This Day in History
February 17

What happened in history on this day: February 17? On February 17 in ... 364 - Flavius Jovianus, Christian emperor of Rome (363-64), dies at about age 32. 956 - Hugo the Great earl of Paris/duke of Francia, dies at about age 55. 1370 - Battle at Rudau: Germany beats Lithuania. 1444 - Birth of Rudolf Agricola [Roelof Huysman], Dutch humanist/organist. 1490 - Birth of Charles de Bourbon officer/governor (Lombardy). 1519 - Birth of François de Guise [Balafré], French general strategist (Calais). 1568 - Holy Roman Emperor agrees to pay annual tribute to Sultan for peace. 1583 - Birth of J Henry Alting Dutch theologist. 1598 - Boris Godunov chosen tsar of Russia. 1600 - Giordano Bruno advocate of Copernican theory and plurality of worlds, burned at stake by the Inquisition in Rome. 1612 - Ernst of Bayern prince/bishop of Luik/archbishop of Cologne, dies at age 57. 1612 - Jodocus Hondius Flemish cartoonist/mathematician, dies at age 48. 1621 - Miles Standish appointed first commander of Plymouth colony. 1634 - William Prynne tried in Star Chamber for publishing "Histriomastix". 1652 - Gregorio Allegri Italian singer/composer (Miserere), dies at about age 67. 1653 - Birth of Arcangelo Corelli Fusignano Italy, violinist/composer (Concerto Grosso). 1654 - Michael Lohr composer, dies at age 62. 1667 - Birth of Georg Bronner composer. 1670 - France and Bavaria sign military assistance treaty. 1673 - Jean Baptiste Poquelin, French author and dramatist, dies in Paris at age 51. 1675 - Birth of Johann Melchior Conradi composer. 1676 - Kings Charles II and Louis XIV sign secret treaty. 1688 - Reverend James Renwick hanged in Scotland for being a Presbyterian. 1691 - Thomas Neale granted British patent for American postal service. 1696 - Birth of Baron Ernst Gottlieb composer. 1697 - Birth of Louis-Maurice de La Pierre composer. 1699 - Birth of Hans Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff German architect (Sanssouci). 1714 - Parliament of Paris accepts Pope Clemens XI's "Unigenitus" degree. 1715 - Antoine Galland French interpreter, dies at age 68. 1723 - Birth of Tobias Mayer "method of lunars" for longitude determination. 1732 - Louis Marchand composer, dies at age 63. 1740 - Birth of Horace B de Saussure Swiss physicist/geologist. 1747 - Birth of Narciso Casanovas composer. 1752 - Birth of Friedrich M Klinger German playwright (Wirrwarr). 1754 - Birth of Jan Jachym Kopriva composer. 1758 - Birth of John Pinkerton Scottish historian. 1772 - First partition of Poland-Russia and Prussia, joined later by Austria. 1774 - Birth of Raphaelle Peale US, painter (After the Rain-1823). 1776 - First volume of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" published. 1781 - Birth of René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laënnec France, inventor (stethoscope). 1791 - Messier catalogs M83 (spiral galaxy in Hydra). 1795 - Thomas Seddal harvests 8.3-kg potato from his garden Chester, England. 1796 - Birth of Giovanni Pacini composer. 1796 - James Macpherson poet, dies. 1801 - House breaks electoral college tie, chooses Jefferson President over Burr. 1803 - Louis R E prince de Rohan-Guémené archbishop of Straatsburg, dies at age 68. 1804 - Birth of Samuel Read Anderson Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1883. 1804 - Christian Ernst Graf composer, dies at age 80. 1815 - Franz Gotz composer, dies at age 59. 1816 - Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Markull composer. 1817 - First US city lit by gas (Baltimore). 1817 - Birth of Frederick Douglass famous African-American. 1818 - Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun patents "draisine" (early bicycle). 1820 - Birth of Henri Vieuxtemps Verviers Belgium, composer/teacher (Brussels Cons). 1824 - Birth of William Farrar "Baldy" Smith Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903. 1827 - Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Swiss educator, dies at age 81. 1831 - Birth of Francisco Salvador Daniel composer. 1836 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin leaves Tasmania. 1837 - Birth of Francis Jay Herron Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1902. 1837 - Birth of Sam[uel] van Houten Dutch (Liberal) minister (child labor laws). 1841 - Dutch ex-king Willem I marries Henriette d'Oultremont de Wégimont. 1841 - Ferdinando Carulli composer, dies at age 70. 1844 - Birth of A Montgomery Ward founded mail-order business (Montgomery Ward). 1847 - William Collins landscape painter, dies. 1848 - Toscane gets liberal Constitution. 1849 - Birth of Selwyn Image Bodiam Sussex, painter. 1850 - Birth of Anton Urspruch composer. 1850 - Birth of Ludwig Bonvin composer. 1852 - Micha Joseph Levenson Hebrew poet, dies. 1853 - Birth of Jaroslav Vrchlicky [Emil Frída], Czechoslovakian poet (One night on Karlstein). 1854 - Birth of Friedrich A Krupp German arms manufacturer. 1854 - British recognize independence of Orange Free State (South Africa). 1854 - Hugues F R de Lamennais French priest/writer, dies at age 71. 1855 - Birth of Otto Liman von Sanders German general in Turkey (WWI). 1856 - Heinrich Heine German poet, dies at age 58 in Paris. 1856 - John Braham singer/composer, dies at age 81. 1857 - Birth of Samuel Sidney McClure Irish-American newspaper editor/publisher. 1858 - Birth of Ernest Ford composer. 1859 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Un Ballo in maschera" premieres at the Apollo Theatre in Rome. 1862 - Birth of Edward German (Jones) Whitchurch Shropshire, British composer. 1862 - Birth of Mori Ogai [Mori Rintarô) Japanese author (Maihime/Gan). 1864 - Birth of Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson New South Wales Australia, poet (Waltzing Matilda). 1864 - Confederate submarine "HL Hunley" sinks Union ship "Housatonic" (first submarine to sink an enemy ship). 1865 - Battle of Charleston, South Carolina. 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina, burns down. 1867 - First ship passes through Suez Canal. 1867 - Birth of William Cadbury England, chocolate manufacturer (Cadbury). 1867 - Gyula Andressy becomes premier of Hungary. 1870 - Birth of Louis de Raet Belgian economist/founder (Flemish People's Party). 1870 - Esther Morris appointed first female judge. 1870 - Mississippi becomes ninth state re-admitted to US after Civil War. 1874 - Birth of Thomas J Watson Sr US, representative/founder (IBM). 1874 - [Lambert] Adolphe J Quetelet Belgian astronomer/sociologist, dies at age 77. 1875 - Luís Varela Brazilian romantic poet, dies at age 33. 1876 - Sardines first canned (Julius Wolff-Eastport ME). 1877 - Birth of Henri Vandeputte Belgian author/poet (L'homme Jeune). 1878 - First telephone exchange in San Francisco opens with 18 phones. 1878 - José Amador de los Ríos Spanish historian/poet, dies at age 59. 1879 - Birth of Dorothy Canfield Fisher US, novelist (Book-of-the Month-Club). 1880 - Birth of Alvaro Obregon General/President of Mexico (1920-24). 1880 - Tsar Alexander II of Russia survives an assassination attempt. 1882 - First Test Cricket match played at Sydney Cricket Ground. 1882 - Birth of Kurt Schindler composer. 1882 - Birth of Noah Beery Smithville Arkansas; actor (Story of Esther, Mark of Zorro). 1883 - A Ashwell patents free-toilet in London. 1883 - Napoleon Coste composer, dies at age 76. 1884 - Birth of Arthur Vanderpoorten Flemish minister of Internal affairs (1940). 1885 - Bismarck gives Carl Peters' firm management of East-Africa. 1887 - Birth of Leevi Antti Madetoja composer. 1888 - Birth of Henrietta P "Hetty" Beck actress (Bouwmeester Award). 1888 - Birth of Otto Stern German/US physicist (Stern-Gerlach-experiment, Nobel Prize 1943). 1888 - Birth of Ronald Aburthnott Knox English priest/writer (Viaduct Murder). 1889 - Birth of H[aroldson] L Hunt Texas oil multi-millionaire. 1891 - Birth of Georg Britting writer. 1892 - Birth of Theodor Plievier German writer (Des Kaisers Kulis, Stalingrad). 1895 - Birth of Anita Stewart New York, actress (South of Hell Mountain). 1895 - Birth of Edna Park Edwards Pennsylvania. 1896 - London Country Councils' Muzzling Order becomes effective. 1897 - Birth of Johan[nes A] Kaart Dutch actor/stage manager (My Fair Lady). 1897 - National Congress of Parents and Teachers (PTA) organizes (Washington DC). 1898 - Birth of Tom Lowry cricketer (New Zealand batsman in seven Tests and their first Test captain). 1901 - Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin composer, dies at age 38. 1902 - Birth of Marian Anderson Philadelphia Pennsylvania, operatic contralto (banned by D A R). 1903 - Birth of Johannes Linthorst Homan director of the queen in Groningen. 1903 - Joseph Parry composer, dies at age 61. 1904 - Birth of Albert Kuyle [Louis Kuitenbrouwer], Dutch writer (Jesus' Robe). 1904 - Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" premieres in Milan. 1905 - Frances Willard becomes first woman honored in National Statuary Hall. 1905 - Serge Alexandrovich Governor-General Moscow, murdered. 1906 - Birth of Galo Plaza Lasso President of Ecuador (1948-52), head of OAS (1968-75). 1906 - Birth of Ramon Tapales composer. 1906 - Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice marries in the White House. 1907 - Birth of Alec Wilder Rochester New York, composer (1973 ASCAP award). 1907 - Birth of Charles B Timmer Dutch translator/writer (Russia Black on White). 1907 - Henry Steel Olcott US co-founder (Theosophist Society-Madras), dies at age 74. 1908 - Birth of Staats Cotsworth Oak Park Illinois; actor (Peyton Place). 1908 - Birth of Walter L "Red" Barber Mississippi, sports announcer (Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees). 1908 - Geronimo Apache chief, dies at about age 79. 1909 - Birth of Joseph "Poeske" Scherens Belgian cyclist (champion sprinter 1932-37). 1909 - Birth of Marjorie Lawrence Australia, soprano (Venus-Tannhäuser). 1910 - Birth of Ai Qing poet. 1910 - Birth of Marc Lawrence New York City, New York; actor (Man With Golden Gun). 1911 - First amphibian flight to and from a ship, by Glenn Curtiss, San Diego. 1911 - Birth of Arthur Hunnicutt Gravelly Arkansas; actor (Big Sky, Apache Uprising). 1912 - Aloys von Aerenthal foreign minister (Austria-Hungary), dies at age 57. 1912 - Birth of Andre [Alice Mary] Norton Cleveland Ohio, science fiction writer (Beast Master, Stand and Deliver). 1912 - L Oates British explorer (Antarctica), dies. 1913 - First minimum wage law in US takes effect (Oregon). 1913 - Birth of Joséphine F "Fietje" van Anrooy Dutch actress/director. 1913 - Birth of Oskar Danon composer. 1913 - Birth of Rene Leibowitz composer. 1913 - New York Armory Show introduces Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp to US public. 1914 - Birth of Albert Westerlinck [José J M Aerts], Flemish literary. 1914 - Birth of Arthur Kennedy Worcester Massachusetts; actor (Fantastic Voyage, Peyton Place). 1914 - Birth of Per-Jakez Helias writer/teacher. 1914 - Birth of [Bert de] Wayne Morris Los Angeles California, WWII-pilot/actor (Paths of Glory). 1915 - Birth of Homer Keller composer. 1915 - Edward Stone, first US combatant to die in WWI, is mortally wounded. 1916 - Birth of Don Tallon cricketer (perhaps Australia's greatest wicket-keeper). 1916 - Birth of Raf Vallone Tropea Italy; actor (El Cid, two Women, Greek Tycoon). 1916 - Romberg/Hanley/Atteridge/Smith' musical premieres in New York City, New York. 1917 - Edmund Bishop English Secretary of Thomas Carlyle, dies at age 70. 1918 - Birth of Charles A Hayes (Representative-Democrat-Illinois, 1983-). 1918 - Birth of Olive Gibbs peace campaigner. 1918 - Wilfrid Laurier Canadian Prime Minister (1896-1911), dies. 1919 - Birth of Jock Mahoney Chicago Illinois; actor (Dallas, Yancy Derringer, Day of Fury). 1919 - Birth of Joseph R Hunt tennis champion (US Open-1943). 1919 - Birth of Kathleen Freeman Chicago Illinois, actress (Beverly Hillbillies). 1920 - Birth of Colin Franklin doctor. 1920 - Birth of Paul Fetler composer. 1920 - Birth of Trevor Oswald Ling religious studies professor. 1921 - Arthur Honegger's "Pastorale D'été" premieres. 1922 - Birth of Tommy Edwards rock vocalist (It's All in the Game). 1923 - Birth of Alden Winship Clausen Hamilton Illinois, banker (President of World Bank). 1923 - Ottawa Senator Cy Denneny becomes NHL's all time scorer (143 goals). 1924 - Birth of Margaret Truman Missouri, president's daughter/writer (Murder at FBI)/pianist. 1924 - Johnny Weissmuller sets 100-yard freestyle record (52.4 seconds). 1924 - Oskar Merikanto composer, dies at age 55. 1925 - Birth of Fritz Behrendt German/Dutch cartoon character (The Slogan). 1925 - Birth of Hal Holbrook Cleveland Ohio; actor (All the President's Men, Mark Twain). 1926 - Avalanche buries 75 in Sap Gulch Bingham Utah, 40 die. 1926 - Birth of Friedrich Cerha composer. 1926 - Birth of Lee Hoiby Madison Wisconsin, composer (1957 Arts and Letters). 1926 - Tennis star Suzanne Lenglen beats Helen Wills in their only match. 1929 - Birth of Chaim Potok New York City, New York, novelist (The Promise). 1929 - Birth of Yasser Arafat Palestinian Liberation Organization-leader (Achille Lauro, Nobel Prize 1994). 1929 - John Read cricketer (batted in 17 Tests for England for 463 runs), dies. 1930 - Birth of Usko Merilainen composer. 1930 - French government of Tardieu, falls. 1931 - First telecast of a sporting event in Japan (baseball). 1931 - Hockey's Hershey Bears (now with AHL) first game. 1932 - Birth of Buck Trent Spartanburg South Carolina, banjoist/singer (Hee Haw). 1932 - Frans Gailliard Belgian painter/graphic artist (Egina), dies at age 70. 1932 - Irving Berlin's musical "Face the Music" premieres in New York City, New York. 1933 - First issue of "Newsweek" magazine published. 1933 - Birth of Bobby Lewis rocker (Tossin' and Turnin'). 1933 - Birth of Craig Thomas (Representative-Republican-Wyoming). 1933 - Blondie Boopadoop marries Dagwood Bumstead; Dagwood's father promptly disinherits him. 1933 - Henri[cus A] Viotta Dutch composer (Handbook of Music), dies at age 84. 1933 - Marinus van der Lubbe arrives in Glindow, at Potsdam. 1933 - US Senate accept Blaine Act ending prohibition. 1934 - First high school auto driving course offered (State College PA). 1934 - Albert I LCMM von Saksen-Coburg king of Belgium (1909-34), dies at age 58. 1934 - Birth of Alan Bates Allestree England; actor (Zorba the Greek, Unmarried Woman). 1934 - Birth of Barry Humphries Australia TV host (Dame Edna Everage). 1934 - Birth of Buddy Ryan NFL coach (Philadelphia Eagles, Phoenix Cardinals). 1935 - Birth of Johnny Bush country singer. 1936 - "The Phantom" cartoon strip by Lee Falk debuts. 1936 - -58 degrees F (-50 degrees C), McIntosh South Dakota (state record). 1936 - Birth of Barry Jarman cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper in 1960s). 1936 - Birth of Jim Brown Georgia, NFL full back (Cleveland Browns)/actor (Dirty Dozen). 1936 - Birth of Peter Walker cricket all-rounder (Glamorgan did little for England 1960). 1936 - Erich Schaeder German theologist (Theozentrische), dies at age 74. 1936 - S[amuel] N[athaniel] Behrman's "End of Summer" premieres in New York City, New York. 1937 - Birth of Mickey McGill US vocalist (Dells-Love is Blue). 1938 - First public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV (London). 1938 - Birth of Mary Frances Berry educator/head (US Commission on Civil Rights). 1939 - Birth of Mary Ann Mobley Biloxi Mississippi, Miss America-1959/actress (Diff'rent Strokes). 1939 - Katwijk soccer team forms. 1940 - Birth of Dennis Gamsy cricketer (South African bat in two Tests vs Australia 1970). 1940 - Bradman scores 135 in a non-Shield match for South Africa vs West Australia. 1940 - British destroyers board German Altmark off Norway. 1941 - Birth of Gene Pitney Hartford Connecticut, singer/songwriter (Town Without Pity). 1941 - Birth of Heidi Biebi German Federal Republic, downhill skier (Olympics-gold-1960). 1941 - Joe Louis knocks out Gus Dorazio in two for heavyweight boxing title. 1942 - Birth of Huey Newton Black Panther leader. 1943 - Dutch churches protest at Seyss-Inquart against persecution of Jews. 1943 - General-Major Bradley flies to Washington DC. 1943 - Hitler visits field marshal von Mansteins headquarters in Zaporozje. 1943 - New York Yankees Joe DiMaggio, enlists into the US army. 1944 - Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins; US victory on February 22. 1944 - Birth of Bernie Grant British politician (Labour). 1944 - Fausto Agnelli Swiss painter, dies at age 64. 1944 - US begins night bombing of Truk. 1945 - Birth of Brenda Fricker Dublin Ireland, actress (My Left Foot). 1945 - Birth of Patricia Morrow actress (Rita-Peyton Place). 1945 - Birth of Willie J L Swildens-Rozendal Dutch Member of Parliament (PvdA). 1946 - Birth of André Dussollier Annecy France; actor (3 Men and a Cradle). 1946 - Birth of Valdemar Bandolowski Denmark, yachting (Olympics-gold-1976, 80). 1946 - Birth of Zina Bethune New York City, New York, actress (Nurses, Who's That Knocking at My Door). 1946 - Humanistic Covenant forms in Amsterdam. 1947 - Birth of Ben Cramer Dutch vocalist (Clown). 1947 - Birth of Dallas Adams British actor/painter/writer (Terror From Within). 1947 - Birth of Dodie Stevens [Geraldine Ann Pasquale] Chicago Illinois, actress (Mary Hartman!). 1947 - Dutch Roman Catholic bishops publish manifest against "godless communism". 1947 - Voice of America begins broadcasting to USSR. 1949 - Birth of Fred Frith English guitarist/violinist/bassist (Skeleton Crew). 1949 - Chaim Weizman elected first President of Israel. 1949 - Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Andrea Kékessy/Ede Király of Hungary. 1949 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Alena Vrzanova of Czechoslovakia. 1949 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Richard Button USA. 1950 - 31 die in a train crash in Rockville Center, New York. 1950 - Birth of Rick Medlocke rock guitarist/vocalist (Blackfoot). 1951 - Nikoghayos Fadeyi Tigranyan composer, dies at age 94. 1952 - Birth of Guillermo Vilas tennis player (1977 US Open). 1952 - Birth of Insook Bhushan Seoul Korea, US US table tennis player (Olympics-1992). 1953 - Baseball star/pilot Ted Williams uninjured as plane shot down in Korea. 1953 - DSB soccer team forms in Eindhoven. 1954 - Birth of Rene Russo actress (Ransom). 1954 - Evert Gorter children's artist (Kindergeneeskunde), dies at age 72. 1954 - The Detroit Auto Show opens for press previews, in Michigan. The Ford Motor Company shows its new two-seat convertible, calling it a "personal car", with the name "Fairlane". 1955 - Ice Dance Championship at Vienna Austria won by J Westwood/Demmy Great Britain. 1955 - Ice Pairs Championship at Vienna won by Frances Dafoe and Bowden of CAN. 1955 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Tenley Albright US. 1955 - Mike Souchak sets PGA 72-hole record of 257. 1955 - Otto J Gombosi Hungarian/US musicologist, dies at age 52. 1956 - Ice Dance Championship at Garmisch won by Pamela Weight/P Thomas Great Britain. 1956 - Ice Pairs Championship at Garmisch won by Schwarz and Oppelt of Austria. 1956 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Garmisch won by Carol Heiss USA. 1956 - Men's Figure Skating Championship in Garmisch won by H A Jenkins USA. 1957 - Fire in Warreton Missouri, kills 72. 1957 - Mary Lena Faulk wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. 1958 - Birth of Heidi Hagman; actress (Linda - Archie Bunker's Place). 1958 - Birth of Karen Lende O'Connor in Concord, Massachusetts, USA; equestrian 3-day (Olympics-silver-1996). 1958 - Comic strip "BC" first appears. 1959 - First weather satellite launched, Vanguard 2, 9.8 kg. 1959 - Birth of Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines; American 100 metre swimmer (Olympics-gold-1984). 1959 - Birth of Daniel Ray "Danny" Ainge; basketball and football star. 1959 - Birth of Richard Karn in Seattle, Washington, USA; actor (Al - Home Improvement). 1959 - Kathryn Adams, actress (Meet the Chump, 5th Avenue Girl), dies. 1959 - Tim Mara, co-founder of NFL's New York Giants, dies. 1961 - Birth of Deb[ra] Richardson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; beach volleyballer (Olympics-1996). 1961 - Birth of Guy McIntyre; NFL guard (Philadelphia Eagles). 1961 - Nita Naldi, actress (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde), dies of heart attack at age 63. 1962 - Beach Boys introduced a new musical style with their hit "Surfin". 1962 - Birth of David McComb in Australia; vocalist/songwriter (Triffids). 1962 - Birth of Hennie Meijer; soccer player (Cambuur L, FC Heerenveen). 1962 - Birth of Lou Diamond Phillips in the Philippines; actor (La Bamba, Stand and Deliver). 1962 - Birth of Tony Blain; cricketer (New Zealand Test wicket-keeper). 1962 - Bruno Walter, symphony conductor (New York Philharmonic), dies at age 85. 1962 - Joseph Kearns, actor (George - Dennis the Menace), dies at age 55. 1962 - Storm in Hamburg, Germany, kills 265. 1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points versus Saint Louis Hawks. 1963 - Birth of Dan Reed; rocker/actor (HOTS, Lake Consequence). 1963 - Birth of Michael "Air" Jordan in Brooklyn, New York, USA; NBA guard/forward (Chicago Bulls). 1963 - Toru Terasawa runs world record marathon (2:15:15.8). 1964 - 101st member elected to baseball's Hall of Fame (Luke Appling). 1964 - Birth of Mike Campbell in Seattle, Washington, USA; pitcher (Chicago Cubs). 1964 - US House of Representatives accepts Law on the civil rights. 1964 - US Supreme court rules - one man one vote (Westberry vs Sanders). 1965 - Birth of Clayton Prince in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Dark Justice, Reuben - Another World). 1965 - Birth of Jim Bowie; Japanese/US baseball infielder (Oakland Athletics). 1965 - US Ranger 8 launched, will transmit 7,137 lunar pictures. 1965 - US-Japan baseball relations suspended over Masanori Murakami dispute. 1966 - Birth of Luc Robitaille in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; NHL left wing (New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins). 1966 - Birth of Melissa Brooke-Belland; rocker (Voice of the Beehive-Let it Bee). 1966 - Frank Pettingell, actor (Becket, Up the Creek), dies at age 75. 1966 - French satellite Diapason D-1A launched into Earth orbit. 1966 - Gail Kane, actress (White Sister, Arizona), dies at age 81. 1966 - Hans Hofmann, German/US painter (Search for the Real), dies at age 85. 1967 - Birth of Gary Shuchuk in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; NHL center (Los Angeles Kings). 1967 - Birth of Michelle Forbes in Austin, Texas, USA; actress (Ensign Ro - Star Trek: The Next Generation). 1967 - Kosmos 140 (Soyuz test) launches into Earth orbit. 1968 - Birth of Bryan Cox; NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears). 1968 - Birth of Celita Schutz in Riverdale, New Jersey, USA; half-middleweight judoka (Olympics-1996). 1968 - Birth of Patrick Uterwijk; pop guitarist (Pestilence, Consuming Impulse). 1968 - Donald Wolfit, actor (Lawrence of Arabia), dies of heart ailment at age 65. 1968 - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. 1969 - Birth of David Klingler; NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals). 1969 - Birth of Joel Steed; NFL nose tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers). 1969 - Birth of Levon Kirkland; NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers). 1969 - Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash record an album (never released). 1969 - Golda Meir sworn in as Israel's first female prime minister. 1970 - Agnon [SJ Czaczkes], Hebrew writer (Nobel Prize 1966), dies at age 81. 1970 - Alfred Newman, US composer, dies at age 69. 1970 - Birth of Tommy Moe in Anchorage, Alaska, USA; nordic skier (Olympics-gold/silver-1994). 1970 - Schmuel J Agnon, novelist (Nobel Prize 1966), dies. 1971 - England regains cricket Ashes with a 2-0 series win. 1971 - Teddy Hart, actor (Three Men on a Horse), dies at age 73. 1972 - Birth of Billie Joe Armstrong; singer/musician (Green Day). 1972 - Birth of Lloy Ball in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA; volleyball setter (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Richard MacQuire in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; canoeist (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Stephen Robinson in Arlington, Virginia, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Tony Lawson in NSA Australia; diver (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Vladimir Vujtek; NHL forward (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998, Tampa Bay Lightning). 1972 - Birth of William Floyd; full back (San Francisco 49ers). 1972 - British Parliament votes to join European Common Market. 1972 - Gavril Nikolayevich Popov, composer, dies at age 67. 1972 - US President Richard Nixon leaves Washington DC for China. 1972 - Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, founder (San Francisco Zen Center), half ashes buried. 1973 - Birth of Chris Robinson; NBA guard (Vancouver Grizzlies). 1973 - Birth of Drew Barry; NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks). 1973 - Birth of Frank Sanders; NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals). 1973 - Birth of Raymond Jackson; NFL defensive back (Buffalo Bills). 1973 - Rodney Redmond scores 107 on debut vs Pakistan, his only Test Cricket. 1974 - 49 die in stampede for seats at soccer match, Cairo, Egypt. 1974 - Birth of Jerry O'Connell in New York City, New York; actor (Scream 2, Sliders, Andrew Clements - My Secret Identity). 1974 - Birth of Valeria Mazza in Rosario, Argentina; model (Cosmopolitan-July 1995). 1974 - Carol Mann wins LPGA Naples Lely Golf Classic. 1975 - Birth of Sung-Hee Park in Pusan, Korea; tennis star (1993 Futures-Seoul). 1975 - Birth of Todd Harvey Hamilton; NHL center (Dallas Stars). 1975 - Birth of Vaclav Prospal; NHL forward (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998, Philadelphia Flyers). 1976 - Jean Servais, Belgian actor (Every Man is My Enemy), dies at age 65. 1976 - Johan[nes A] Card, actor/stage manager (My Fair Lady), dies at age 78. 1976 - Macau adopts constitution (Organic Law of Macau). 1976 - New Zealand scores their first innings win in Test Cricket, vs India. 1976 - Richard Hadlee takes 7-23 vs India, his first match-winning spell. 1977 - Quincy Howe, newscaster (CBS Weekend News), dies at age 76. 1979 - Chinese troops invade Vietnam. 1979 - Eric Heiden equals skating world record 1000 metre (1:14.99). 1979 - William Gargan, actor (Rain, Bells of Saint Mary), dies at age 73. 1980 - Dot Germain wins LPGA S&H Golf Classic. 1980 - Graham Sutherland, painter, dies. 1980 - Jerry Fielding, orchestra leader (Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, Lively Ones), dies at age 57. 1980 - Birth of Jason Ritter; American actor. 1980 - Birth of Shanyn MacEachern in Brampton, Ontario, Canada; gymnast (Olympics-1996). 1980 - Buddy Baker wins Daytona 500 (177.6 MPH/285.8 kph). 1981 - Birth of Donielle Thompson in Wheatridge, Colorado; gymnast (World-bronze-1995, Olympics-1996). 1981 - Birth of Lisa Skinner in Queensland, Australia; gymnast (Olympics-1996). 1981 - Chrysler Corp reports largest corporate loss in US history. 1981 - Birth of Joseph Gordon Levitt; American actor. 1981 - Birth of Paris Hilton; American model, heiress, and socialite. 1982 - Birth of Adriano Leite Ribeiro; Brazilian footballer (soccer player). 1982 - Birth of Joseph Gordon-Levitt; actor (Tommy Solomon - Third Rock From the Sun). 1982 - Commencement of Sri Lanka's first Test Cricket match, vs England. 1982 - Lee [Israel] Strasberg, father of method acting/actor (And Justice for All), dies of a heart attack at age 80. 1982 - Theolonious S Monk, American jazz pianist/composer (Blue Monk), dies at age 64 (born 1917). 1982 - Death of Lee Strasberg, American actor (born 1901). 1982 - Birth of Lupe Fiasco; American rapper. 1983 - Netherlands adopts constitution. 1983 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1983 - Bob Bourne fails on 8th New York Islanders' penalty shot. 1984 - Lucille Benson, actress (Lilly - Bosom Buddies), dies at age 69. 1985 - First day/night game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia vs England. 1985 - Third person to receive an artificial heart (Murray Haydon). 1985 - Hein Vergeer becomes world champion skater. 1985 - Laffit Pincay Jr is third to ride 6,000th winners at Santa Anita. 1985 - Wanda Perry, actress (Roberta, Death of a Salesman), dies at age 67. 1986 - First Francophone Summit convenes at Versailles, France. 1986 - Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (Kingdom Happiness), dies at age 90. 1986 - Johnson and Johnson announces it no longer sells capsule drugs. 1986 - Libyan bombers attack N'djamena Airport in Chad. 1986 - Paul Stewart, actor (Opening Night, In Cold Blood, Window), dies. 1987 - New York Yankees' first baseman Don Mattingly wins his US$1.975 million arbitration case breaking the record for the largest amount ever awarded to a player set by Jack Morris just four days ago. 1987 - Hal K Dawson, actor (Another Language, Wells Fargo), dies. 1987 - Michelle Renee Royer, 21, (Texas), crowned 36th Miss USA. 1987 - Verree Teasdale, actress (Skyscraper Souls), dies. 1988 - US Lieutenant Colonel William Higgins, serving with a United Nations group monitoring a truce in southern Lebanon, is kidnapped by Lebanese terrorists. 1989 - Birth of Stacey McClean, British singer. 1989 - Six-week study of Arctic atmosphere shows no ozone "hole". 1989 - Former baseball player/manager Leo Durocher injured in a car crash. 1989 - Lefty Gomez, New York Yankees pitching great, dies at age 80. 1989 - Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya form common market. 1989 - Orel Hershiser, Dodger pitcher signs record US$7.9 million, three-year contract. 1989 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. 1989 - Whitesnake's rocker David Coverdale weds actress Tawny Kitaen. 1990 - Erik Rhodes, actor (Top Hat), dies of pneumonia at age 84. 1990 - Frans Kellendonk, Dutch writer (Good for Nothing), dies at age 39. 1990 - Marc Clement, actor (Career Opportunities, Sluggers Wife), dies. 1991 - Birth of Bonnie Wright, English actress. 1991 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge. 1992 - A court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin sentences serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to life in prison. 1993 - Alfredo de Leon, leader (Philippines Red Scorpio Gang), killed. 1993 - George E Wilburn, film editor, dies of emphysema at age 77. 1993 - Haitian ferry boat capsize in storm, killing approximately 1,215 out of 1,500 passengers. 1993 - Leslie Townsend, cricket all-rounder (England in four Tests 1930-34), dies. 1993 - Mark Foster swims world record 50 metre free style (21.60 seconds). 1994 - Randy Shilts, American journalist (And the band played on), dies of AIDS at age 41 (born 1951). 1995 - 11th Soap Opera Digest Awards. 1995 - Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts of murder for the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+ year sentence. 1995 - Federal judge allows lawsuit claiming US tobacco makers knew nicotine was addictive and manipulated its levels to keep customers hooked. 1995 - Jan Bart Klaster, music editor (The Slogan), dies at age 50. 1995 - Thelma Hulbert, painter, dies at age 81. 1995 - Detroit Tigers' manager Sparky Anderson takes unpaid leave due to baseball strike. 1995 - Timothy Hugh Brown, theatre critic, dies at age 52. 1995 - Buena Vista Pictures releases the Walt Disney Pictures live-action feature film Heavyweights to theaters in the USA. 1995 - Uta Graf, singer/teacher, dies at age 80. 1996 - First full ODI for the Netherlands vs New Zealand, cricket World Cup Nolan Clarke makes ODI debut for Netherlands at age 47. 1996 - Bentley Bridgewater, British Museum secretary, dies at age 84. 1996 - Henry Guinness, missionary, dies at age 87. 1996 - Jean Writer-Pierre Herve Bazin dies at age 84. 1996 - Michael Raptis, writer/revolutionary, dies at age 84. 1996 - [Elsie] Evelyn Laye, actress/singer (Sun Child), dies at age 95. 1996 - Birth of Sasha Pieterse, South African actress. 1996 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Garry Kasparov beats "Deep Blue" in a second chess match. 1996 - In Irian Jaya Region, Indonesia, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurs. At least 164 people killed or missing, 423 injured, 5,043 houses destroyed or damaged. Extensive damage from the tsunami, which reached heights of 7 metres. 1997 - Carl Sagan Public Memorial at Pasadena, California. 1997 - Death of Zein Isa, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter. 1998 - Ernst Juenger, German writer, dies at age 102 in Riedlingen, Germany. 1998 - Larry Wayne Harris and Bill Levitt arrested for possession of anthrax. 1999 - Death of Sunshine Parker, American actor (born 1927). 2000 - In San Francisco, California, Microsoft unveils the Windows 2000 operating system. 1.5 million copies are sold in the first two months. 2001 - Death of Khalid Abdul Muhammad, an ex-felon and a controversial figure in the Black Nationalist, Pan Africanist movement. 2003 - The Atlanta Braves and Greg Maddux agree the largest one-year contract in major league baseball history: US$14.75 million. 2003 - Death of 23-year old Steve Belcher of multi-organ failure, possibly linked to use of ephedra; American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles). 2004 - Death of José López Portillo, President of Mexico (born 1920). 2004 - (to February 20) A nor'easter blizzard devastates Atlantic Canada, dumping more than 95 centimetres on some areas. 2005 - Death of Nariman Sadeq, Queen of Egypt (born 1934). 2006 - As many as 1,800 people die when a mudslide occurs on Leyte Island in the Philippines. 2007 - In a poll conducted by his hometown newspaper, more than half of the respondants thought Carl Pavano would not bounce back with the New York Yankees this year. The reader poll, which was posted on myrecordjournal.com site, revealed 54.5 believe the Yankees pitcher would not overcome his slow start with the team while 45.5% stated he would have a comeback season. 2007 - Death of Maurice Papon, French Vichy government official (born 1910). 2007 - Death of Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born musician (Ryan's Fancy) (born 1942). 2007 - Death of Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (born 1965). 2008 - In Daytona, Florida, the 50th NASCAR Daytona 500 race is held. Winner is Ryan Newman of Penske Racing. 2008 - Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company recalls 143 million pounds of beef, the USA's largest meat recall in California, due to the slaughter of cattle unfit for human consumption. 2008 - British central bank chancellor announces the Northern Rock bank would be nationalized. 2008 - Kosovo Albanians declare independence of Serbia. 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