 - Birth of Charles F Daubigny French restauranteur/painter. 1818 - Charles XIII King of Sweden (1809-18)/Norway (1814-18), dies at age 69. 1819 - Birth of Christopher Sholes Mooresburg Pennsylvania, inventor (typewriter). 1820 - Birth of Susan Brownell Anthony in Adams, Massachusetts; women's suffragette. 1820 - Pierre-Joseph Cambon member of Committee the Salut Public, dies at age 63. 1820 - William Ellery US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at age 92. 1821 - Birth of Abraham de Amorie van der de Have theologist/poet. 1822 - Birth of Theodor Uhlig composer. 1823 - Birth of Li Hung-Tshang Chinese rebel leader/viceroy of Tsheli Canton. 1826 - Birth of George J Stoney Irish physicist. 1828 - Birth of Johan H van Dale schoolmaster (New Dutch Language Dictionary). 1829 - Birth of Silas Weir Mitchell US physician/author (Roland Blake). 1831 - Henry Maudslay inventor (metal lathe), dies. 1832 - Hardenack Otto Conrad Zinck composer, dies at age 85. 1834 - Birth of Sir William Preece English electrical engineer, wireless pioneer. 1835 - Birth of Alexander Stuart Webb Major General (Union Army), died in 1911. 1835 - Henry Hunt British politician, dies. 1841 - Sibrand Acker Stratingh Dutch doctor/chemist (electrical car), dies at age 53. 1842 - First adhesive postage stamps in US (private delivery company), New York City, New York. 1844 - Henry Addington Lord Sidmouth British premier (1801-04), dies at age 86. 1845 - Birth of Elihu Root (Republican)/US Secretary of State (1905-09)/Nobel Peace Prize (1912). 1845 - William Parsons, Earl of Rosse, first uses 72" (183 cm) reflector. 1847 - Birth of Robert Fuchs composer. 1848 - Sarah Roberts barred from white school in Boston. 1849 - Pierre F Verhulst Belgian mathematician (logistic curve), dies at age 44. 1851 - Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom rescuing a fugitive slave. 1852 - Great Ormond Steet Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits first patient. 1855 - Birth of Gustav Hollaender composer. 1856 - Birth of Frank Harris Galway England, writer. 1857 - Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka Russian composer, dies at age 53. 1858 - Birth of William Pickering Boston, astronomer (9th and 10th moons of Saturn). 1861 - Birth of Alfred North Whitehead English mathematician/philosopher (Adventures of Ideas). 1861 - Birth of Halford John Mackinder Gainsborough Lincolnshire, geographer. 1861 - Fort Point completed and garrisoned (but has never fired cannon in anger). 1862 - Grant's major assault on Fort Donelson, Tennessee. 1864 - Fire in Rotterdam Netherlands damages Museum Boymans. 1864 - Israel Zangwill writer/Zionist/philanthropist, dies. 1864 - William Dyce painter, dies. 1865 - Nicholas Wiseman first Archbishop of Westminster (1850-65), dies. 1866 - Birth of Bannister Fletcher London, architect and architectural historian. 1869 - Charges of Treason against Jefferson Davis are dropped. 1870 - Ground broken for Northern Pacific Railway near Duluth Minnesota. 1874 - Birth of Emilis Melngailis composer. 1874 - Birth of Ernest H Shackleton Kilkee Ireland, explorer (Endurance, Antarctica). 1876 - Historic Elm at Boston blown down. 1879 - US Congress authorizes women lawyers to practice before the Supreme Court. 1882 - First cargo of frozen meat leaves New Zealand for Britain, on SS Dunedin. 1882 - Birth of John Barrymore [Blythe] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; actor (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Tempest, Beloved Rogue). 1885 - Birth of Richard Wurz composer. 1885 - Leopold Damrosch composer, dies at age 52. 1886 - Birth of Sax Rohmer England, author (Dr Fu Manchu). 1887 - Alexander Borodin composer, dies. 1887 - Birth of H M Bateman Sutton Forest New South Wales, cartoonist. 1890 - Birth of Robert Ley German chemist/Member of Parliament (NSDAP). 1892 - Birth of James Forrestal US, banker/minister of Navy. 1893 - Birth of Harm H Kamerlingh Onnes painter/etcher/ceramist. 1893 - Birth of Walter Donaldson US pianist/composer (Girl Crazy, Whoopee). 1894 - Birth of Oswaldo Aranha Brazil, lawyer/statesman (first President of United Nations). 1895 - 23 cm (9") of snow falls on New Orleans. 1896 - Birth of Arthur Shields Dublin Ireland; actor (River, Enchanted Island). 1896 - E J Nicholson writer, dies. 1897 - Birth of Earl H Blaik Detroit Michigan, college football hall of fame coach (elected 1965). 1898 - Birth of Ibuse Masuji Japanese writer (Yôhai Taichô, Kuroi Ame). 1898 - Birth of Toto (Antonio de Curtis), Naples Italy; actor (Motorizzate, Noi Duri). 1898 - A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor, killing 260 of the American crew members. 1899 - Birth of Gale Sondergard Litchfield Minnesota, actress (Cat and Canary, Road to Rio). 1899 - Birth of Georges Auric Lodève France, composer (It Always Rains on Sunday). 1899 - Birth of Lillian Disney Mrs Walt Disney. 1900 - General French relieves Kimberley/Cecil Rhodes. 1901 - Birth of André Parrot French archaeologist/theologist (Assur). 1901 - Birth of Christmas Humphreys England, lawyer/writer/Buddhist (Awakening of Zen). 1901 - Birth of Paul Haesaerts Flemish architect/painter (Animisme). 1902 - Underground railway (U-Bahn). 1902 - Wilhelmina JR Albregt-Engelman Dutch actress, dies at age 68. 1903 - First Teddy Bear introduced in America, made by Morris and Rose Michtom. 1903 - Julie Verstraete-Lacquet Flemish actress, dies at age 69. 1904 - Birth of Antonin Magne French bicyclist (Tour de France 1931, 34). 1904 - Birth of Mary Adshead muralist/painter. 1905 - First race meet at Oaklawn Park (Hot Springs Arkansas). 1905 - Birth of Harold Arlen [Hyman Arluck], US, composer (Over the Rainbow). 1905 - Lewis Wallace US diplomat/writer (Ben Hur), dies at age 77. 1906 - Birth of Stephen Brown CEO (Stone-Platt Industries). 1906 - British Labour Party organizes. 1907 - Birth of Cesar Romero in New York City, New York; actor (Joker - Batman, Ocean's 11, The Thin Man). 1907 - Birth of Jean Langlais composer. 1908 - Birth of Sidney Gilliat producer. 1908 - Birth of Ypk fan der Fear Frisian writer (Reade Runen). 1909 - Birth of Harold Beeley British diplomat. 1910 - Albert Fuchs composer, dies at age 51. 1910 - Birth of 9th Earl of Jersey English large landowner/art collector. 1911 - Birth of Leonard Woodcock labor leader (United Auto Workers). 1912 - Birth of George Mikes Hungary, British writer (How to Be an Alien). 1912 - Fram reaches latitude 78 degrees 41' S, farthest south ever by ship. 1913 - First avant-garde art show in America opens in New York City, New York. 1913 - Birth of Willy Vandersteen Belgian cartoonist (Suske and Wiske). 1914 - Birth of Arthur Sydney Martin spy catcher. 1914 - Birth of Kevin McCarthy Seattle Washington; actor (Invasion of Body Snatchers, Howling). 1914 - Birth of R W Woods bishop (Worcester). 1915 - Birth of Paul Ferris British author. 1916 - Birth of Ian Ballantine publisher (Ballantine Books). 1916 - New York Yankees buy Frank "Home Run" Baker from the Athletics for $37,500. 1916 - Nikolay Nikolayevich Lodizhensky composer, dies at age 73. 1917 - Charles A van Ophuysen Dutch orientalist, dies at age 60. 1917 - San Francisco Public Library (Main Branch at Civic center) dedicated. 1918 - First WWI US army troop ship torpedoed and sunk by Germany, off Ireland. 1918 - Birth of Alan Arbus New York City, New York; actor (Dr Sidney Freedman-MASH). 1918 - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania adopt the Gregorian calendar. 1919 - American Legion organizes in Paris. 1919 - Pieter K Pel Dutch internist (Pel-Ebstein fever), dies at age 66. 1920 - Birth of Ingmar Milveden composer. 1920 - Birth of Piet van Aken Flemish writer (Devil Sails to US, Niggers). 1920 - Birth of Richard O'Brien CEO (Manpower Services Commission). 1921 - Arthur Mailey completes 9-121 versus England, Australian Test Cricket record. 1921 - Hans Haym composer, dies at age 60. 1922 - Birth of Herman Kahn New Jersey, writer (Thinking About the Unthinkable). 1922 - Clara [G Meijer-]Wichmann German/Dutch anarchist/feminist, dies at age 36. 1922 - Marconi begins regular broadcasting transmissions from Essex. 1923 - Birth of Justice Drake British justice. 1923 - Birth of Keene Curtis Salt Lake City Utah; actor (Magician, Amanda's). 1923 - Birth of Yelena Bonner Moscow, soviet dissident/wife of Andre Sakharov. 1923 - Josephine B Willson Bruce US black theorist, dies at age 69. 1924 - Lionel Monckton English composer (Country Girl), dies at age 62. 1926 - Brooks Atkinson Theater opens at 256 W 47th Steet New York City. 1926 - Contract air mail service begins in US. 1927 - Birth of Frank Dunlop director (Edinburgh International Festival). 1927 - Birth of Gottfrid Grasbeck composer. 1927 - Birth of Harvey Korman in Chicago, Illinois; actor (Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles). 1927 - Birth of William Bentley diplomat. 1928 - Hubert H Asquith premier Great Britain (1908-16), dies at age 75. 1929 - Birth of Countess of Dysart. 1929 - Birth of Gerald Harper broadcaster/actor (Tunes of Glory, Extra Day). 1929 - Birth of Graham Hill London England, auto racer (1962, 68 international racing champion). 1929 - Birth of James Schlesinger US Secretary of Defense (1973-75). 1929 - Saint Valentine's Day massacre (Chicago). 1930 - Birth of C F Payne Cleveland Ohio, British chief constable. 1930 - Weona beats Toluca in Illinois Basketball Tournament in ten overtimes. 1931 - First Dracula movie released. 1931 - Birth of W K Reid British ombudsman. 1931 - Birth of [Patricia] Claire Bloom London, actress (Charly, Look Back in Anger). 1931 - Spring training site of New York Yankees in Saint Petersburg is renamed Miller Huggins Field in honor of the team's late manager. 1932 - III Olympic Winter Games close at Lake Placid New York. 1932 - Australia beat South Africa in cricket by an inning in 5 hours 53 minutes playing time. 1932 - Birth of Adrian Swire British aircraft magnate (Cathay Pacific). 1932 - George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on "Guy Lombardo Show". 1932 - John Van Druten's "There's Always Juliet" premieres in New York City, New York. 1932 - Minnie Maddern Fiske actress (Henrik Ibsen's plays), dies at age 66. 1932 - US bobsled team member Eddie Eagan becomes only athlete to win gold in both Summer and Winter Olympics (1920 boxing gold). 1933 - Anton J Cermak (Mayor-Democrat-Chicago), assassinated in Miami. 1933 - Birth of Adolfo Cardones Cuba, fashion designer (Nancy Reagan). 1933 - Karl Radek praises invincible force of German communist party. 1933 - President-elect Franklin Roosevelt survives assassination attempt. 1933 - Social-democratic newspaper "Vorwärts" banned again in Berlin. 1934 - Birth of Niklaus Wirth Switzerland, computer programmer/inventor (PASCAL). 1935 - Birth of John R Block US Secretary of Agriculture (1981-86). 1935 - Birth of Roger B Chaffee Grand Rapids Michigan, Lieutenant Commander US Navy/astronaut. 1935 - Birth of Susan Brownmiller Brooklyn New York, feminist author (Against Our Wills). 1936 - -60 degrees F (-51 degrees C), Parshall North Dakota (state record). 1936 - Birth of Andrew Miller British principal (Stirling U). 1936 - Hitler announces building of Volkswagens (starting slug-bug game). 1936 - Sonja Henie, Norway, wins third consecutive Olympics figure skating gold. 1937 - Birth of Nicholas Bayne diplomat. 1937 - Birth of P J Squire British headmaster (Bedford Modern School). 1937 - Birth of Terry Everett (Representative-Republican-Alabama). 1937 - Birth of Zoltan Pesko composer. 1938 - Birth of Jack Tinker drama critic. 1938 - Birth of Lord Justice Ward British judge. 1939 - Birth of Jo Clayton US, sci-fi author (Irsud, Maeve, Star Hunters). 1939 - Birth of Ollie Ellefsäter Norway, 3K steeplechase (Olympics-1960). 1939 - Birth of Tony Bloom deputy CEO (Sketchley). 1939 - Foppe G Scheltema Dutch lawyer, dies at age 47. 1939 - German battleship Bismarck is launched. 1939 - Henri Jaspar premier of Belgium (1926-31), dies at age 68. 1939 - Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes" premieres in New York City, New York. 1941 - Birth of Brian Holland US pianist/producer (Holland/Dozier/Holland). 1941 - Birth of Dan Crompton Nottinghamshire, Chief Constable. 1941 - Birth of Florinda Bolkan Ceara Brazil, actress (Damned, Last Valley, Word). 1941 - Duke Ellington first records "Take the A Train". 1942 - German U-boat shells at Antillian oil refinery. 1942 - Guido Adler Austrian musicologist, dies at age 91. 1942 - Japanese troops march into Palembang, South Sumatra. 1942 - On Singapore, 130,000 British, Indian, and Australian men surrender to 35,000 Japanese forces, the greatest mass capitulation in British history. Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita accepts surrender of Singapore from British Lieutenant General A.E. Percival. 1942 - Stanislav Binicki composer, dies at age 69. 1943 - William Victor Harris composer, dies at age 73. 1943 - Women's camp Tamtui on Ambon (Moluccas) hit by allied air raid. 1944 - 891 British bombers attack Berlin. 1944 - Birth of Aleksandr A Serebrov USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-7, T-8, TM-8, TM-17). 1944 - Birth of Mick Avory rock drummer (Kinks-Lola). 1944 - Birth of Tineke Netelenbos Dutch Member of Parliament (PvdA). 1944 - (about 0945 hours) In Italy, about 230 Allied B-17 bombers based at Foggia drop 257 tons of 500 pound bombs and 59 tons of incendiaries on the monastery atop Monte Cassino. 1945 - Birth of Douglas R Hofstadter in New York City, New York, USA; author (Gödel, Escher, Bach). 1946 - Birth of Clare Short; British Member of Parliament. 1946 - Birth of John Greenway; British Member of Parliament. 1947 - Birth of John Adams in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; composer (Nixon on China). 1947 - Birth of Marisa Berenson in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Barry Lyndon, Death in Vienna, SOB). 1947 - Birth of Rusty Hamer in Tenafly, New Jersey, USA; actor (Rusty - Make Room for Daddy). 1948 - Birth of Ron "The Penguin" Cey in Tacoma, Washington, USA; third baseman (Los Angeles Dodgers). 1948 - Mao Zedong's army occupies Yenan. 1949 - Birth of Christopher Rouse; composer. 1949 - Birth of Jess Walton in Michigan, USA; actress (Jill Foster Abbott - The Young and the Restless). 1949 - Birth of Ken Anderson; NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals). 1950 - Birth of Donna Hanover Giuliani; TV news anchor (WPIX)/wife of Mayor Giuliani. 1950 - Birth of Nikolai Sergeivich in Grekov, Russia; cosmonaut. 1950 - RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Cinderella to theaters in the USA. 1951 - Birth of Jane Seymour [Joyce Frankenberg] in Middlesex, England; actress (Dr Quinn, East of Eden, Lassiter). 1951 - Birth of Melissa Manchester in the Bronx, New York, USA; singer ("Don't Cry Out Loud"). 1953 - Birth of Derek Conway; British Member of Parliament. 1954 - First bevatron in operation-Berkeley, California, USA. 1954 - Birth of Matt Groening; cartoonist (Life in Hell, The Simpsons). 1955 - Birth of Janice Dickinson in Brooklyn, New York, USA; model (Vogue). 1955 - First pilot plant to produce man-made diamonds announced. 1955 - Birth of Bev Francis in Australia; world women's power-lifting champion. 1955 - Birth of Clive Aslet; British editor (Country Life). 1955 - S Z Sakall, actor (Dolly Sisters, Casablanca), dies at age 71. 1956 - Birth of Desmond Haynes; cricket (West Indies opener-greatest batsman in one-day history). 1956 - Birth of Hilda Beatriz "Hildita" Guevara in Cuba; daughter of "Che" Guevara. 1956 - Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Athletics cancel an exhibition game in Birmingham, Alabama, because of local ordinance barring blacks from playing against whites. 1956 - Urho Kekkonen is appointed President of Finland. 1957 - Andrei A Gromyko succeeds Dmitri Shepilov as Soviet foreign minister. 1957 - Birth of Charles Edward Pevensey Tennant; aristocrat. 1957 - Birth of Jake E Lee; rocker (Badlands - "Dreams in the Dark"). 1958 - Ice Dance Championship at Paris won by June Markham/Courtney Jones of Great Britain. 1958 - Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Barbara Wagner/Rob Paul of Canada. 1958 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Carol Heiss of USA. 1958 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by David Jenkins of USA. 1958 - Sjafroeddin Prawiranegara forms anti-government of Middle Sumatra. 1959 - Antonio Segni forms Italian government. 1959 - Birth of Ali Campbell; British reggae vocalist/guitarist (UB40 - "Red Red Wine"). 1959 - Birth of Guy De Alwis; cricket wicket-keeper (Sri Lankan mid 80s). 1959 - Birth of Joe Hesketh; US baseball player (Boston Red Sox). 1959 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Tournament. 1959 - Owen W Richardson; English physicist (Nobel Prize 1928), dies at age 69. 1960 - Birth of Darrell Green; NFL cornerback (Washington Redskins). 1960 - Birth of Jeanne Goldsmith in Los Angeles, California, USA; WPVA volleyballer (National-5th-1987). 1960 - Birth of Michael Craig; rock bassist (Culture Club - "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"). 1961 - Australia beat West Indies 2-1 in one of best Test Cricket series ever. 1961 - Entire US figure skating team of 18 dies in Belgian Sabena 707 crash. 1961 - Jack Whiting, actor (Top Speed, Life of the Party), dies at age 59. 1961 - Marubel Vinaon Owen, figure skater (Olympics-silver-1932), dies. 1962 - Birth of [Babette] Renee Props in Oklahoma, USA; actress (Ellie - As the World Turns, Get Shorty, Weird Science). 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1962 - Vladimir Sokoloff, actor (Road to Morocco, Cloak and Dagger), dies at age 72. 1963 - First US female world figure skating champion (Tenley Albright). 1964 - The Beatles' "Meet the Beatles!" album goes #1 and stays #1 for 11 weeks. 1964 - Bill Bradley scores 51 points for Princeton. 1964 - Birth of Chris Farley; actor (Saturday Night Live, Wayne's World, Coneheads). 1964 - Birth of Mark Price; NBA guard (Washington Bullets, Orlando Magic). 1964 - Ken Hubbs, second baseman (Chicago Cubs), dies in plane crash at age 22. 1965 - Birth of Craig Matthews; cricket pace bowler (South African Test). 1965 - Canada replaces the Union Jack flag with the Maple Leaf. 1965 - Nat King Cole, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa), dies at age 45. 1966 - Birth of Melido Perez; Dominican/US baseball pitcher (New York Yankees). 1966 - Birth of Petra Huber in Austria; tennis star. 1966 - Camillo Torres, Colombian priest/guerrilla fighter, dies. 1966 - Kees Verkerk becomes world champion all-round skater. 1967 - First anti-bootleg recording laws enacted. 1967 - Antonio Moreno, Spanish actor/director (It, Careers), dies at age 79. 1967 - Birth of Michael Easton, actor (Ally McBeal, Total Recall 2070, VR.5, Tanner - Days of Our Lives). 1967 - French Diadème 1-D satellite launches into Earth orbit. 1967 - Longest dream (REM sleep) on record, Bill Carskadon, Chicago (2:23). 1967 - William C Bullitt, first US ambassador in USSR, dies at age 76. 1968 - Anaheim Amigos' Les Salvage scores ten three-point baskets in ABA game versus Denver Nuggets. 1968 - Birth of Kurt Robin McKinney in Louisville, Kentucky, USA; actor (Ned - General Hospital). 1968 - Birth of Michael Easton in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Tanner - Days of Our Lives). 1968 - Little Walter, rocker, dies at age 37. 1969 - Birth of Brian Williams in Lancaster, South Carolina, USA; pitcher (Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros). 1969 - Birth of Edgar Bennett; NFL running back (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31). 1970 - Ard Schenk becomes world champion all-round skater. 1970 - Birth of Gloria Trevi in Mexico; sexy Spanish vocalist (A Gatas). 1970 - Birth of Nathaniel Mills in Evanston, Illinois, USA; speed skater (Olympics-1994). 1970 - Birth of Tyrone Legette; NFL cornerback (New Orleans Saints). 1970 - Carol Mann wins LPGA Burdine's Golf Invitational. 1970 - Dominican DC-9 crashes into sea at Santo Domingo, kills 102. 1970 - Nationalists disrupt United Nations' session on Congo. 1971 - After 1200 years Britain abandons 12-shilling system for decimal. 1971 - Birth of Barbara Failey-Herbert in South Africa; golfer (1989 winner South Africa Champion). 1971 - Birth of Jim Butler in Iowa City, Iowa, USA; table tennis player (Olympics-1992, 1996). 1971 - Birth of Renee O'Connor; actress (Xena Warrior Princess). 1971 - Birth of Tyrone Legette; cornerback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 1971 - Marian Viktorovich Koval, composer, dies at age 63. 1972 - Bill Torrey becomes first New York Islanders' General Manager. 1972 - Birth of Jaromir Jagr in Kladno, Czechoslovakia; NHL right wing (Pittsburgh Penguins, Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998). 1972 - Birth of Lance Scott; NFL offensive linesman (Arizona Cardinals). 1972 - Dimitrios Papadopoulos becomes metropolitan of Imbros/Tenedos. 1972 - Edgar P Snow, American author/journalist (Battle for Asia), dies at age 66. 1972 - Jef [Josephus CF], last Dutch poet/Indonesian politician, dies at age 73. 1972 - President Velasco Ibarra of Ecuador deposed for fourth time. 1973 - Birth of Amy Van Dyken; 50 metre/100 metre freestyle/100 metre butterfly swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1996). 1973 - Friendsville Academy (Tennessee) ends 138-game basketball losing streak. 1973 - Tim Holt, actor (Stagecoach, Hitler's Children), dies of cancer at age 55. 1973 - USSR launches Prognoz 3 to study sun (589/200,300 km). 1973 - Wally Cox, actor (Mr Peepers, Hollywood Squares), dies at age 48. 1974 - Birth of Erik Schulz in Port Huron, Michigan, USA; pairs skater (and Ilana Goldfogel). 1974 - Birth of Jodie McMullen; Miss Australia-Universe/Miss Congeniality (1996). 1974 - Birth of Tim Hall; running back (Oakland Raiders). 1974 - Birth of Ugueth Urbina in Caracas, Venezuela; pitcher (Montreal Expos). 1974 - Kurt Magnus Atterberg, composer, dies at age 86. 1975 - Birth of Robert Fuchs; soccer player (PSV). 1975 - Pelham G Wodehouse, writer, dies. 1976 - XII Olympic Winter Games close at Innsbruck, Austria. 1976 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic. 1977 - Birth of Brook Wackman; rocker. 1977 - Social-democrats win Danish parliamentary election. 1978 - England all out 64 for first loss to New Zealand in cricket (Boycott Captain). 1978 - Escaped mass murderer Ted Bundy recaptured, in Pensacola, Florida. 1978 - Ilka Chase, actress (Masquerade Party), dies at age 72. 1978 - Leon Spinks beats Muhammad Ali in 15 rounds for world heavyweight crown. 1978 - Zaire revises constitution. 1979 - 21st Grammy Awards: "Just the Way You Are", Taste of Honey win. 1979 - Alex Bradford, actor/composer (Your Arms too Short...), dies at age 51. 1979 - Birth of Kaj-Erik Eriksen; actor (Quarantine). 1979 - Mehdi Rahimi, Iran General/military Governor of Tehran, executed. 1979 - Paul Shirley (21) of Australia sucks a lifesaver for 4 hours 40 minutes. 1979 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1980 - Wayne Gretzky assists on NHL-record-tying seven goals. 1980 - In Vanuatu, followers of John Frum's cargo cult on the island of Tanna declare secession as the nation of Tafea. 1980 - Birth of Conor Oberst; American singer/songwriter. 1980 - Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 500 metre in 38.03 seconds. 1981 - Death of Karl Richter, German conductor (born 1926). 1981 - Jack Crapp, cricketer (7 Tests for England 1948-49, 319 runs), dies. 1981 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA S&H Golf Classic. 1981 - Mike Bloomfield, rocker (Electric Flag), dies of drug overdose at age 36. 1981 - Rocket-powered ice sled attains 399 kph, Lake George, New York. 1981 - Thomas Beversdorf, composer, dies at age 56. 1981 - Birth of Jenna Morasca; American television personality. 1981 - Birth of Olivia; American R&B singer. 1982 - Rolfe Sedan, actor (Mailman - George Burns Show), dies at age 86. 1982 - The oil platform Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing all 84 rig workers aboard. 1982 - Dan Issel (NBA-Denver Nuggets), begins streak of 63 consecutive free throws. 1983 - Birth of Alan Didak; Australian footballer. 1983 - Birth of Ashley Lyn Cafagna in Iowa City, Iowa; actress (Kimberly - The Bold and the Beautiful, Saved By The Bell: The New Class). 1983 - Birth of Russell Martin; Canadian baseball player. 1984 - 500,000 Iranian soldiers move into Iraq. 1984 - Avon Long, dancer/actor (Roots: The Next Generation), dies of cancer at age 73. 1984 - Ethel Merman, American singer/actress (Kid Million), dies in her sleep at age 76 (born 1908). 1984 - Leamon Hunt, US director-General in Sinai, killed by communists. 1984 - Birth of Dorota Rabczewska, Polish singer and model. 1984 - Birth of Josh Byrne, American actor. 1985 - STS 51-E vehicle moves to launch pad. 1985 - World chess championship match abandoned-Karpov 25, Kasparov 23. 1986 - Birth of Valeri Bojinov; Bulgarian footballer. 1986 - 44,180 largest NBA crowd to date - Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons. 1986 - Ferdinand Marcos wins rigged Philippines presidential election. 1987 - ABC-TV begins broadcasting Amerika mini-series. 1987 - Craig Stadler disqualified from Andy Williams Open for kneeling on a towel to make a shot. 1987 - Jimmy Holiday, US singer ("Baby I Love You"), dies at age 42. 1987 - Karlstad skates world record 10km (14:03.92). 1987 - Nikolai Guljajev becomes world champion skater. 1987 - Osmo Uolevi Lindeman, composer, dies at age 57. 1988 - Gardiner Means, US economist, dies at age 91. 1988 - Gerard Holt, architect, dies at age 83. 1988 - Neil R[onald] Jones, science fiction writer (Space War, Twin Worlds), dies at age 78. 1988 - Richard P Feynman, American physicist (Nobel Prize 1965, Physical Law), dies at age 69 (born 1918). 1988 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1989 - Israel attacks border strip Taba near Egypt. 1989 - The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan. Fifteen thousand Soviet soldiers were killed during the ten years of Soviet occupation. 1990 - A lockout begins as major league baseball owners refuse to open spring training camp without reaching a new Basic Agreement with the players. 1990 - Henry Brandon, actor (Assault on Precinct 13), dies at age 77. 1990 - Jack Fletcher, actor (Any Wednesday), dies of heart attack at age 68. 1990 - The United Kingdom and Argentina restore diplomatic relations, after severing them eight years ago. The UK had severed ties in response to Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands, a British Dependent Territory, in 1982. 1990 - IBM unveils its new RISC-based workstation line, the RS/6000. Development work had been done under code name "America" for the RISC chip research, and "RIOS" for systems using the America technology. The architecture of the systems is given the name POWER, standing for Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC. 1991 - Birth of Nicholas Garland son of Pamela Sue Martin. 1991 - Freighter with dynamite explodes in Phang Nga, Thailand, 120 die. 1991 - Gary Gears, Chicago disk jockey, dies at age 46 of a heart attack. 1991 - Luis Escobar, Spanish actor (Don Juan My Love), dies at age 78. 1991 - Troy State sets NCAA Division II record with 103 points in second half routing DeVry Institute 187-117. 1991 - The Visegrad Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. 1992 - 100th episode of Cops airs on the Fox Network. 1992 - Jeffrey Dahmer found sane and guilty of killing 15 boys. 1992 - William H Schuman, US composer (Pulitzer)/President of Julliard, dies at age 81. 1993 - Bombings by Mafia drug lords kill 14 in Bogotá, Colombia. 1993 - George Wallington [Giacinto Figlia], Italian bebop-pianist, dies. 1993 - Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Rochester New York on WNVE 95.1 FM. 1994 - Tiger Haynes, US actor (Moscow on the Hudson, Cosby Show), dies at age 79. 1994 - US asks Aristide to adopt a peace plan from Haiti. 1994 - In Largs, New South Wales, Australia, Bruce Bolt is born. 1994 - The Fox TV network airs the final Monty show. 1994 - In Southern Sumatera, Indonesia, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. At least 207 people killed, more than 2,000 injured, 75,000 homeless and extensive damage from landslides, mudslides and fires in Lampung Province. Damage estimated to be about US$169 million. 1995 - Kevin Mitnick is arrested by the FBI and charged with breaking into some of the United States' most "secure" computers systems. 1995 - Taiwan's deadliest fire at a karaoke restaurant in Taichung kills 64. 1995 - Burundi premier Anatole Kanyenkiko resigns. 1995 - Dublin - Republic of Ireland versus England football match in Lansdowne Road abandoned due to violence and rioting. 1995 - Francis Taylor, builder, dies at age 90. 1995 - Joseph Ortiz, French-Algerian extremist/rebel, dies at age 77. 1995 - Lord Taylor of Hadfield, British president of Taylor Woodrow Group, dies at age 90. 1995 - Nabila Diahnine, Algerian architect/feminist, murdered at age 33. 1995 - Population of People's Republic of China hits 1.2 billion. 1995 - Sahnoun Jawhari, Tunisian Annahda-leader, dies at age 40 in jail. 1995 - Viscount Camrose, British large landowner/Conservative, dies. 1996 - Bruno Ferenc Straub, Hungarian statesman, dies. 1996 - Margaret Courtenay, actress (Royal Flash, Duet for One), dies at age 72. 1996 - In south-west Wales, the Sea Empress oil tanker runs aground, spilling 73,000 tonnes of crude oil, killing many birds. 1996 - The U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece comes under mortar fire. 1996 - A Long March 3 at the Xichang launch site in China crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing 500. 1996 - McLean Stevenson, American actor (MASH, Hello Larry), dies at age 66 (born 1929). 1996 - Oscar Abrams, community organiser, dies at age 58. 1996 - Tommy Rettig, actor (Lassie)/computer programmer (Clipper), dies at age 54. 1997 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Tara Lipinski. 1997 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldridge. 1998 - Dale Eggeling wins Los Angeles Women's Golf Championship. 1998 - In Dayton Beach, Florida, Dale Earnhardt wins the Daytona 500 in his 20th try, after many unsuccessful attempts. 1999 - Death of Henry Way Kendall, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926). 1999 - Death of Big L, American rapper (born 1974). 2002 - Death of Howard K. Smith, American television journalist (born 1914). 2002 - Death of Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (born 1963). 2003 - More than ten million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest war protest to take place before the war against Iraq occurs. 2005 - Internet website YouTube is launched. 2006 - Jeff Weaver agrees to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim worth $8,325,000. 2006 - Death of Sun Yun-suan, Premier of the Republic of China (born 1913). 2007 - Baseball commissioner office approves a one-year contract worth $15.8 million for Barry Bonds with the New York Ginats. 2007 - Death of Robert Adler, Austrian-born inventor (born 1913). 2008 - In New York, Wal-Mart Stores announces it will exclusively sell high-definition DVDs in the Blu-Ray format. Sales of HD DVD systems and drives will be phased out until June. 2008 - Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Illinois, declares missing millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett legally dead, five months after the airplane he was flying disappeared over Nevada. 2009 - In the NBA's annual All-Star Game, West beats East 146-119. 2009 - Venezuela president Hugo Chavez wins an election that allows him to seek another term as president. You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/thisday/   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