This Day in History
December 15

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: December 15?

On December 15 in ...

  • 37 - Birth of Nero Claudius Augustus Germanicus, 5th emperor of Rome (54-68).
  • 687 - Saint Sergius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding Conon.
  • 1025 - Basilius II the Bulgarendoder, Byzantine emperor (976-1025), dies.
  • 1124 - Chancellor Haimeric selects pope (Lamberto becomes Honorius II).
  • 1230 - Ottokar I king of Bohemia (1197-1230), dies.
  • 1471 - Pope Sixtus IV sets aside display rooms on the Capitoline, and appoints a board to manage them. This is the world's first proper museum.
  • 1488 - Bartholomeus Diaz returns to Portugal after sailing round Cape of Good Hope.
  • 1515 - Alfonso de Albuquerque viceroy of Portuguese Indies, dies.
  • 1534 - Birth of Lucas Osiander composer.
  • 1567 - Birth of Christoph Demantius composer.
  • 1569 - Westmoreland flees to Scotland.
  • 1574 - Birth of Samuel Besler composer.
  • 1582 - Leidse University names Rembert Dodoens professor of botany/medicine.
  • 1582 - Spanish Netherlands/Denmark/Norway adopt Gregorian calendar.
  • 1586 - Laevinus Torrentius, becomes bishop of Antwerp.
  • 1593 - State of Holland grants patent on windmill with crankshaft.
  • 1598 - Philip van Marnix Flemish ruler of Saint Aldegonde/poet, dies at age 58.
  • 1610 - Birth of David Teniers II Flemish courtpainter (Theatrum Pictorium).
  • 1612 - Simon Marius, is first to observe Andromeda galaxy through a telescope.
  • 1621 - Charles d'albert Duke of Luynes/Prime Minister of France, dies at age 43.
  • 1626 - Adriaen de Vries Dutch sculptor/painter, dies at about age 70.
  • 1640 - Duke of Bragança crowned King Johan IV of Portugal.
  • 1648 - Birth of Gregory King English statistician (Natural and Political Observations).
  • 1660 - Philippines: Andres Malong's rebels plunder Bagnotan.
  • 1664 - English colonizing Connecticut.
  • 1667 - Birth of Ludwig Ernst composer.
  • 1667 - Brandenburg declares himself neutral in Devolutie War.
  • 1675 - John Vermeer Dutch painter (Love Letter), dies at age 43.
  • 1680 - Tax revolt on Terschelling due to tax on cereal.
  • 1688 - Gaspar Fagel lawyer/Netherlands grand pensionary (1672-88), dies at age 54.
  • 1688 - Lord Delamere sides with King James II.
  • 1699 - Henrik A van Reede tot Drakenstein Dutch botanist, dies at about age 63.
  • 1712 - Sidney first Earl of Godolphine English minister of Finance, dies at age 67.
  • 1715 - George Hickes English linguist (Old German Philology), dies at age 73.
  • 1735 - Birth of Cesare Beccaria-Bonesana Italian lawyer.
  • 1745 - Battle at Kesseldorf: Prussia beats Saksen and Austria.
  • 1778 - Birth of Godert AGP baron van der Capellen; Dutch Governor-General (Dutch-Indies).
  • 1791 - First US law school established at University of Pennsylvania.
  • 1791 - US Bill of Rights (first 10 Amendments to Constitution) is ratified as Virginia gives its approval.
  • 1792 - First life insurance policy issued in US (Philadelphia).
  • 1793 - Birth of Henry Charles Carey in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; economist (Principles of Poli Economy).
  • 1794 - Revolutionary Tribunal abolished in France.
  • 1802 - Birth of János Bolyai in Romania; mathematician (non-Euclidean geometry).
  • 1810 - First Irish magazine in US, The Shamrock, is published.
  • 1817 - Maria Walewska [Leszczinska], lover of emperor Napoleon I, dies.
  • 1826 - William Browser, revolting slave, is executed in New York City, New York.
  • 1831 - Paul R Cantzlaar, Governor of Saba/Curaçao/Dutch-West Indies, dies at age 60.
  • 1832 - Birth of Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel; French engineer (Eiffel tower).
  • 1833 - Antonio López de Santa Anna resigns (3rd time) as President of Mexico.
  • 1836 - Birth of Edmond Picard; French/Belgian lawyer/writer (La forge Roussel).
  • 1836 - Patent Office burns in Washington DC.
  • 1848 - Birth of Edwin Howland Blashfield; decorated the dome of US Library of Congress.
  • 1852 - Birth of Antoine Henri Becquerel; discovered radioactivity (Nobel Prize 1903).
  • 1852 - Birth of Tewfik Pasja; khedive (viceroy) of Egypt.
  • 1853 - Birth of Jean B A Kessler; director of oil on Dutch Indies.
  • 1854 - First street-cleaning machine in US first used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • 1858 - La Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez (Suez Canal Company) is formed, to construct and operate the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean and Red seas.
  • 1859 - Birth of Ludwik L Zamenhof in Bialystok, Poland; physician/linguist (inventor of Esperanto language).
  • 1859 - GR Kirchoff describes chemical composition of Sun.
  • 1860 - Birth of Niels Ryberg Finsen in Copenhagen, Denmark; physician/phototherapist (Nobel Prize 1903).
  • 1861 - Birth of Charles Edgar Duryea; inventor (first auto built and operated in US).
  • 1863 - Birth of Arthur D Little; US chemist (patented rayon).
  • 1872 - Near Lake Chelan, Washington, USA, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs.
  • 1874 - First reigning king to visit US (of Hawaii) is received by President Ulysses Grant.
  • 1877 - Thomas Edison patents phonograph.
  • 1879 - Birth of Rudolf von Laban; Czechoslovakian/German choreographer (modern dance).
  • 1880 - Carlo Boncompagni di Mombello, Italian minister of Justice, dies at age 76.
  • 1881 - Birth of James Schneider in New York, USA; actor (Keystone Kops).
  • 1882 - Birth of Helena Rubinstein; US cosmetic manufacturer.
  • 1887 - Birth of Pieter C A Geyl; historian (History of the Dutch Tribe).
  • 1888 - Birth of Artturi A Leinonen; Finnish journalist/writer (Kati), politician.
  • 1888 - Birth of Jan Greshoff; Dutch poet/author/journalist (Bric à Brac).
  • 1888 - Birth of Maxwell Anderson; US dramatist (Winter Set, High Tor).
  • 1889 - King Ferdinand II of Portugal dies at age 73.
  • 1890 - In South Dakota, Pine Ridge reservation police kill Sioux chief Sitting Bull Hunkpapa, while trying to arrest him.
  • 1891 - James Naismith invents basketball (Canada).
  • 1892 - Birth of J Paul Getty in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; oil magnate (Getty Oil).
  • 1896 - Birth of George B Cressey; US geographer (Asia's Lands and Peoples).
  • 1896 - Birth of Margaret Bannerman in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actress (Elopement).
  • 1899 - Third defeat of "Black Week" - Battle at Colenso, South Africa (Boers-British army).
  • 1899 - Birth of Frank Vosper in London, England; actor (The Man Who Knew Too Much).
  • 1904 - Birth of Kermit Bloomgarden; producer (Diary of Anne Frank, Music Man).
  • 1904 - Birth of William Hitzig in Austria; Maxwell physician.
  • 1906 - Birth of Betty Smith; novelist (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn).
  • 1907 - Birth of Oscar Niemeyer; Brazilian architect (Brasilia).
  • 1909 - Thomas J Lynch becomes president of baseball's National League.
  • 1913 - Birth of Muriel Rukeyser; US poet (1977 Shelley Memorial Award).
  • 1914 - American Radio Relay League (organization for ham radio operators) founded by Hiram Percy Maxim.
  • 1914 - Battle of Lódz ends; Russians retreat toward Moscow.
  • 1914 - Birth of Ernie Toshack; cricket pace bowler (Aussie left-arm post-WWII).
  • 1914 - British fleet forfeits chance to destroy German fleet in North Sea.
  • 1914 - Swedish troops overrun Belgrade in Austria-Hungary.
  • 1915 - Birth of Jose Toribio Merino Castro AKA Jose Toribio Merino; admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy (1973-1990).
  • 1916 - Birth of Maurice Wilkins in England; physicist, worked with DNA (Nobel Prize 1962).
  • 1916 - French defeat Germans in Battle of Verdun.
  • 1917 - Moldavian Republic declares independence from Russia.
  • 1918 - American Jewish Congress holds its first meeting.
  • 1918 - Birth of Ira Grossel AKA Jeff Chandler in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Broken Arrow, Away All Boats).
  • 1919 - Birth of Ake Seyffarth; 10km speed skater (Olympics-gold-1948).
  • 1919 - Fiume (Rijeka) declares its independence.
  • 1921 - Birth of Bobby Todd; US comic/actor (Original Sin).
  • 1922 - Birth of Alan Freed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA; disc jockey, likely coined the phrase "rock 'n' roll" largely responsible for the wide-scale acceptance of the music through his radio shows in Cleveland and New York.
  • 1922 - IVVV association peace congress on war forms in the Hague, Netherlands.
  • 1924 - Birth of Ida Haendel; Polish violinist/author (Woman with Violin).
  • 1925 - First hockey game at Madison Square Garden, Montreal Canadiens 3, New York Americans 1.
  • 1925 - First road with a depressed trough (Texas) opens to traffic.
  • 1926 - Facist national symbol elevated in Italy.
  • 1928 - Birth of Jimmy Nelson in Chicago, Illinois, USA; ventriloquist (Nestles, Farfel).
  • 1929 - Birth of Keith Andrew; cricket player (England wicket-keeper in two Tests 1954-63).
  • 1930 - Birth of Alim-ud-Din; cricket player (Pakistani batsman in 25 Tests 1954-62).
  • 1930 - Donald Bradman takes his first Test Cricket wicket (Ivan Barrow, West Indies, lbw).
  • 1931 - Birth of Evald Schorm in Prague, Czechoslovakia; director (Courage for Every Day).
  • 1932 - Birth of Edna O'Brien in Ireland; writer (Fanatic of Heart, Casualties of Peace).
  • 1933 - Baseball owners agree to ban Sunday doubleheaders until after June 15.
  • 1933 - Birth of Jesse Belvin in Texarkana, Arkansas, USA; rock vocalist (Mr Easy).
  • 1933 - Birth of Tim Conway in Willoughby, Ohio, USA; comic (McHale's Navy, Carol Burnett Show).
  • 1935 - Detroit Lions win NFL championship.
  • 1935 - Max Euwe becomes world champion chess player beating Alexander Aljechin.
  • 1937 - Birth of John [Thomas] Sladek; American sci-fi author (Tik-Tok, Bugs).
  • 1937 - Birth of Karen Morrow in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Aunt Minerva - Tabitha, Jim Nabors Hour).
  • 1938 - Birth of Dennis Madide; South African Internal minister of Transkei.
  • 1938 - Groundbreaking begins for Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC.
  • 1939 - First commercial manufacture of nylon yarn, Seaford, Deleware.
  • 1939 - Birth of Cindy Birdsong in Camden, New Jersey, USA; rock vocalist (Labelle - "Rainbow", Supremes).
  • 1939 - Tom McKibbin, cricket player (5 Tests for Australia 1895-1898, 17 wickets), dies.
  • 1939 - World premiere of film Gone With the Wind in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • 1940 - Birth of Nick Buoniconti; NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins)/sportscaster (NBC).
  • 1940 - British forces drive Italians out of Egypt, and invade Libya.
  • 1941 - Birth of Austin Savage; Welsh hockey player.
  • 1941 - Birth of Geoffrey Davies; English actor (Doctor at Sea, Doctor on the Go).
  • 1941 - Gas/electrical use restricted in Holland.
  • 1941 - German submarine U-127 sinks.
  • 1941 - Germans transfer 100 Czechoslovakian citizens / Heinrich Himmler falls faint.
  • 1941 - USS Swordfish becomes first US submarine to sink a Japanese ship.
  • 1942 - Birth of Dave Clark in London, England; rock drummer (Dave Clark 5 - "Glad All Over").
  • 1942 - Massachusetts issues first US vehicular license plate tabs.
  • 1943 - Birth of Mihaly Hesz in Hungary; 1000m kayak (Olympics-gold-1968).
  • 1943 - Death of Thomas (Fats) Waller at age 39 of natural causes while travelling aboard the Santa Fe Express train in Kansas City, Missouri, USA; pianist and songwriter ("Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "Hot Chocolate").
  • 1944 - Birth of Stan Bahnsen; New York Yankees pitcher (1968 American League Rookie-of-year).
  • 1944 - Death of bandleader/composer Glenn Miller ("Chattanooga Choo-Choo"), at age 40, in a plane crash between London and Paris.
  • 1944 - Hizbu'allah (Arm forces for Allah) forms.
  • 1944 - US Congress gives General Dwight Eisenhower his fifth star.
  • 1944 - US troops lands on Mindoro.
  • 1945 - Birth of Thaao Penghlis in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; actor (Mission Impossible, Tony - Days of Our Lives).
  • 1946 - Birth of Carmine Appice; musician ("Have You Heard", "Keep on Rolling").
  • 1946 - Birth of Harry Ray in Hackensack, New Jersey, USA; rock vocalist (Ray, Goodman, Brown).
  • 1946 - Chicago Bears beat New York Giants 24-14 in NFL championship game.
  • 1946 - Conrad Haebler, historian (Hundert Kalenderinkunabeln), dies at age 89.
  • 1946 - New York Giants' Frank Filchock and Merle Hapes are suspended by NFL, because they didn't report bribe attempt.
  • 1948 - Birth of David Gwillim in Plymouth, England; actor (Island at Top of the World).
  • 1948 - Former state department official Alger Hiss indicted in New York City for perjury.
  • 1949 - Birth of Don Johnson in Flatt Creek, Missouri, USA; actor (Miami Vice, The Harrad Experiment).
  • 1949 - Birth of Ton [Teunis] Sijbrands; Dutch world checkers champion.
  • 1950 - Birth of Ernst Hirsch Ballin; Dutch minister of Justice (198?-94).
  • 1950 - Ezzard Charles knocks out Nick Barone to retain heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1950 - New York City's Port Authority opens.
  • 1951 - Birth of Joe Jordan; Scottish soccer star.
  • 1951 - Birth of Ken Knox; rock vocalist (Chairmen of the Board).
  • 1951 - Eric Drummond, first Secretary-General League of Nations (1919-33), dies at age 75.
  • 1952 - Christine Jorgenson is first person to undergo a sex-change operation.
  • 1952 - Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Orientales Ecclesias.
  • 1952 - The Sands hotel and casino opens in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
  • 1954 - Birth of Alex Cox; director (Repo Man).
  • 1954 - Birth of Felicity LaFortune in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; actress (Ryan's Hope).
  • 1954 - Birth of Justin Ross in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Sinatra, Chorus Line, Fan, Quick Change).
  • 1954 - Fordham University scraps football team for financial reasons.
  • 1954 - The ABC TV network airs the Disneyland TV show, featuring the first "Davy Crockett" episode, Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter.
  • 1955 - Birth of Melanie Chartoff in West Haven, Connecticut, USA; actress (Fridays, Parker Lewis).
  • 1955 - Birth of Paul Simonon; English pop bassist (Clash - "Havana 3 AM").
  • 1956 - Emergency crisis in North Ireland proclaimed after Irish Republican Army strikes.
  • 1959 - Birth of Greg Matthews; cricket player (New South Wales and Australia off-spin all rounder Yeah yeah).
  • 1959 - Birth of Heidi Bohay in Somerset, New Jersey, USA; actress (Megan - Hotel).
  • 1959 - Birth of Rashid Khan; cricket player (four Tests for Pakistan 1982-85).
  • 1960 - Birth of Don Franklin in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Seaquest 2032, Noah Dixon - The Young Riders).
  • 1960 - Birth of Doug Phelps in Leachville, Arkansas, USA; singer (Kentucky Headhunters - "Davy Crockett").
  • 1960 - King Boudouin of Belgium marries doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragon.
  • 1961 - Birth of Annie Pujol Perpignan; French TV hostess (Roue de la Fortune).
  • 1961 - Birth of Reginald Hudlin; director (House Party).
  • 1961 - Equal access rule in US, political parties get TV broadcasting time.
  • 1961 - L J Suenens appointed archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels.
  • 1961 - William "Dummy" Hoy, professional baseball player, dies at age 99.
  • 1962 - Charles Laughton, English actor (Hunchback of Notre Dame), dies at age 63.
  • 1962 - Vaughn Meader's "The first Family" album goes #1 and stays #1 for 12 weeks.
  • 1963 - Birth of Asif Karim; cricket player (slow left-arm bowler for Kenya 1996 World Cup).
  • 1963 - Birth of David Wingate; NBA guard/forward (Seattle Supersonics).
  • 1963 - Birth of Helen Slater in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Supergirl, Billie Jean, Ruthless People).
  • 1964 - First time four people in space.
  • 1964 - American Radio Relay League (organization for hams) founded.
  • 1964 - Birth of Carlton Bailey; NFL linebacker (Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers).
  • 1964 - Birth of Jerry Ball; NFL defensive tackle (Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings).
  • 1965 - Third cyclone of year kills another 10,000 at mouth of Ganges River, Bangladesh.
  • 1965 - Birth of Walter Reeves; NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns).
  • 1965 - Gemini 6 launched; will make first rendezvous in space (with Gemini 7).
  • 1965 - Queen Juliana opens Zeeland Bridge to Oosterschelde.
  • 1965 - William Eckert replaces Ford Frick as fourth commissioner of baseball.
  • 1966 - Audouin Dollfus discovers 10th satellite of Saturn, Janus.
  • 1966 - Birth of Carl Hooper; cricket player (West Indies off-spin all-rounder).
  • 1966 - John W Mecom Junior becomes first owner of the New Orlean Saints.
  • 1966 - At 9:30 AM in St. Joseph's Hospital, Walt Disney dies of acute circulatory collapse, caused by lung cancer, at age 65. He had won more than 950 honors and citations worldwide, including 31 Oscars and seven Emmys.
  • 1967 - Birth of Chris Gioskos; Canadian Football League tackle (Toronto Argonauts).
  • 1967 - Birth of Christine Larsen in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada; synchronized swimmer (Olympics-silver-1996).
  • 1967 - Birth of Frank Hartley; NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers).
  • 1967 - Birth of Keith Askins; NBA guard/forward (Miami Heat).
  • 1967 - Birth of Missouri Vaughn in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA; infielder (Boston Red Sox, Most Valuable Player-1995).
  • 1967 - Silver Bay bridge (Ohio-West Virginia) collapses during afternoon rush hour, 34 die.
  • 1968 - Birth of Garrett Wang; actor (Star Trek: Voyager).
  • 1968 - Jess Willard, heavyweight boxing champion (1915-19), dies at age 86.
  • 1969 - Birth of Dan Williams; NFL defensive end (Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs).
  • 1969 - Birth of Sean Briscombe in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; diver (Olympics-1996).
  • 1969 - Birth of Wayne Simmons; linebacker (Kansas City Chiefs).
  • 1970 - Birth of Damon Thomas; NFL wide receiver (Buffalo Bills).
  • 1970 - Birth of Lawrence Funderburke; NBA forward (Sacramento Kings).
  • 1970 - Birth of Mitchell Butler; NBA guard (Washington Bullets, Cleveland Cavaliers).
  • 1970 - South Korean ferry Namyong-Ho sinks in Strait of Korea, 308 die.
  • 1970 - Soviet Venera 7 is first spacecraft to land on another planet (Venus).
  • 1971 - Birth of Boudewijk Pahlplatz; soccer player (FC Twente, PSV).
  • 1971 - Birth of Chris Maumalanga; NFL defensive tackle (Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals).
  • 1971 - Birth of Eric Bjornson; NFL tight end (Dallas Cowboys).
  • 1971 - Birth of Ken Alexander; WLAF linebacker (Barcelona Dragons).
  • 1971 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1972 - Birth of Rodney Harrison; NFL safety (San Diego Chargers).
  • 1972 - Birth of Stanislav Jasecko in Spisska Nova Ves, Czechoslovakia; hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia).
  • 1972 - Edward Earle, actor (Charlie Chan - Meeting at Midnight), dies at age 90.
  • 1972 - Herbert Eimert, German composer (Glockenspiel), dies at age 75.
  • 1973 - American Psychiatric Association declares homosexuality is not mental illness.
  • 1973 - Birth of Geoff Stewart; Australian rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1973 - Birth of Mike Cherry; quarterback (New York Giants).
  • 1973 - Birth of Mirko Ludemann in Weiwasser, Germany; NHL defenseman (Team Germany, Colorado Avalanche).
  • 1973 - Birth of Tammy Melinda Pearman in Brooklyn, New York; soccer forward/defender (Olympics-1996).
  • 1973 - Pirates of the Caribbean ride opens at Disneyland, Anaheim, California.
  • 1973 - Sandy Hawley becomes first jockey to win 500 races in one year.
  • 1973 - Tennessee beats Temple 11-6 in low scoring NCAA basketball game.
  • 1974 - Oakland Athletics' Catfish Hunter is ruled a free agent (later signs with New York Yankees).
  • 1974 - Birth of Jeffrey van der Stone; soccer player (RKC).
  • 1974 - Harry Hershfield, cartoonist (Can You Top This?), dies at age 89.
  • 1976 - Liberian oil tanker Argo Merchant runs aground off Massachusetts' Nantucket coast, spilling 28 million litres of crude oil, causing a 160km by 97km oil slick.
  • 1976 - Jamaica premier Manley wins elections.
  • 1977 - Birth of Catherine Fox; 400 metre freestyle relay (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1977 - Birth of Larissa Fontaine in Chicago, Illinois; gymnast (alternate-Olympics-1996).
  • 1978 - Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to go into default since the Great Depression, under Mayor Dennis Kucinich.
  • 1978 - Death of Chill Wills at age 75, American actor (Frontier Circus, Rounders) (born 1902).
  • 1978 - Birth of Henrietta Nagyova in Nove Zamky, Slovakia; tennis star (ITF/Cali-COL).
  • 1978 - Saint Maarten Patriotic Movement (SPM) forms under W James.
  • 1978 - Test Cricket debut of Malcolm Marshall, versus India at Bangalore.
  • 1979 - Death of Bern Hoffman at age 66; actor (Bonanza, Wagon Train, Major Dell Conway, Phil Silvers Show, The Texan, and Disneyland).
  • 1979 - Deposed Shah of Iran leaves US for Panamá.
  • 1979 - World Court in Hague rules Iran should release all US hostages.
  • 1980 - The Academia de la Llingua Asturiana (Academy of the Asturian Language) is created.
  • 1980 - New York Yankees' Dave Winfield becomes highest-paid player, ten years $15 million.
  • 1980 - Premier Queddei's troops conquer Chad capital N'djamena.
  • 1980 - ZBZ Sangha officially registered after five years of administrative hassles in Warsaw.
  • 1981 - Birth of Donal Coonan; UK presenter for Channel 4's webshow thisisaknife.
  • 1981 - A car bomb destroys the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 61 people.
  • 1981 - NASA launches Intelsat V.
  • 1982 - Roy Williams, Teamsters' president, and four others convicted of bribery.
  • 1982 - Sao Tome and Principe constitution approved.
  • 1982 - Spain re-opens border with Gibraltar.
  • 1982 - Bill Parcells becomes the 12th head coach of the New York Giants.
  • 1983 - Three Kansas City Royals' players suspended due to cocaine usage.
  • 1983 - Last 80 US combat soldiers in Grenada withdraw.
  • 1984 - Avon Long, actor (Roots: The Next Generation), dies at age 74.
  • 1984 - USSR launches Vega 1 for rendezvous with Halley's Comet.
  • 1985 - Disney CEO Michael Eisner and French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius sign a letter of intent to build a Disney theme park on 4400 acres at Marne-la-Vallée, twenty miles east of Paris, France.
  • 1986 - 150 killed during race riot in Karachi, Pakistan.
  • 1986 - US Central Intelligence Agency director William Casey suffers a cerebral seizure.
  • 1986 - Carnegie Hall reopens after a US$50 million facelift.
  • 1989 - Drug baron José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha is killed by Colombian police.
  • 1989 - Arnold Moss, actor (Gambit), dies at age 79.
  • 1989 - Death of Edward Underdown, stage and film veteran (born 1908).
  • 1990 - Betty Warren, actress (Passport to Pimlico) dies.
  • 1990 - Jean Paige, actress (Captain Blood, Black Beauty), dies.
  • 1991 - Deb Richard wins JBP Cup LPGA Match Play Golf Championship.
  • 1991 - Horatio Luro, US horse trainer (Northern Dancer), dies at age 90.
  • 1991 - Ray Smith, British actor (And Then You Die), dies at age 55.
  • 1991 - Death of Vasily Zaitsev, Russian World War II hero (born 1915).
  • 1991 - The Egyptian ferry Salem Express sinks in the Red Sea, killing more than 450.
  • 1992 - Arthur Ashe is named Sports Illustrated Sportman of Year.
  • 1992 - Fré [Frederik] Meis, Dutch Member of Parliament (CPN), dies at age 71.
  • 1993 - British premier major/Irish premier Reynolds signs Downing Street Declaration concerning Northern Ireland self-determination.
  • 1993 - C-130 flies into a Philippines hill and explodes, 16 killed.
  • 1993 - Uruguay Round of GATT talks reach successful conclusion after seven years.
  • 1993 - Haitian premier Robert Malval resigns.
  • 1993 - John Williams' final appearance as conductor of Boston Pops.
  • 1993 - Universal releases the film Schindler's List to theaters.
  • 1993 - Y-12 crashes at Phonesavanh, Laos: 18 killed.
  • 1994 - The web browser Netscape Navigator 1.0 is released.
  • 1994 - Diane Modahl banned from athletics for drug use, in the United Kingdom.
  • 1994 - Hans de Jong, musician/conductor (Amsterdams Vrouwenkoor), dies at age 86.
  • 1994 - Henry Phelps Brown, historian/economist, dies at age 88.
  • 1994 - John Bruton becomes Ireland's premier.
  • 1994 - Liberia militia kills 48 inhabitants of Monrovia.
  • 1994 - Mollie Doreen Phillips, British figure skater (Europe-bronze-1933), dies at age 87.
  • 1995 - James Geoffrey Cutcliffe Hepburn, tap-dancer/socialist, dies at age 88.
  • 1995 - Manuel Gutierrez Mellado, Prime Minister of Defense of Spain (1977-81), dies at age 83.
  • 1995 - Playboy magazine goes back on sale after 36 year ban in Ireland.
  • 1995 - The European Court of Justice rules that all EU football players have the right to a free transfer between European Union member states at the end of their contracts.
  • 1995 - Because of the "quadruple-witching" option expiration, volume on the New York Stock Exchange hits 638 million shares, the highest single-day volume since October 20, 1987.
  • 1996 - Dottie Pepper and Juli Inkster win LPGA Diner's Club Golf Matches.
  • 1996 - Gerald Moverley, priest, dies at age 74.
  • 1996 - Guiseppe Dossetti, politician/priest, dies at age 83.
  • 1996 - Jim Colbert and Bob Murphy win Diner's Club Senior PGA Golf Matches.
  • 1996 - Laurens jan van der Post, explorer/conservationist, dies at age 90.
  • 1996 - Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldoff win Diner's Club PGA Golf Matches.
  • 1997 - San Francisco 49ers retire Joe Montana's #16.
  • 1999 - Torrential rains cause catastrophic floods and mudslides in the coastal regions of Venezuela, killing an estimated 25,000 people and leaving 100,000 others homeless.
  • 2000 - A Norwegian freighter runs aground off the city of Haugesund, Norway, spilling some 116,000 litres of fuel oil, some of which immediately washes up on nearby coastlines. Some 81,000 litres are recovered by use of oil skimmers.
  • 2000 - Paramount releases the film What Women Want to theaters.
  • 2001 - Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and US$27 million to fortify the tower without eliminating its famous lean.
  • 2004 - Albanian terrorists take a bus and its passengers hostage in Athens, Greece and demand one million euros in ransom money.
  • 2005 - The first parliamentary elections take place under Iraq's new federal constitution.
  • 2006 - Death of Clay Regazzoni, Swiss race car driver (born 1939).
  • 2006 - Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter successfully flies for the first time.
  • 2006 - An alleged assassination attempt on the Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh sparks inter-Palestinian clashes.
  • 2006 - Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, abdicates in favour of his son Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck a year earlier than expected.
  • 2006 - The Japanese government passes a bill to upgrade the Japan Defense Agency to a Ministry.
  • 2007 - President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf lifts the State of Emergency in Pakistan.
  • 2007 - Death of Julia Carson, American politician (born 1938).
  • 2008 - Thai parliament asks Abhisit Vejjajiva to form a new coalition government.
  • 2008 - Transport links between China and Taiwan begin regular crossings.
  • 2008 - Siemens (European engineering firm) pleads guilty to charges of bribery and corruption, and agrees to pay fines of US$800 million in the USA and 395 million euros (US$540 million) in Germany, in addition to an earlier 201 million euros.
  • 2009 - US television evangelist Oral Roberts dies in Newport Beach, California at age 91 from complications from pneumonia.
  • 2011 - The United States formally declares an end to the Iraq War.
  • 2013 - Fighting between ethnic Dinka and Nuer members of the presidential guard breaks out in the capital city of South Sudan.
  • 2015 - The Islamic Military Alliance is formed in order to fight terrorism.
  • 2017 - Buena Vista releases the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi to theaters.
  • 2018 - At the Katowice Climate Change Conference, nearly 200 nations agree to rules on implementing the 2015 Paris agreement.
  • 2018 - Death of Girma Wolde-Giorgis, 2nd President of Ethiopia (born 1924).
  • 2020 - The International Criminal Court accuses the Philippines of crimes against humanity in its war on drugs.
  • 2020 - Death of Saufatu Sopoanga, 8th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (born 1952).
  • 2021 - Death of Fayez Tarawneh, 31st Prime Minister of Jordan (born 1949).

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Bookmark this URL:   http://kpolsson.com/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.

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com).
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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