This Day in History
March 14

What happened in history on this day: March 14? On March 14 in ... 840 - Eginhard, French nobleman/biographer (Vita Karoli Magni), dies at age 69. 1272 - Re Enzo Italian poet/son of Emp Frederik II von Hohenstaufen, dies. 1298 - Petrus Johannis Olivi South France theologist, dies. 1490 - Charles I Duke of Savoy, dies at age 21. 1558 - Ferdinand I appointed Holy Roman emperor. 1559 - Jacques d'Auchy Walloon baptist merchant, executed. 1559 - Storm floods ravage Gorinchem, Dordrecht and Woudrichem, Netherlands. 1573 - Claude II of Lotharingen, duke of Aumale/murdered Admiral Coligny, dies. 1590 - Battle at Ivry: French King Henri IV beats Catholic League. 1590 - Philip van Egmont General/prince of Gavere, dies in battle at age 30. 1612 - Philip Galle Flemish engraver, dies at about age 74. 1623 - Birth of Adam-Nicolas Gascon composer. 1629 - England granted a royal charter to Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1644 - England grants patent for Providence Plantations (now Rhode Island). 1647 - Frederik Hendrik count of Nassau/prince of Orange, dies at age 63. 1653 - Johan van Galen beats English fleet at Livorno. 1681 - Birth of Georg Philipp Telemann Magdeburg Germany, late baroque composer. 1682 - Jacob I van Ruysdael physician/landscape painter, dies at about age 53. 1689 - Scotland dismisses Willem III and Mary Stuart as king and queen. 1692 - Birth of Peter Musschenbroek Dutch physician/physicist (Leyden jar). 1726 - Birth of Josef Antonin Stepan composer. 1734 - Prince Willem KHF van Orange marries George II's daughter Mary Anne. 1743 - First American town meeting (Boston's Faneuil Hall). 1755 - Birth of Pierre-Louis Couperin composer. 1757 - John Byng English Admiral (Minorca), executed at age 52. 1760 - Anton Filtz composer, dies at age 26. 1768 - Vigilio Blasio Faitello composer, dies at age 58. 1782 - Birth of Thomas Hart Benton (Representative), "Old Bullion". 1794 - Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin. 1795 - Birth of Rubert Lucas Pearsall composer. 1800 - Birth of James Bogardus US inventor/builder (made cast-iron buildings). 1800 - Luigi Chiaramonti crowned Pope Pius VII. 1803 - Birth of F G Klopstock writer. 1803 - Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock German poet, dies at age 78. 1804 - Birth of Johann Strauss the Elder Viennese violinist/composer (Radetzky March). 1808 - Birth of Catharinus Putnam Buckingham Brigadier General (Union volunteers). 1811 - August Henry Fitzroy English premier (1768-70), dies at age 75. 1815 - Birth of Josephine Lang composer. 1816 - Birth of Montgomery Dent Corse Alexandria Virginia, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1895. 1820 - Birth of Victor Emmanuel II King of Sardinia (1849-61)/Italy (1861-78). 1821 - African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church founded (New York). 1821 - Birth of Jens Worsaae Denmark, archaeologist. 1823 - Birth of Roswell Sabine Ripley Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1887. 1826 - Birth of William Fisk Sherwin composer. 1826 - General Congress of South American States assembles at Panamá. 1829 - Birth of Charles Charlesworth England (dies at age 7 of old age). 1831 - Birth of Leon Leopold Lewandoski composer. 1833 - Birth of John Sappington Marmaduke Major General (Confederate Army). 1833 - Birth of Lucy Hobbs Taylor first US woman dentist (1866). 1835 - Birth of Giovanni V Schiaparelli Italian astronomer (Mars). 1835 - Birth of Manuel Fernandez Caballero composer. 1837 - Birth of Charles Ammi Cutter US librarian (Expansive classification/originated Cutter system). 1840 - José Zorilla's "El Zapatero y el Rey" premieres in Madrid. 1843 - Boston conducts its first town meeting (Faneuil Hall). 1844 - Birth of King Umberto I of Italy (1878-1900). 1845 - -5.3 degrees F (-20.7 degrees C) in Groningen. 1847 - Birth of Antonio de Castro Alves Brazilian poet (Espumas Flutuantes). 1854 - Birth of Paul Ehrlich Germany, bacteriologist (Nobel Prize-1908). 1854 - Birth of Thomas Riley Marshall (Democrat) 28th Vice President (1913-21). 1861 - Abraham Louis Niedermeyer composer, dies at age 58. 1862 - Birth of Vilhelm FK Bjerknes Norwegian/US physicist/meteorology. 1862 - Battle of New Bern, North Carolina: General Burnside conquers New Bern. 1864 - Birth of [John] Casey Jones; railroad engineer (Ballad of Casey Jones) (dies 1900). 1864 - Rossini's "Petite Messe Solennelle" premieres in Paris France. 1864 - Union troops occupy Fort de Russy, Louisiana. 1870 - California legislature approves act making Golden Gate Park possible. 1873 - Birth of Joannes DJ Aengenent sociologist/bishop of Haarlem (1928-35). 1874 - Birth of Anton F Philips president-director of Philips. 1874 - Birth of Mary Carr Philadelphia Pennsylvania, actress (Forbidden Trail, Pack Up Your Troubles). 1875 - Birth of Isadore Gilbert Mudge US, librarian/author/bibliographer (Thackeray Dictionary). 1875 - Birth of Norman Houstoun O'Neill composer. 1875 - Smetana's "Vysehrad" premieres. 1878 - Birth of Carel T Scharten Dutch poet/writer (Forces of the Future). 1879 - Birth of Albert Einstein in Ulm, Germany; physicist (E=mc^2 / Theory of Relativity, Nobel Prize 1921). 1880 - Birth of Oscar (Bachigaloupi) Tourniaire actor/director (Pink Kate). 1883 - Birth of Juan Manen composer. 1883 - Karl Marx, German philosopher (Communist Manifesto), dies at age 64. 1884 - Birth of Albert Egges van Giffen Dutch archaeologist. 1884 - Birth of Winter Haynes Watts composer. 1885 - Gilbert and Sullivan's opera "Mikado" premieres in London. 1887 - Birth of George Creten Belgian sculptor/painter. 1887 - Birth of Lawrence Collingwood composer. 1888 - Second largest snowfall in New York City, New York history (21 inches). 1889 - August Strindberg's "Froken Julie" premieres in Copenhagen. 1889 - German Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his "Navigable Balloon." 1891 - Birth of John P Strijbos Dutch writer (Wandering through South Africa). 1892 - Birth of Olive Netta Parsons co-founder (Collet's Bookshop). 1894 - Birth of Josef Schelb composer. 1895 - Birth of Frans Ganshof Belgian historian. 1896 - Sutro Baths (San Francisco) opens by Cliff House (closed Sept 1, 1952). 1899 - Emile Erckmann, French writer (Waterloo), dies at age 76. 1899 - Stanley Cup of hockey: Montréal Shamrocks beat Winnipeg Victorias, 6-2. 1900 - Hugo de Vries rediscovers Mendel's laws of genetics. 1900 - US Congress passes the Gold Standard Act, fixing gold value of dollar at 25.8 grains, 0.900 fine as standard unit of money of the US. 1903 - First US national bird reservation established in Sebastian, Florida. 1903 - Birth of Molla Mustafa Barzani in Iran; Kurd leader (KDP). 1907 - Birth of Björn-Erik Höijer; Swedish writer (Nu dansar Sara). 1909 - Amsterdam Social-Democratic Party (SDP) forms. 1909 - Birth of André Pieyre de Mandiargues; French writer (Margin). 1911 - Birth of Pete Piute [Morris Kaufman] in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (Village Barn). 1912 - Birth of Les Brown in Reinerton, Pennsylvania, USA; orchestra leader (and his band of renown). 1912 - King Vittorio Emanuel III of Rome is injured during assassination attempt. 1913 - John D Rockefeller gives US$100 million to Rockefeller Foundation. 1914 - Birth of Fiorenzo Marini in Italy; épée (Olympics-gold-1960). 1914 - Serbia and Turkey sign peace treaty. 1915 - Birth of Carlos Surinach in Barcelona, Spain; composer (Monte Carlo). 1915 - German cruiser Dresden blows itself up near coast of Chile. 1916 - Battle of Verdun: German attack on Mort-Homme ridge, West of Verdun. 1918 - First concrete ship to cross the Atlantic (Faith) is launched, in San Francisco, California. 1918 - Birth of Dennis Patrick in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Dear Dead Delilah, Dallas, Rituals). 1918 - Death of Lucretia Rudolph Garfield in Pasadena, California, USA; spouse of US President James Garfield. 1919 - Birth of Luther Henderson Jr in Kansas City, Missouri, USA; orchestra leader (Polly Bergen Show). 1919 - Birth of Max Shulman; novelist (Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Tender Trap). 1920 - Birth of Dorothy Tyler-Odam in Great Britain; high jumper (Olympics-silver-1936, 1948). 1920 - Birth of Hank Ketcham; cartoonist (Dennis the Menace). 1921 - Birth of Lis Hartel in Denmark; equestrian dressage (Olympics-silver-1952, 1956). 1922 - Birth of Colin Fletcher; author (Walking Through Time). 1922 - Birth of Les Baxter; American singer/orchestra leader/composer (Born Again). 1923 - Allies accepts Vilnus taking East-Galicië in Poland. 1923 - German Supreme Court prohibits NSDAP political party. 1923 - US President Warren G Harding becomes first President filing income tax report and paying taxes. 1925 - Birth of John Barrington in Wain, England; novelist/poet (Hurry on Down). 1925 - Walter Camp, father of American football, dies at age 65. 1927 - Birth of Joop F Wolff; Dutch editor (Truth), Dutch politician (CPN). 1928 - Birth of Frank Borman in Gary, Indiana, USA; astronaut (Gemini 7, Apollo 8), CEO (Eastern Airlines). 1930 - Birth of Ray Flockton; cricket player (prolific New South Wales batsman of 1950s). 1931 - First theater built for rear movie projection (New York City, New York). 1931 - Birth of Bob Goalby; golfer (British Open-1968, Canadian Open-1968, New Zealand-1970). 1931 - Birth of Phil Phillips [Baptiste]; rock vocalist ("Sea Of Love"). 1932 - George Eastman, US industrialist (Kodak-camera), commits suicide at age 77. 1933 - Birth of Michael Caine [Maurice J Micklewhite] in Bermondsey, London, England; actor (Blame it on Rio, Alfie, Educating Rita). 1933 - Birth of Quincy Jones Jr in Chicago, Illinois, USA; jazz and R&B producer/composer/singer ("We Are The World"). 1933 - Civilian Conservation Corp begins tree conservation. 1933 - In the British House of Commons, Winston Churchill urges creation of an air force adequate to defend the civilian population. 1934 - Birth of Eugene A Cernan in Chicago, Illinois, USA; Captain US Navy/astronaut (Gemini 9, Apollo 10, 17). 1934 - Birth of Shirley Scott; swing/blues organist (with Stanley Turrentine). 1936 - Birth of Bob Charles in Carterton, New Zealand; PGA golfer (1963 Houston Open). 1936 - Federal Register, first magazine of the US government, publishes first issue. 1936 - In Red Bank, New Jersey, USA, a meteorite crashes through a shed roof. 1937 - Birth of Peter van der Merwe; cricket player (South African captain of mid-1960s). 1937 - Pope Pius XI publishes anti-Nazi-encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. 1938 - Birth of Johnny Gleeson; cricket player (mystery spinner for Australia 1966-72). 1939 - Birth of Bertrand Blier in Paris, France; novelist/director (Going Places). 1939 - Birth of William Benjamin Lenoir in Miami, Florida, USA; astronaut (STS-5). 1939 - England draw with South Africa in cricket at Durban on the 10th day. 1939 - Slovakia and Ruthenice declare their independence from the Czech government in Prague. 1940 - 27 killed, 15 injured when truck full of migrant workers collides with a train outside McAllen, Texas, USA. 1940 - Birth of Eleanor Bron in Stanmore, Middlesex, England; actress (Women in Love, Bedazzled). 1941 - Birth of Wolfgang Petersen in Emden, Germany; actor (Shattered, Enemy Mine). 1941 - German occupiers of Holland forbid Jewish-owned companies. 1942 - Birth of Jerry Jeff Walker in Oneonta, New York, USA; country singer ("Mr Bojangles"). 1942 - Birth of John Whittaker; English real estate developer (Peel Holdings). 1942 - Birth of Rita Tushingham in Liverpool, England; actress (Green Eyes, Doctor Zhivago). 1942 - John Bumstead and Orvan Hess become the first in the world to successfully treat a patient using penicillin. 1943 - Birth of Jim Pons in Santa Monica, California, USA; bassist (Turtles - "Happy Together"). 1945 - Birth of Herman[us J] van Veen in the Netherlands; cabareter/singer/composer/writer. 1945 - Birth of Michael Martin Murphey in Dallas, Texas, USA; country singer ("Wildfire"). 1945 - Birth of Walter Parazaider in Chicago, Illinois, USA; rock saxophonist (Chicago - "If You Leave Me Now"). 1945 - RAF bomb cuts railway link Hannover-Hamm. 1946 - Belgian government of Spaak forms. 1946 - Birth of Jasper Carrott; English comedian (Jane and the Lost City, Detectives). 1946 - Birth of Steve Kanaly in Burbank, California, USA; actor (Fleshburn, Ray Krebbs - Dallas). 1946 - Birth of Wes Unseld; NBA all-star (Baltimore Bullets, Most Valuable Player 1969). 1947 - Birth of Billy Crystal in Long Beach, New York, USA; actor/comedian (Soap, Saturday Night Live, City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally). 1947 - Birth of Jan [AJ] te Veldhuis; Dutch Member of Parliament (VVD). 1947 - Birth of William Jefferson; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Louisiana). 1950 - American FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" program begins. 1951 - Birth of Rick Dees; radio disc jockey (KIIS Los Angeles). 1951 - During Korean War, US/UN forces recapture Seoul. 1951 - Earthquake at Euskirchen, Germany. 1952 - Birth of David Byrne; guitarist/vocalist (Talking Heads - "Burning Down the House"). 1952 - Birth of J Fred Muggs; chimp (Today show). 1953 - Birth of Tim McKee; American 400-metre medley swimmer (Olympics-silver-1972). 1953 - Klement Gottwald, premier/President of Czechoslovakia, dies at age 56. 1953 - Nikita Khrushchev succeeds Malenkov as Secretary of Soviet Communist Party. 1954 - Birth of Jann Browne; country singer ("Mexican Wind"). 1954 - Milwaukee Braves' Henry Aaron homers in his first exhibition game. 1954 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. 1954 - NBA Baltimore Bullets end a 32-game road losing streak. 1955 - Birth of Boon Gould; rock guitarist (Level 42 - "Hot Water"). 1955 - Prince Mahemdra becomes king of Nepal. 1956 - Birth of Natalya Dmitriyevna Kuleshova in Russia; cosmonaut. 1956 - Birth of Tessa Sanderson in Kingston, Jamaica; British javelin thrower (Olympics-gold-1984). Her history can be explored while on Jamaica vacations. 1957 - Indonesian government of Sastroamidjojo resigns. 1958 - Birth of Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre; Prince of Monaco/bobsledder (Olympics-1988). 1958 - Eugeen Van de Velde, Flemish musicologist/critic/composer, dies at age 64. 1958 - RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is created and certifies first gold record (Perry Como's "Catch A Falling Star"). 1958 - South Africa government disallows African National Congress. 1958 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1958 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test. 1959 - Birth of Patrick Dupond in Paris, France; dancer (La Bayadere). 1960 - Birth of Kirby Puckett; centerfielder (Minnesota Twins) (dies 2006). 1960 - Fourteen die in a train crash in Bakersfield, California, USA. 1960 - Birth of George Horvath in Sweden; pentathlete (Olympics-1980). 1960 - Birth of Helen Hopkins in Donneybrook, Australia; golfer (Australian International 1983). 1960 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) sets NBA playoff record of 53 points. 1961 - Akiba Rubinstein, Polish chess player (opening theorist), dies at age 78. 1961 - Birth of Gary Dell'Abate in Uniondale, Long Island, New York, USA; producer (Howard Stern Show, Private Parts). 1961 - Birth of Grigoriy Kornev; Russian speed walker (world record 5 km). 1961 - Birth of Russell Todd; actor (Jamie Frame - Another World). 1961 - George Weiss becomes president of New York Mets. 1962 - Disarmament conference opens in Geneva, Switzerland, without France. 1962 - Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings) is second NHL player to score 500 goals. 1963 - Birth of Bruce Reid; cricket player (brilliant left-arm Australia pace bowler 1985-92). 1963 - Birth of Pedro Duque in Madrid, Spain; engineer/astronaut (STS 78 alternate, sk-95). 1963 - San Francisco's Guy Rodgers ties NBA record with 28 assists. 1964 - Birth of Donald Evans; NFL defensive end/tackle (New York Jets). 1964 - Birth of Richard Migliore; jockey. 1964 - Dallas, Texas jury sentences Jack Ruby to death for Lee Harvey Oswald murder. 1965 - Birth of John Stephenson; cricket player (England opening bat in one Test versus Australia 1989). 1965 - Birth of Kevin Brown in Mcintyre, Georgia, USA; pitcher (Florida Marlins). 1965 - Israeli cabinet approves diplomatic relations with West Germany. 1966 - Birth of Darcy Wakaluk in Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada; NHL goalie (Dallas Stars). 1966 - Birth of Tertius Bosch; cricket player (South African pace bowler 1992). 1967 - First NFL-AFL common draft, Baltimore Colts pick Bubba Smith. 1967 - Birth of Edward M Fincke in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Captain US Air Force/astronaut. 1967 - Birth of Melissa Brennan Reeves in Eatontown, New Jersey, USA; actress (Jennifer - Days of Our Lives). 1967 - Birth of Vijay Yadav; cricket player (Indian wicket-keeper between More and Mongia). 1967 - The late US President John Kennedy's body moved from temporary grave to a permanent memorial. 1968 - Birth of Megan Follows; actress (Chase, Anne of Green Gables). 1968 - CBS TV suspends Radio Free Europe free advertising because RFE doesn't make it clear it is sponsored by the US Central Intelligence Agency. 1968 - Erwin Panofsky, German/US art historian/iconologist, dies. 1968 - POM performs atmospheric nuclear test at Maralinga, Australia. 1969 - Ben Shahn, US painter, dies at age 70. 1969 - Birth of Greg Biekert; NFL linebacker (Oakland Raiders). 1969 - Birth of Larry Johnson; NBA forward (Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks). 1969 - Birth of Laura Leighton; actress (Sydney - Melrose Place, The Other Woman). 1969 - Birth of Ty[rel] Bennion in Seattle, Washington, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1969 - Seymour Nurse scores 258 in his last Test Cricket innings, West Indies versus New Zealand. 1970 - Birth of Meredith Salenger; actress (Dream a Little Dream, The Kiss). 1970 - Birth of Thomas McLemore; NFL tight end (Indianapolis Colts). 1970 - In Canada, Quebec is the first province to launch a legal lottery. The Inter Plus lottery offers a CDN$150,000 grand prize for $2 tickets. 1971 - Birth of Ernie Brown; Canadian Football League defensive tackle (Calgary Stampeders). 1971 - South Vietnamese troops flee Laos. 1971 - The Rolling Stones leave England for France to escape taxes. 1972 - Birth of Antowain Smith; running back (Buffalo Bills). 1972 - Birth of Aris Brimanis in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NHL defenseman (Philadelphia Flyers). 1972 - Birth of Clover Maitland; Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Tom Barndt; NFL/WLAF guard (Kansas City Chiefs, Scottish Claymores). 1972 - NBA's Cincinnati Royals announce they are moving to Kansas City. 1973 - Birth of Chris Sullivan; defensive end (New England Patriots). 1973 - Liam Cosgrave is appointed president of Ireland. 1973 - Murat B "Chic" Young, US comic strip artist (Blondie), dies at age 72. 1974 - Birth of Justine Joyce; Australian rower (Olympics-1996). 1975 - Susan Hayward, actress (Young and Willing), dies at age 56. 1976 - Alberta Franklin, silent screen actress, dies at age 79. 1976 - Birth of Sarah Elizabeth Ulmer in Auckland, New Zealand; 3k independent pursuit cyclist (Olympics-1996). 1976 - Busby Berkeley, US choreographer/director (Strike Up the Band), dies at age 80. 1976 - Jockey Bill Shoemaker wins his 7,000th race. 1976 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1978 - US Marines terminate Molukse action in Province house (one dead). 1978 - NFL permanently adds 7th official (side judge). 1979 - Near the coast of Guerrero, Mexico, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs. The area was rebuilt and can be a stop along the way to Cancun resorts. Extensive damage in the epicentral and Mexico City areas. 1980 - World Ice Dance Championship in Dortmund, West Germany won by Krisztina Regoczy and Andras Sallay (Hungary). 1980 - World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Marina Cherkasova and Sergei Shakhrai (USSR). 1980 - World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Anett Potzsch. 1980 - World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Jan Hoffmann (German Democratic Republic). 1980 - In Poland, a plane crashes during an emergency landing near Warsaw, killing a 14-man American boxing team and 73 others. 1980 - Death of Anna Jantar, Polish Singer - LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 Crash. 1980 - Birth of Aaron Brown; English football player. 1981 - René Clair, French director (It Happened Tomorrow), dies at age 82?. 1981 - Ken Barrington, cricket player (82 Tests for England, 6806 runs), dies. 1982 - Sally Little wins LPGA Olympia Gold Golf Classic. 1982 - Sidath Wettimuny scores Sri Lanka's first Test Cricket century. 1982 - Birth of Kate Maberly; actress (Secret Garden). 1983 - Birth of Bakhtiyar Artayev; Kazakh boxer. 1983 - Birth of Jordan Taylor Hanson in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; singer-Hanson (MMMBop). 1983 - Maurice Ronet, actor (Circle of Love, Frantic, Sphinx), dies at age 55. 1983 - OPEC cuts oil prices for first time in 23 years. 1984 - Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams and three others are seriously injured in a gun attack by the UVF. 1984 - Aurelio Peccei, Italian businessman/CEO (Club Rome), dies at age 75. 1985 - 11th People's Choice Awards: Bill Cosby wins four awards. 1986 - Birth of Jamie Bell; British actor. 1986 - Edith Atwater, of Chicago, Illinois, actress (Phyllis - Love on a Rooftop), dies at age 74. 1986 - European Space Agency's Giotto flies by Halley's Comet (605 km). 1987 - Birth of Aravane Rezaï; Iranian-French tennis player. 1987 - New York Mets' Darryl Strawberry charges Boston Red Sox pitcher Al Nipper during spring training exhibition game, causes bench clearing brawl. 1987 - Providence, with Billy Donovan's 25 points, beats Austin Peay 90-87. 1987 - Skier Piotr Fijas jumps record 194 metres. 1989 - Edward Abbey, American author and environmentalist, dies after surgery at age 62 (born 1927). 1989 - Zita, Empress of Austria/Queen of Hungary, dies at age 96. 1989 - Christian General Michel Aoun declares a 'War of Liberation' to rid Lebanon of Syrian forces and their allies. 1989 - U.S. President George H. W. Bush bans the importation of certain guns deemed assault weapons into the United States. 1989 - Stack's auctions a $1000 US Treasury note for US$100,000, a record price for paper money. 1989 - Death of Stephen D. Bechtel, Sr., American businessman (born 1900). 1990 - 4th Soul Train Music Awards: Soul II Soul, Janet Jackson. 1991 - After 16 years in prison for allegedly bombing a pub in an Irish Republican Army attack, the "Birmingham Six" are freed when the British Court of Appeal determines that the police fabricated evidence. 1991 - Emir of Kuwait returns to Kuwait City, after the Iraqis leave. 1991 - Howard Ashman, American song writer ("Under the Sea"), dies of AIDS at 40 (born 1950). 1991 - Jef Houthuys, Belgian union leader (ACV, 1968-87), dies at age 68. 1991 - Jerome "Doc" Pomus, American lyricist ("Save Last Dance for Me"), dies at 65 (born 1925). 1991 - World Ice Dance Championship in Munich won by Isabel and Phil Duchesnay (France). 1991 - World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Munich won by N Mishkutenok and A Dmitriev (USSR). 1991 - World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Munich won by Kristi Yamaguchi (USA). 1991 - World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Munich won by Kurt Browning (Canada). 1992 - Death of Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood Jr of cancer at age 71; theme park developer, first Disneyland general manager up to opening day, Freedomland U.S.A. in New York 1960-64. 1992 - Jean Poiret, French actor/writer (La Cage aux Folles), dies at age 65. 1992 - Ralph James, actor (Orson - Mork and Mindy), dies at age 67. 1992 - Soviet newspaper Pravda suspends publication. 1992 - Steven Brian Pennell is first execution in Delaware in 45 years, at age 34. 1992 - Birth of Keaton Tyndall, American actress. 1992 - Birth of Kylie Tyndall, American actress. 1993 - Andorra adopts its constitution. 1993 - Johan Koss skates world record 5 km (6:06.57). 1993 - Meg Mallon wins LPGA Ping/Welch's Golf Championship. 1993 - Cricketer Ricky Ponting, aged 18 years 84 days, hits twin tons for Tasmania. 1994 - The NBC TV network begins airing Disney's Someone Like Me show. 1994 - Linux kernel version 1.0.0 is released. 1994 - Birth of Frankie Ryan Manriquez, American actor. 1994 - Abdelkader Alloula Algerian, playwright, murdered. 1994 - Mexican banker/billionaire Alfredo Harp Helu is kidnapped. 1994 - Soyuz TM-21 launches with V Dezyurov, G Strekalov and N Thagard. 1994 - Apple Computer introduces its first Power Macintosh computers, featuring 60 to 80 MHz PowerPC processors. Apple successfully managed a major processor transformation, without losing significant market share. 1995 - Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American to ride into space aboard a Russian launch vehicle (the Soyuz TM-21), lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 1995 - Johan W "Jo" van Marle, CEO (KNVB, 1980-93), dies at age 70. 1995 - William A Fowler, US nuclear/astro-physicist (Nobel Prize 1983), dies at age 83 (born 1911). 1995 - The US National Labor Relations Board announces it will charge Major League Baseball owners with two counts of unfair labor practices. 1996 - Australia beat West Indies by five runs in amazing cricket World Cup semi-final. 1996 - Dewi Lorwerth Ellis Bebb, rugby international/journalist, dies at age 57. 1996 - Nico Kiasashvii, professor of English Literature, dies at age 69. 1996 - Vic Marshall, chemist, dies at age 74. 1997 - 68-year-old Gordie Howe signs AHL contract with Syracuse Crunch. 1997 - Death of Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born American director (High Noon (1952), From here to Eternity (1953), Oklahoma (1955), A Man for all Seasons (1966), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Five Days one Summer (1982)), at age 69 of a heart attack (born 1907). 1997 - Iranian military plane crashes, killing 80. 1997 - John Curtis Jr, president/CEO (Luby's Cafe), commits suicide at age 58. 1997 - Olympics gold medalist Michael Johnson wins 67th James E Sullivan Award. 1997 - President Bill Clinton trips and tears up his knee requiring surgery. 1998 - In Northern Iran, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. Five people killed and 50 injured. Two thousand houses destroyed, 10,000 people left homeless. 2002 - 125 vehicles are involved in a massive pile-up on Interstate 75 in Ringgold, Georgia, USA. 2002 - Death of Cherry Wilder, New Zealand author (born 1930). 2002 - The German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer dies. 2003 - The Milwaukee Brewers' TV/radio play-by-play announcer, Bob Uecker is chosen for induction into the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. 2003 - Death of Jean-Luc Lagardère, publisher of world's largest magazine business, with over 200 titles, co-chairman of European aeronautics defence and space firm. 2004 - Two suicide bombers kill eleven Israeli civilians in Ashdod, Israel. 2004 - Spanish legislative election: The incumbent government led by José María Aznar is defeated by the Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. 2004 - Russian presidential election: Vladimir Putin easily wins a second term. 2005 - The People's Republic of China ratifies an anti-secession law, aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence. 2005 - Approximately one million people gather for an opposition rally in Beirut, a month after the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It is the largest rally in Lebanon's history. 2006 - Washington D.C. officials unveil the designs for a new 41,000-seat ballpark. 2006 - Death of Lennart Meri, President of Estonia (born 1929). 2007 - Birth of Simeon Hassan Muñoz, son of Princess Kalina of Bulgaria and Kitín Muñoz. 2007 - Death of Lucie Aubrac, French World War II Resistance fighter (born 1912). 2007 - Death of Gareth Hunt, English actor (born 1943). 2008 - Violent riots occur in Lhasa, Tibet, against Chinese presence. 2008 - Death of Chiara Lubich, Italian Catholic activist (born 1920). 2009 - Annamay Pierse of Canada sets a new world's record in the women's 200-metre breaststroke swimming event, recording 2:17.50 at the short-course swimming championships in Toronto, Ontario. 2009 - Death of Alain Bashung, French singer, songwriter and actor (born 1947). 2009 - A copy of the first Superman comic (Action Comics, Number 1, June 1938) sells at an auction for US$317,200. 2010 - A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits off the eastern coast of Japan, causing only light damage to structures near the epicentre. 2010 - A massive power failure plunges Chile into darkness, stretching 2,000km and affecting up to 90 percent of the population for about an hour. 2011 - The Japanese Nikkei stock exchange opens for trading with a $297 billion loss due to the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor damage. This is the largest drop for the stock exchange since World War II.         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