This Day in History
February 21

What happened in history on this day: February 21? On February 21 in ... 556 - Maximianus van Ravenna, bishop (Basilica S Stefano), dies. 1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. 1417 - Birth of Louis IX Duke of Bayern (University of Ingolstadt). 1431 - England begins trial against Joan of Arc. 1484 - Birth of Joachim I Nestor elector (Brandenburg, Constitution). 1513 - Julius II [Giuliano dellea Rovere], Roman Catholic Pope (1503-13), dies at age 69. 1554 - Hieronymus Bock German doctor (founder of modern botany), dies. 1556 - Birth of Sethus Calvisius composer. 1564 - Philip II routes cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comté. 1574 - Spanish garrison of Middelburg Netherlands surrenders. 1583 - Groningen Netherlands begins using Gregorian calendar. 1595 - Robert Southwell English Jesuit/poet, hanged. 1598 - Boris Godunov crowned tsar. 1613 - Michael Romanov, son of the Patriarch of Moscow, elected Russian tsar. 1624 - Dirck van Baburen Dutch painter (Sepulture), dies at about age 28. 1648 - Christian IV king of Denmark/Norway, dies. 1653 - Adriaen Pauw master of Heemstede/Dutch Grand Pensionary, dies at age 71. 1673 - French playwright and actor-manager Moliere collapses during a performance of La Malade Imaginaire, and dies in his house in the Rue de Richelieu, Paris. 1673 - Michiel A de Ruyter appointed Lieutenant-Admiral-General of Dutch fleet. 1674 - Birth of Johann Augustin Kobelius composer. 1675 - Prince Willem III appointed viceroy of Gelderland. 1677 - [Benedictus] Baruch Spinoza philosopher, dies at age 44. 1684 - Birth of Justus van Effen writer/founder (Holland Spectator). 1684 - Pieter van den Abeelen Dutch jeweller, dies at about age 75. 1689 - Isaacus Vossius Dutch [Isaac Vos], librarian, dies. 1690 - Birth of Christoph Stoltzenberg composer. 1710 - Birth of Willem van Haren Frisian nobleman/poet (Human Life). 1711 - Joan van Hoorn Governor-General of Netherlands-Indies (1707-09), dies at age 57. 1728 - Birth of Peter III Kiel Germany, Russian tsar (1761-62), husband of Catherine. 1730 - Benedict XIII [Pietro F Orsini], Pope (1724-30), dies at age 81. 1730 - Birth of Charles L Fournier Flemish writer/painter. 1744 - Birth of Eise J Eisinga Frisia, built planetarium Franeker. 1764 - John Wilkes thrown out of English House of Commons for "Essay on Women". 1776 - Birth of Vincenzo Lavigna composer. 1777 - English ambassador Joseph Yorke demands dismissal of Governor John de Graaff for saluting US flag. 1779 - Birth of Friedrich C von Savigny German lawyer. 1782 - US congress resolves the establishment of a US mint. 1785 - Birth of Karl A Varnhagen von Ense German officer/author (Die Sterner). 1790 - Johann Friedrich Kloffler composer, dies at age 64. 1792 - US Congress passes Presidential Succession Act. 1794 - Birth of Antonio López de Santa Anna President of México (1833-36). 1795 - Birth of Francisco Manuel da Silva composer. 1795 - Freedom of worship established in France under constitution. 1797 - Trinidad, West Indies surrenders to the British. 1800 - Birth of John Henry Winder Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1865. 1801 - Birth of Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda composer. 1801 - Birth of John Henry Newman England, cardinal/churchman/author (Dream of Gerontius). 1802 - Birth of George Douglas Ramsey Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1882. 1803 - Edward Despard last person drawn and quartered in England. 1804 - First locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for first time, in Wales. 1805 - Birth of David Tod US diplomat/(Governor-Republican-Ohio, 1861-63). 1808 - Russia attacks Finland, declaring intentions to annex it. 1815 - Birth of Ernest Meissonier French painter/sculptor. 1817 - Birth of José Zorrilla y Moral Vallodolid Spain, poet/dramatist (El rey Loco). 1821 - Birth of Charles Scribner US, music publisher (Scribner Catalog). 1828 - First American Indian newspaper in US, Cherokee Phoenix (weekly), Georgia. 1829 - Birth of Johnson Hagood Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1898. 1831 - Birth of Eduard Rappoldi composer. 1836 - Birth of Clement-Philibert-Leo Delibes composer. 1836 - Birth of Emil Hartmann composer. 1836 - Birth of Léo Delibes Saint-Germain-du-Val France, ballet composer (Coppélia). 1837 - Birth of Rosalía de Castro Spanish writer (Canteres Gallegos, Follas Novas). 1842 - First known sewing machine patented in US, John Greenough, Washington DC. 1842 - Wojciech Zywny composer, dies at age 85. 1844 - Birth of Charles-Marie Widor Lyons France, composer/professor (Paris Conservatory). 1846 - First US woman telegrapher, Sarah G Bagley, Lowell Massachusetts. 1852 - Birth of [James] Burner Matthews US playwright/critic (New York Times). 1852 - Nikolai Gogol Russian playwright (Dead Souls), dies. 1855 - Birth of Alice Freeman Palmer educator (Hall of Fame). 1856 - Birth of Hendrik P Berlage architect (Stock exchange Amsterdam). 1857 - Birth of Jules de Trooz baron/premier of Belgium (1907). 1857 - US Mint Act provides for a cent composed of 12 percent nickel and 88 percent copper, weighing 72 grains, measuring 0.75 inch diameter; also ends the striking of half cents, and removes legal tender status of foreign coins in the United States except Spanish pillar dollar and Mexican dollar. 1858 - Edwin T Holmes installs first electric burglar alarm (Boston Massachusetts). 1861 - Birth of Pierre Breville composer. 1861 - Navaho Indians elect Herrero Grande as chief. 1862 - Justinus A C Kerner German family doctor/poet/writer, dies at age 75. 1862 - Confederate Constitution and Presidency are declared permanent. 1862 - Texas Texas Rangers win Confederate victory at Battle of Val Verde, New Mexico. 1864 - First US Catholic parish church for blacks dedicated, Baltimore Maryland. 1864 - Jeffery Forrest US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle. 1864 - Battle at Okolona, Mississippi. 1866 - Lucy B Hobbs (Taylor) becomes first US woman to earn a DDS degree. 1867 - Birth of Otto Hermann Kahn Banker, organized Metropolitan Opera Company. 1872 - Pavel P Gagarin Russian monarch/politician, dies at age 82. 1874 - Benjamin Disraeli replaces William Gladstone as English premier. 1874 - Oakland Daily Tribune begins publication. 1875 - Birth of Jeanne Louise Calment France, world's oldest woman (died at age 122). 1876 - Birth of Constantin Brancusi Romanian/French sculptor (Princesse X). 1876 - Henry John Gauntlett composer, dies at age 70. 1877 - Birth of Jacob D du Toit [Totius] South African poet/theologist. 1878 - First telephone directory (with 50 names) issued (New Haven Connecticut). 1878 - Birth of Fritz Cortolezis composer. 1879 - Peter P van Bosse Dutch liberal minister of Finance, dies at age 69. 1880 - Birth of Frank Orth Philadelphia Pennsylvania; actor (Boston Blackie, The Brothers). 1881 - Birth of Savilly Tartakower Austrian/Polish/French chess player. 1882 - New York City's 24 hour race begins, winner with most mileage in 24 hours. 1883 - Second French government of Ferry begins. 1883 - Birth of J M M "Mick" Commaille cricket player (dual South African cricket/soccer representative). 1884 - John Pike Hullah composer, dies at age 71. 1885 - Birth of Sacha Guitry France; actor/playwright (Story of a Cheat). 1885 - The Washington Monument is dedicated, in Washington, D.C. Its height is 555 feet and 5 1/8 inches. 1887 - First US bacteriology laboratory opens (Brooklyn). 1887 - Birth of Savielly [Xavier] G Tartakower Austrian/Polish/French chess player. 1887 - Oregon becomes first US state to make Labor Day a holiday. 1888 - Birth of Florence Bates Texas, actress (Moon and Sixpence, Love Crazy, San Antonio). 1888 - Birth of Willem Banning Dutch theologist/sociologist (Religious Build Up). 1889 - Birth of Felix Aylmer actor (Anastasia, Hamlet, Iron Duke, Macbeth, Saint Joan). 1893 - Birth of Andrés Segovia Linares Spain, classical guitarist. 1893 - Birth of Vsevolod Pudovkin Soviet film director/theorist (Mother, Deserter). 1894 - Gustave Caillebotte French shipbuilding designer/painter, dies at age 45. 1895 - North Carolina Legislature, adjourns for day to mark death of Frederick Douglass. 1896 - Birth of Sylvain Poons Dutch cabaret performer (Blue Jackets). 1897 - Birth of Celia Lovsky Vienna Austria, actress (Airport, Harlow, T'Pau-Star Trek). 1898 - Birth of Vassily Vainonen Russian ballet dancers/choreographer (Gayaneh). 1900 - Birth of Madeleine Renaud; French actress/theater director (Plaisir). 1900 - Birth of Sydney Arnold; English comic/actor (Miss Jones and Son). 1902 - Birth of Arthur D Nock; English/US historian (Saint Paul). 1902 - Birth of John Smallenbroek; Dutch minister of Internal Affairs. 1902 - Dr Harvey Cushing, first US brain surgeon, does his first brain operation. 1903 - Birth of Anaïs Nin in Paris, France; novelist (Winter of Artifice, House of Incense). 1903 - Birth of Madeleine Renaud in Paris, France; actress (Helene, The Longest Day). 1903 - Birth of Raymond Queneau [M Presle]; French author (Un Enfant a Dit). 1903 - Birth of Thomas Yawkey; baseball owner (Boston Red Sox). 1903 - Cornerstone laid for US army war college, Washington DC. 1904 - National Ski Association formed in Ishpeming, Michigan. 1907 - Birth of Wystan Hugh Auden; US poet (Age of Anxiety - Pulitzer 1948). 1907 - SS Berlin sinks off Hoek van Holland, Netherlands (142 dead). 1909 - Birth of Helen O Dickens [Henderson]; US physician/gynaecologist. 1912 - Birth of Arline Judge; actress (Girls in Chains, Mad Wednesday, Age of Consent). 1912 - Birth of Nikita Magaloff; Russian/Swiss pianist (Arkadia 598-Schubert). 1913 - Birth of Glenn M Anderson; American politician (Representative-Democrat-California, 1969-). 1914 - Birth of Arnold S Denker in New York, USA; US chess champion (1944-46). 1914 - Birth of Hermanus P "Piet" Mulder; Dutch journalist (Parool/VARA). 1914 - White Wolf troops attack Zhanjiang China. 1915 - 20th Russian Army corps surrenders. 1915 - Birth of Ann Sheridan in Denton, Texas, USA; actress (Dodge City, Good Sam, Another World). 1915 - Birth of Godfrey Brown in England; 4 X 400 metre runner (Olympics-gold-1936). 1916 - Battle of Verdun, France, begins (one million casualties). 1917 - Birth of Victor G M Marijnen; Dutch premier (1963-65). 1917 - British ship Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 627 die. 1917 - Train near Chirurcha, Romania catches fire and explodes; hundreds die. 1918 - Australians chase Turkish troops out of Jericho, Dutch Palestine. 1919 - German National Meeting accepts Anschluss, incorporation of Austria. 1919 - Habib Ullah Chan, emir of Afghanistan (1901-19), is murdered at age 46. 1919 - Karl von Hohenzollern, Prince of Belgium, dies. 1919 - Kurt Eisner, socialist premier of Bayern, Germany is murdered at age 51. 1919 - Revolutionary strike in Barcelona, Spain. 1921 - France and Poland make a secret military agreement, specifying that if Germany attacks either nation, the other will assist in defence. If Poland is attacked by Soviet Russia, France is to hold Germany in check on land and at sea. 1922 - Airship Rome explodes at Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA; 34 die. 1922 - Birth of Murray "the K" Kaufman in New York City; DJ (5th Beatle). 1922 - Great Britain grants Egypt independence. 1923 - Birth of Lucille Bremer; dancer/actress (Ruthless, Ziegfeld Follies). 1923 - Birth of Zvi Zeitlin in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia; violinist/professor (Eastman School). 1924 - Birth of Robert G Mugabe; Premier/President of Zimbabwe. 1925 - First issue of New Yorker magazine published. 1925 - Birth of Al Fann in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; actor (Alvin - He's the Mayor). 1925 - Birth of Sam Peckinpah in Fresno, California, USA; film director (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs). 1925 - Mass meeting of SPD's Reichsbanner Black-Red-Gold in Magdeburg. 1926 - Birth of Hans Andreus [Johan W van der Zant]; Dutch poet (Animal Language). 1926 - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes; Dutch physicist (Nobel Prize 1913), dies at age 72. 1927 - Birth of Erma Bombeck in Dayton, Ohio, USA; humorist (The Grass is Always Greener...). 1927 - Birth of Hubert de Givenchy in Beauvais, France; fashion designer (Audrey Hepburn). 1927 - Birth of Patricia Benoit in Fort Worth, Texas, USA; actress (As the World Turns, Nancy - Mr Peepers). 1931 - Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play first exhibition night game. 1931 - Peruvian revolutionaries hijack a Ford Trimotor aeroplane and demand that the pilot drop propaganda leaflets over Lima. 1932 - André Tardieu becomes premier of France. 1932 - Birth of Harald V King of Norway (1991-). 1932 - Camera exposure meter patented, WN Goodwin. 1933 - Birth of Nina Simone [Eunice Waymon] in Tyron, North Carolina, USA; singer/pianist ("I Loves You Porgy"). 1934 - Birth of Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Oklahoma, USA; actress (Maude, Golden Girls). 1934 - Nicaraguan patriot Augusto Cesar Sandino assassinated by National Guard. 1935 - Birth of Mark McManus; actor (Taggart, Nightstick, 2000 Weeks, 12th Night). 1936 - Birth of Barbara Jordan in Houston, Texas, USA; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Texas, 1972-78). 1937 - Birth of Gary Lockwood in Van Nuys, California, USA; actor (2001, Survival Zone, Lieutenant). 1937 - Birth of Ron Clarke in Australia; runner (held 19 world records). 1938 - Birth of Beryl F Anthony Jr; American politician (Representative-Democrat-California, 1979-). 1939 - Belgian government of Pierlot forms. 1939 - Birth of Richard Beymer in Avoca, Iowa; actor (West Side Story, Diary of Anne Frank). 1939 - Birth of Ron Nagle; rock producer (Riding with the King). 1940 - Birth of John Lewis; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Georgia). 1940 - Birth of Peter McEnery in England; actor (Game is Over, The Moonspinners). 1941 - Birth of Charlie Shelburne; English earl/large landowner. 1941 - US Senate accepts Omar Bradley's demotion to Brigadier-General. 1942 - Birth of Margarethe Von Trotta in Berlin, Germany; actress/director (Marianne). 1942 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Jane Vaughn. 1942 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Bobby Specht. 1943 - Birth of David Geffen in Brooklyn, New York, USA; record producer (Geffen, Asylum). 1943 - Birth of Roberto Faenza; director (Cop Killers, Corrupt). 1943 - Dutch Roman Catholic bishops protest against persecution of Jews. 1943 - German offensive at Western Dorsalgebergte, Tunisia. 1944 - The War As It Happens televised news show premieres on NBC (New York City only). 1944 - Birth of Herman de Coninck; Flemish writer/poet (Impossible Work). 1944 - Birth of Kitty Winn in Washington DC, USA; actress (Beacon Hill). 1945 - Archbishop De Jong calls for help with war casualties. 1945 - Birth of Sudhir Naik; cricket player (Indian Test batsman in two Tests 1974). 1945 - British Army captures Goch. 1945 - Eric Liddell, Scottish runner (Olympics-gold 1924), dies at age 43. 1945 - Allied forces break through the Siegfried Line in Europe. 1945 - US 10th Armour division overthrows Orscholz line. 1945 - The US 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team liberates Corregidor, Philippines. 1946 - A special people's court in Helsinki, Finland, finds former President Rysto Ryti guilty of leading Finland into war against Russia at the side of Germany. He is sentenced to ten years of hard labor in prison. Seven other former Government officials are also convicted, with sentences of 2 to 5 1/2 years. 1946 - Anti-British demonstrations in Egypt. 1946 - Birth of Alan Rickman; actor (Robin Hood Prince of Thieves). 1946 - Birth of Desmond Lewis; West Indies cricket batsman/keeper (average 86.33 in three Tests). 1946 - Birth of Tyne Daly in Madison, Wisconsin, USA; actress (Cagney and Lacey, Angel Unchained). 1947 - First broadcast of first US TV soap opera A Woman to Remember. 1947 - First instant developing camera demonstrated in New York City, by E H Land. 1947 - Birth of Olympia J Snowe; American politician (Representative-Republican-Maine, 1979-). 1947 - Whipper Billy Watson beats Bill Longson, to become wrestling champion. 1948 - Birth of Larry Ragland in Richmond, Virginia, USA; comedian (Keep on Truckin'). 1949 - Birth of Jerry Harrison in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; rock keyboardist (Talking Heads - "And She Was"). 1951 - Anton Roemer, Dutch actor (Gay Death), dies at age 63. 1951 - Birth of John Parker; cricket player (New Zealand batsman of 70s). 1951 - Birth of Michael Cotten; rock synthesizer (The Tubes). 1951 - Birth of Vince Welnick; rock keyboardist (The Tubes). 1951 - South Carolina House urges "Shoeless Joe" Jackson be reinstated. 1952 - Bangladesh Martyrs Day (martyrs of Bengali Language Movement). 1952 - Birth of Jean-Jacques Brunel; rock bassist (Stranglers - "Dreamtime"). 1952 - Dick Button performs first figure skating triple jump in competition. 1953 - Birth of Christine Ebersole in Park Forest, Illinois, USA; actress (Saturday Night Live, Barbara - Valerie, My Favorite Martian, Tootsie). 1953 - Birth of William L Petersen; actor (Return to Lonesome Dove). 1953 - Longest collegiate basketball game (six overtimes); Niagara beats Siena 88-81. 1954 - Birth of Ivo van Damme in Belgium; 800/1500-metre dash (Olympics-silver-1976). 1956 - Birth of Woody Brown in Dayton, Ohio, USA; actor (Cliff - Facts of Life, Flamingo Road, Dominion). 1957 - Fort Worth Dodgers and Los Angeles Cubs "trade" minor league franchises. 1958 - Birth of Alan Trammell in Garden Grove, California, USA; infielder (Detroit Tigers). 1958 - Birth of Jack Coleman in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Steven Carrington - Dynasty). 1958 - Birth of Jake Steinfeld; exercise expert (Body by Jake). 1958 - Birth of Mary-Chapin Carpenter in Princeton, New Jersey, USA; country singer ("This Shirt", "Shooting Straight in the Dark"). 1958 - Egypt-Syria as United Arab Republic elect Gamal Abdel Nasser President (99.9 percent vote). 1960 - Fay Crocker wins LPGA Lake Worth Golf Open. 1961 - Birth of Christopher Atkins in Rye, New York, USA; actor (Peter - Dallas, Blue Lagoon). 1961 - Birth of Ranking Roger; rock vocalist (English Beat - "Drowning"). 1961 - Birth of Yobes Ondieki in Kenya; 10km runner (world record). 1961 - Blaise Cendrars [Frédéric Sauser-Hall], Swiss poet, dies at age 73. 1961 - Gabon adopts constitution. 1961 - Mercury-Atlas 2 reentry test reaches 172 km. 1962 - Minister De Pous confirms natural gas reserves in Groningen, Netherlands. 1963 - Birth of Greg Turner in Dunedin, New Zealand; Australasia golfer. 1963 - Birth of Michael Gostigian in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; pentathlete (Olympics-16th-1988, 1992, 1996). 1963 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1964 - Birth of Mark E Kelly in Orange, New Jersey, USA; Lieutenant US Navy/astronaut. 1964 - Birth of Scott J Kelly in Orange, New Jersey, USA; Lieutenant US Navy/astronaut. 1964 - Birth of Willie Pless; Canadian Football League linebacker (Edmonton Eskimos). 1965 - Birth of Jayson Meyer in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; hockey defenseman (Team Germany). 1965 - Birth of Keith Arthurton; cricket player (Charlestown, Nevis West Indies lefty bat). 1965 - In New York City, New York, USA, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Nation of Islam members while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity. 1966 - Birth of Bronwen Booth in London, England; actress (Andy - One Life to Live, Glory and Honor). 1966 - Birth of Chris Donnels; US baseball infielder (Houston Astros). 1966 - Birth of Edie Boyer in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; discus thrower. 1966 - Birth of Wendy James in London, England; vocalist (Transvision Vamp-Velveteen). 1966 - Indonesia's President Sukarno fires General Nasution. 1967 - Birth of Bas Roorda; Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen, NEC). 1967 - Birth of Leroy Russel Burrell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; long jumper (Olympics-1996). 1967 - Birth of Patrick Lodewijks; Dutch soccer player (PSV, FC Groningen). 1968 - 150,000 demonstrate against leftist students in West Berlin. 1968 - Anthony Asquith, British director (Court Martial), dies at age 65. 1968 - American Major League Baseball announces a minimum annual salary of $10,000. 1968 - Birth of Pellom McDaniels; NFL defensive end (Kansas City Chiefs). 1968 - Birth of Terry Allen; NFL running back (Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins). 1968 - Birth of Todd Ferich; computer language expert. 1969 - First launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur, Kazachstan (explodes). 1969 - Birth of Dean Noel; Canadian Football League full back (Hamilton Tiger Cats). 1969 - Birth of Petra Kronberger; Austrian alpine skier (Olympics-gold-1992). 1969 - José de Capriles, Mexican-born US Olympics fencer, dies. 1969 - Ted Williams signs five-year contract to manage Washington Senators. 1970 - Birth of Javier De La Hoya; Mexican/US baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins). 1970 - Birth of Marc Woodard; NFL linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles). 1970 - Birth of Michael Slater; cricket player (devastating Australia opening bat since 1993). 1970 - Birth of Patrick Pilloni; hockey forward (Team Austria 1998). 1970 - Birth of Will Moore; NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars). 1970 - Jackson Five make TV debut on American Bandstand. 1970 - Pathet Lao conquers Xieng Khuang and Muong Suy in Laos. 1970 - Swissair Flight 330 to Tel Aviv has a parcel bomb explode in its cargo hold, crashes, killing 38 passengers and 9 crew. 1971 - Birth of Arco Jochemsen; Dutch soccer player (SVDB, Vitesse). 1971 - Birth of Jeff Schmidt; US baseball pitcher (California Angels). 1971 - Birth of Jey Phillips; WLAF safety (Amsterdam Admirals). 1971 - Birth of Jose Solano; actor (Baywatch). 1971 - Birth of Terry Mickens; NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31). 1971 - Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Sears Women's World Golf Classic. 1971 - Series of tornadoes cuts through Mississippi and Louisiana killing 117. 1972 - Birth of Karl DeWolf; hockey defenseman (Team France 1998). 1972 - US President Richard Nixon becomes first US President to visit China. 1973 - Birth of Brian Rolston in Flint, Michigan, USA; NHL left wing (Olympics-1994, New Jersey Devils). 1973 - Birth of Les Gutches in Medford, Oregon, USA; 180.5 pounds freestyle wrestler (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Chicago Black Hawks play record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out. 1974 - Birth of Alexei Lojkin; NHL forward (Belarus, Olympics-1998). 1974 - Birth of Rohsaan Griffin in Texas City, Texas, USA; 200 metre runner. 1974 - Tom Seaver becomes the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history when he signs a contract for US$172,000 per season with the New York Mets. 1974 - Israeli forces leave western Suez. 1974 - Silver hits record US$5.965 an ounce in London, England. 1974 - Yugoslavia adopts constitution. 1975 - Birth of Scott Miller in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; swimmer (Olympics-silver-1996). 1975 - Birth of Troy Slaten; actor (Jerry - Parker Lewis Can't Lose). 1975 - John Mitchell, former Chief of Staff Harry R Haldeman, and John D Ehrlichman sentenced to 2.5-8 years. 1976 - Birth of Robin Confer; soccer forward (Olympics-1996). 1976 - Birth of Ryan Smyth in Banff, Alberta, Canada; NHL left wing (Edmonton Oilers). 1976 - Cardinal Willebrands installed as archbishop of Utrecht. 1976 - Frieda Inescort, Scottish actress (Meet Corliss Archer), dies at age 74. 1977 - 74 Unification Church couples wed in New York City, New York. 1979 - Two Iowa girls High School basketball teams play four scoreless quarters; the game is won 4-2 in the fourth overtime period. 1979 - Birth of Jennifer Love Hewitt in Waco, Texas; actress (Party of Five, Time of Your Life, The Audrey Hepburn Story, I Know What You Did Last Summer). 1979 - Glendon Gibbs, cricket player (Test Cricket West Indies versus Australia 1955), dies. 1979 - Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite and Corsa-B (550/580 km). 1980 - Hanni Wenzel is first Liechtensteiner to win Olympics gold (giant slalom). 1980 - Birth of Brad Fast; Canadian ice hockey player. 1980 - Chester H Lauck, actor (Two Weeks to Live, Goin' to Town), dies at age 78. 1980 - Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1500 metre in 1:55.44. 1981 - NASA launches Comstar D-4. 1981 - Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares (580/640 k). 1982 - Beth Daniel wins LPGA Bent Tree Ladies Golf Classic. 1982 - Ain't Misbehavin' closes at Longacre Theater in New York City after 1604 performances. 1983 - Donald Davis runs one mile backwards in 6 minutes 7.1 seconds. 1983 - NBA San Diego Clippers begin a 29-game road losing streak. 1984 - Birth of Karina, Japanese model and actress. 1984 - Death of Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905). 1984 - Timex withdraws from the home computer business. Timex introduced the British Sinclair Research ZX81 computer to North America as the Timex/Sinclair 1000 in 1982. Priced at $100, then dropped to $50, a lack of software and physical size and memory size limitations dampened initial public enthusiasm. 1985 - Eric Herfst, Dutch cabaret performer (Floris), dies at age 47. 1985 - Evert van Benthem wins 13th Friese 11 city skating race. 1985 - Ina Claire, actress/comedienne (Three Broadway Girls), dies of stroke at age 92. 1985 - Largest NBA crowd to date: 44,970 (Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons). 1985 - Louis Hayward, actor (Lone Wolf, Survivors), dies of lung cancer at age 75. 1985 - Tim Raines is awarded a US$12 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator. 1986 - Birth of Charlotte Church; Welsh soprano. 1986 - Birth of Amedeo Belgium, son of Princess Astrid and Arch Duke Lorenz. 1986 - Tennis star Jimmy Connors fined US$20,000 and suspended for ten weeks. 1986 - In defiance of the Cincinnati Reds' policy, Rollie Fingers refuses to cut off his handlebar mustache, and retires from baseball. 1986 - Death of Helen Hooven Santmyer, American writer (born 1895). 1986 - Death of Shigechiyo Izumi, Japanese supercentenarian, the oldest man ever (born 1865?). 1987 - Birth of Ellen Page; Canadian actress. 1987 - Cindy Rarick wins LPGA Tsumura Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open. 1987 - Syrian army marches into Beirut, Lebanon. 1988 - Actor Dudley Moore marries actress Brogan Lane. 1988 - Gustafson skates world record 10 km (13:48.20). 1988 - During a live TV broadcast, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart confesses to an unspecified sin, then announces he would be leaving his ministry for an unspecified length of time. 1989 - Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Ueberroth to discuss his gambling. 1989 - US bust Chinese heroin ring, capture record 820 pounds heroin ($1 billion street value). 1989 - Birth of Corbin Bleu, American actor and singer. 1989 - Birth of Kristin Herrera, American actress. 1989 - Birth of Scout Taylor-Compton, American actress. 1990 - 32nd Grammy Awards: "Wind Beneath My Wings", Nick of Time win. 1991 - Dame Margot Fonteyn, English ballerina, dies of cancer at age 71 (born 1919). 1991 - Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers premieres at Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City, New York for 780 performances. 1991 - Roger Swaybill, actor/writer (Porky's II, Breaking Point), dies at age 47. 1991 - Death of John Sherman Cooper, a U.S. Republican senator. 1991 - In the Bering Sea, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurs. Believed to be the largest earthquake ever located in this area. 1991 - USSR announces Iraq agrees to a proposal to end Persian Gulf War; US calls the plan unacceptable. 1992 - Eva A Jessye, US singer/actress (Eva Jessye Choir), dies at age 97. 1992 - Franc Holden, British astronomer (Binary Stars), dies. 1992 - Kate A ter Horst-Arriëns, Dutch nurse (Battle of Arnhem), dies at age 85. 1992 - Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympics gold medal in women's figure skating. 1992 - The United Nations Security Council approves United Nations Resolution 743 to send a UNPROFOR peacekeeping force to Yugoslavia. 1992 - Roberto D'Aubuisson, El Salvadorian founder (ARENA), dies. 1993 - 43rd NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 135-132 (overtime) at Salt Lake City. 1993 - Sergei Bubka pole vaults world record indoor (6.15 metres). 1994 - William Elgin Swinton, child psychiatrist, dies at age 54. 1995 - Canadian Football League's Sacramento Gold Miners become San Antonio Texans. 1995 - Ibrahim Ali, a 17-year-old Comorian living in France, is murdered by three far-right National Front activists. 1995 - Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada, becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. 1995 - Serkadji prison mutiny in Algeria: Four guards and 96 prisoners are killed in a day and a half. 1996 - Horace Leonard Gold, science fiction writer/editor, dies at age 81. 1996 - Jean Burroughs, educationalist, dies at age 67. 1996 - Morton Gould, American musician and composer, dies at age 82 (born 1913). 1996 - Soyuz TM-23 launched into orbit. 1996 - Terence Edward Armstrong, polar geographer, dies at age 75. 1996 - Off the coast of Northern Peru, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. 1997 - Michael Hollings, catholic priest/crusader, dies at age 75. 1997 - STS 82 (Discovery 22) lands. 1999 - Death of Gertrude B. Elion, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1918). 2002 - Death of John Thaw, British actor (born 1942). 2004 - Death of John Charles CBE, Welsh football player (born 1931). 2008 - In Belgrade, Serbia, rioters storm the US embassy and set it on fire. British, German, Croatian, and Turkish embassies are also attacked. 2008 - Thousands of Turkish troops cross into northern Iraq to hunt Kurdish rebels. This is the largest such incursion in ten years. 2009 - The Fray's album "The Fray" is No.1 on the Billboard album chart. 2011 - Price of silver reaches 31-year high of $34.33 in trading in New York.         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