This Day in History
April 5

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: April 5?

On April 5 in ...

  • 823 - Pope Peschalis I crowns Lotharius I, co-emperor of France.
  • 828 - Nicephorus, patriarch of Constantinopel (806-15), dies at about age 77.
  • 1058 - Bishop John "Minchio", [domkop] elected as Pope Benedictus X.
  • 1242 - Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod defeats Teutonic Knights.
  • 1242 - Battle on the More of Pskov Estonia.
  • 1258 - Julian of Cornillon/Liege Flemish visionary/saint, dies.
  • 1270 - Ramban Nachmanides Talmudic scholar (Hiddushei Ha-Ramden), dies.
  • 1518 - Four ships under command of Juan de Grijalva with 240 men sail from port of Matanzas, Cuba, to Cozumel island and Yucatan in search of gold.
  • 1531 - Richard Roose boiled to death for trying to poison an archbishop.
  • 1566 - 200 Brussel nobles offer Margaretha of Parma a petition.
  • 1585 - Clemens Crabbeels becomes bishop of Hertogenbosch.
  • 1588 - Birth of Thomas Hobbes England, philosopher (Leviathan).
  • 1595 - Birth of John Wilson composer.
  • 1598 - Birth of Laurentius Erhard composer.
  • 1603 - New English king James I departs Edinburgh for London.
  • 1614 - Second parliament of King James I begins session (no enactments).
  • 1614 - Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Indian confederacy, marries English tobacco planter John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia.
  • 1621 - The Mayflower and its crew leaves Plymouth to return to England.
  • 1626 - Birth of Jan van Kessel Flemish painter.
  • 1632 - The Swedish and Imperial armies exchange cannon fire for six hours, killing 2000 of the Swedish force, and 3000 of the Imperial force. Tilly is fatally wounded. Maximilian and the army escape during the night to Ingolstadt.
  • 1643 - Birth of Karl IV (Charles V) Leopold in Vienna, Austria; Duke of Lorraine, Austrian Field Marshal who successfully defended Vienna against the attacking Turks in 1683.
  • 1648 - Spanish troops/feudal barons strike down people's uprising in Naples.
  • 1649 - Birth of Elihu Yale England, philanthropist founded Yale.
  • 1649 - John Winthrop first Governor Massachusetts Bay Colony, dies at age 61.
  • 1673 - François Caron Admiral/Governor (Formosa), drowns at about age 72.
  • 1684 - William Brouncker second viscount/first president of Royal Society, dies.
  • 1693 - Anne M L of Orléans duchess (Grande Mademoiselle), dies at age 65.
  • 1695 - George Savile first marquis of Halifax, dies at age 61.
  • 1697 - Charles XI King of Sweden (1660-97), dies at age 41.
  • 1698 - Birth of Georg Gottfried Wagner composer.
  • 1712 - John Luyken poet/etcher (species company), dies at age 63.
  • 1722 - Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island.
  • 1723 - J Fischer von Erlach Austrian architect (Hofburg, Vienna), dies at age 66.
  • 1725 - Birth of Giacomo Casanova Italian writer/philanderer/adventurer (uncertain).
  • 1739 - French emperor Karel VI sign secret treaty.
  • 1751 - Adolf Frederik of Holstein-Gottorp crowns himself king of Sweden.
  • 1752 - Birth of Sébastien Erard piano/harp manufacturer.
  • 1753 - British Museum forms (opens in 1759).
  • 1762 - British take Grenada, West Indies, from French.
  • 1765 - Edward Young English poet (Love of Fame), dies at age 81.
  • 1768 - First US Chamber of Commerce forms (New York City, New York).
  • 1784 - Birth of Ludwig [Louis] Spohr; German violin virtuoso/composer (Faust).
  • 1788 - Birth of Franz Pforr; German painter/cartoonist (Lukasbund).
  • 1792 - US President George Washington casts first presidential veto.
  • 1794 - Georges-Jacques Danton, French revolutionary leader, executed by guillotine at age 34.
  • 1795 - Birth of Henry Havelock; British soldier (War in Afghanistan 1838-39).
  • 1806 - Isaac Quintard patents apple cider.
  • 1812 - British storm Badajoz fortress, held by French and Spanish.
  • 1814 - Netherlands Bank issues its first banknotes.
  • 1815 - Eruption of Tambora volcano (Sumbawa Java).
  • 1818 - Birth of Lewis Baldwin Parsons; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers).
  • 1820 - Henrik C Cras, lawyer (Laudatio Hugonis Grotii), dies at age 81.
  • 1822 - Birth of James Nagle; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers) (dies 1866).
  • 1824 - Birth of Sydney Thompson Dobell; poet (The Roman).
  • 1825 - Birth of David Rumph "Neighbor" Jones; Major General (Confederate Army).
  • 1827 - Birth of Joseph Lister in England; physician (founded aseptic surgery).
  • 1830 - Birth of Alexander Muir in Lesmahagow, Scotland; poet (The Maple Leaf Forever).
  • 1837 - Birth of Algernon Charles Swinburne in England; poet (Atalanta in Calydon).
  • 1839 - Birth of Robert Smalls in Beaufort, South Carolina, USA; congressman 1875-87 (Representative-South Carolina).
  • 1845 - Birth of Jules M Cambon; French Governor-General of Algeria/ambassador.
  • 1857 - Birth of Alexander-Jozef von Battenberg; ruler of Bulgaria (1879-86).
  • 1861 - Federal troops abandon Fort Quitman, Texas.
  • 1865 - Battle at Amelia Springs/Jetersville, Virginia (Appomattox Campaign).
  • 1868 - Birth of J F "Flooi" Du Toit; cricket player (one Test South Africa 1892).
  • 1869 - Birth of Albert Roussel Tourcoing in France; composer (Rapsodie Flamande).
  • 1869 - Birth of Karl Wagenfeld Low; German writer (Daud un Düwel).
  • 1869 - Daniel Bakeman, last surviving veteran of the American Revolutionary War, dies at age 109.
  • 1871 - Birth of Jeanne Bougeois [La Mistinguette]; artist (French revue).
  • 1879 - Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru.
  • 1881 - Transvaal regains independence under British suzerainty.
  • 1882 - Birth of Don Blackie; cricket player (Australian off-spinner in 1928-29, at age 46).
  • 1884 - John Wisden, publisher/cricket player (prominent Sussex player), dies.
  • 1886 - Birth of Jacques Handschin; Swiss musicologist (Der Toncharakter).
  • 1890 - Birth of Fie Carelsen; Dutch actress (Malle Gervallen).
  • 1893 - Birth of Clas Thunberg in Finland; speed skater (Olympics-gold-1924, 1928).
  • 1893 - Birth of Pál Szabó; Hungarian farmer/author (Talpalatnyi Föld).
  • 1894 - Eleven strikers killed in riot at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • 1900 - Birth of Spencer Tracy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; actor (Father's Little Dividend, Adam's Rib, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner).
  • 1900 - Comte de Villebois-Marevil, French/South African General, dies in battle.
  • 1901 - Birth of Chester Bowles in Massachusetts, USA; ambassador/writer (Conscience of a Liberal).
  • 1901 - Birth of Melvyn Douglas [Hesselberg] in Macon, Georgia, USA; actor (Hud, Ghost Story).
  • 1902 - Soccer match riot between Scotland and England kills 25.
  • 1905 - Birth of Bill Raisch; one armed actor (Fred Johnson - Fugitive).
  • 1906 - Saint Pius X encyclical On the Mariavites or Mystic Priests of Poland.
  • 1907 - Anton G van Hamel, founder (Roman philosphy in Netherlands), dies at age 65.
  • 1908 - Birth of Bette Davis in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Of Human Bondage, Jezebel).
  • 1908 - Birth of George Schick in Prague, Czechoslovakia; conductor (Chicago Symphony).
  • 1908 - Birth of Grady Sutton in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA; actor (Pruitts of South Hampton).
  • 1908 - Birth of Herbert von Karajan in Salzberg, Austria; conductor, music director of the Berlin Philharmonic (1955-) (dies 1989).
  • 1908 - Birth of Mary Hemingway; writer (Ernest Hemmingway Biography).
  • 1908 - British premier Henry Campbell-Bannerman resigns.
  • 1909 - Birth of Alberto Romero "Cubby" Broccoli in New York City, New York, USA; film producer (James Bond movies).
  • 1909 - Birth of Gerald Bond; cricket player (one Test South Africa versus England 1938, 0 and 0-16).
  • 1910 - Birth of Richard Irvine in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; art director for films, some Disney, headed Imagineering (WED) for creation of every Disneyland attraction, Walt Disney World, retired 1973, named Disney Legend 1990.
  • 1911 - Birth of Gordon Jones in Alden, Iowa, USA; actor (Mike the Cop - Abbott and Costello).
  • 1911 - Waldorf W Aster acquires the Daily Observer.
  • 1912 - Birth of John Le Mesurier in Bedford, England; actor (Jabberwocky, Dad's Army).
  • 1915 - French begin Woëvre offensive.
  • 1915 - First British newspaper comic strip: "Adventures of Teddy Tail - Diary of the Mouse in Your House", by Charles Folkard in Daily Mail. The strip runs for over 40 years.
  • 1915 - Jess Willard defeats Jack Johnson in 26 for heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1916 - Birth of Eldred Gregory Peck to Gregory Peck and Bernice Ayers in La Jolla, California, USA; actor (Days of Glory film (1944), The Guns of Navarone film (1961), The Omen film (1976)), President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Founding Chairman of the American Film Institute, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1969).
  • 1916 - French troops occupy Bois de Caillette.
  • 1917 - Birth of Richard Yardumian in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; composer ("Come Creator Spirit").
  • 1917 - Birth of Robert Albert Bloch; US sci-fi author (Hugo, Psycho).
  • 1919 - Eamon de Valera becomes president of Dail Eireann.
  • 1919 - Heavyweight Jess Willard knocks out Jack Johnson in Havana, Cuba.
  • 1919 - Polish Army executes 35 young Jews.
  • 1920 - Birth of Arthur Hailey in Luton, England; novelist (Hotel, Airport).
  • 1920 - Birth of Barend Biesheuvel; Dutch premier (1971-73).
  • 1921 - Alphonsus J M Diepenbrock, Dutch composer (Missa), dies at age 58.
  • 1921 - Birth of Lady Fisher; founder (British Women Caring Trust).
  • 1921 - Birth of Les Jackson; cricket bowler (England twice, 1949 and 1961).
  • 1921 - Birth of Robert Q Lewis in New York City, New York, USA; TV host (Masquerade Party, Robert Q Lewis Show).
  • 1922 - Birth of Christopher Hewett Worthing in Sussex, England; actor (Mr Belvedere, The Producers).
  • 1922 - Birth of Gale Storm in Bloomington, Texas, USA; actress (My Little Margie, The Gale Storm Show).
  • 1922 - Charles F A Woeste, Belgian count/minister of Justice, dies at age 85.
  • 1923 - Birth of Michael V Gazzo in Hillside, New Jersey, USA; actor (Cookie, Fear City).
  • 1923 - Birth of Nguyen Van Thieu; president of South Vietnam (1965-75).
  • 1923 - Birth of Stanley Orme; chairman (British Labour Party).
  • 1923 - Firestone Company puts their inflatable tires into production.
  • 1923 - George Edward Stanhope Molyneúx Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon/egyptologist, dies at age 56.
  • 1924 - Death of Victor Barnauskaus AKA Victor David Brenner in New York Hospital, USA; engraver (Lincoln cent coin 1909-), convicted counterfeiter (1889, seal of Lithuanian government official), sculptor (A Song to Nature fountain in Pittsburgh).
  • 1925 - Belgian Workers Party wins parliamentary election.
  • 1925 - New York Yankees whip Brooklyn Dodgers in exhibition 16-9 but Babe Ruth collapses in North Carolina due to an ulcer.
  • 1926 - Birth of Milton O Thompson; astronaut (Dynasoar, X-15).
  • 1926 - Birth of Roger Corman in Detroit, Michigan, USA; producer/director (Little Shop of Horrors).
  • 1927 - Johnny Weissmuller set records in the 100- and 200-metre freestyle.
  • 1928 - Birth of Michael Bryant in London, England; actor (Sakharov, Girly).
  • 1928 - Birth of Peter Moore; Principal (London Business School).
  • 1928 - Birth of Tony Williams in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA; singer (The Platters - "Only You", "Harbor Lights").
  • 1928 - Roy Kilner, cricket player (9 Tests for England 1924-26), dies at age 38.
  • 1929 - Birth of Hugo Claus; Flemish writer/director (Cool Lover, Sugar).
  • 1929 - Birth of Nigel Hawthorne; actor (Tartuffe, Pope John Paul II).
  • 1929 - Lithuania signs Litvinov-pact.
  • 1930 - England out for 849 in cricket versus West Indies Kingston, Andrew Sandham out for 325.
  • 1931 - Birth of Denis Lawton; director (London University Institute of Education).
  • 1932 - Dutch textile strike broken by trade unions.
  • 1933 - US President Franklin Roosevelt issues Executive Order 6102, requiring public to turn in gold certificates, bullion, and coins for placement in the Federal Reserve.
  • 1934 - Birth of Frank Gorshin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; impressionist/actor (Riddler - Batman).
  • 1934 - Birth of Stanley Turrentine; jazz saxophonist (Wonderland).
  • 1934 - Birth of Tina Maria Stone; runner (one year distance record of 15,472 miles).
  • 1935 - Croatian Farmers Party wins Yugoslavian election.
  • 1936 - Birth of John Albert; professor (Master of University College Oxford).
  • 1936 - Birth of Michael Livesay; British Admiral/president (Royal Navy College Greenwich).
  • 1936 - Tupelo, Mississippi, USA virtually annihilated by a tornado, 216 die.
  • 1937 - Birth of Colin Powell in The Bronx, New York, USA; General/advisor to President George Bush (National Security Affairs)/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93)/Secretary of State (2001-).
  • 1937 - Birth of Stuart May; senior partner (Theodore Goddard).
  • 1938 - Anti-Jewish riots break out in Dabrowa, Poland.
  • 1938 - Birth of Colin Bland; cricket player (South African bat Maybe the best cover field).
  • 1939 - Birth of Andrew Buxton; CEO (Barclays Bank).
  • 1939 - Birth of David Winters in London, England; choreographer (Steve Allen Comedy Hour).
  • 1939 - Birth of Lonnie White; vocalist (Smokey Robinson and Miracles - "Shop Around").
  • 1939 - Membership in Hitler Youth becomes obligatory in Germany.
  • 1939 - William Cooper, cricket player (two Tests for Australia 1882-84), dies.
  • 1940 - Birth of Aliza Kashi in Israel; actress/singer (Merv Griffin regular).
  • 1941 - Birth of Dave Swarbrick; rocker (Fairport Convention).
  • 1941 - Birth of David LaFlamme in New Britain, Connecticut, USA; electric violinist ("It's a Beautiful Day").
  • 1941 - Birth of Michael Moriarty in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actor (Ben Stone - Law and Order, Bang the Drum Slowly, Q, Stuff).
  • 1941 - Birth of Roman Balayan Nerke in Azerbaijan; director (Filer, Biryuk).
  • 1942 - Birth of Allan Clarke in Salford, Lancashire, England; rock vocalist (The Hollies - "The Air That I Breathe").
  • 1942 - Birth of Arthur Barrett; cricket player (West Indies leggie early 1970s).
  • 1942 - The Japanese Combined Fleet of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo attacks Colombo, Ceylon, with 91 bomber and 36 fighter aircraft. They sink armed merchant cruiser Hector and destroyer Tenedoes in the harbor. They damage the submarine depot vessel Lucia and merchant ship Benledi. Nineteen Hawker Hurricanes, six Fairey Swordfish, one Fairey Albacore, and one Consolidated Catalina are destroyed. The Japanese force loses six Aichi D3A1 dive bombers, and one Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero fighter. Fifteen other aircraft are damaged.
  • 1942 - (1340 hours) Near Ceylon, 53 D3A1 planes from Japanese carriers Akagi, Soryu, and Hiryu attack British heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire, sinking both in fifteen minutes.
  • 1943 - Birth of Jonathan Lynn in Bath, England; actor (Danny - Doctor in the House).
  • 1943 - Birth of Max Gail in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actor (Barney Miller, Whiz Kids, DC Cab, Normal People).
  • 1943 - Poon Lim found after being adrift 133 days.
  • 1944 - 140 Lancasters bomb airplane manufacturer in Toulouse.
  • 1944 - Birth of Ann [Elizabeth] Maxwell; American sci-fi author (Jaws of Menx).
  • 1944 - Birth of Dave Holland; heavy metal rocker (Judas Priest - "Breakin' the Law").
  • 1944 - Birth of James Buckley; CEO (Baltic Exchange).
  • 1944 - Birth of Nicholas Caldwell; rocker (Whispers).
  • 1944 - Birth of Peter T King; American politician (Representative-Republican-New York).
  • 1944 - Birth of Willeke van Ammelrooy in Amsterdam, Netherlands; actress (Cidke de Rat, Antonia).
  • 1944 - Isolde Kurz, German writer/poetess (Meine Mutter), dies at age 90.
  • 1944 - Willy Derby [Dieben], singer ("Hello Bandoeng"), dies.
  • 1945 - Almelo Netherlands freed.
  • 1945 - Kuniaki Koiso resigns as Prime Minister of Japan; replaced by Kantaro Suzuki.
  • 1946 - Birth of Jane Asher; actress (Deep End).
  • 1946 - Birth of Robert E McKee; CEO/managing director (Conoco-United Kingdom).
  • 1946 - Vincent Millie Youmans, American composer (Tea For Two), dies from tuberculosis at age 47.
  • 1949 - 60-year-old Saint Anthony's Hospital burns, kills 77 (Effingham, Illinois, USA).
  • 1949 - Birth of Dr Judith Arlene Resnik in Akron, Ohio, USA; astronaut (STS 41D, 51L-Challenger disaster).
  • 1950 - Birth of Agnetha Fältskog in Jonkoping, Sweden; rocker (ABBA - "Waterloo").
  • 1950 - Birth of Franklin R Chang-Diaz in Costa Rica; PhD/astronaut (STS 61C, 34,46,60,75).
  • 1950 - Birth of Mildred Douglas; Suriname/Dutch singer (Mai Tai).
  • 1950 - Prague, Czechoslovakia, espionage trial against bishops and priests begins.
  • 1951 - Birth of Everett Morton; rocker (English Beat).
  • 1951 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg sentenced to death for espionage in the USA.
  • 1952 - Henri Vandeputte, Belgian writer (L'Autre Vie), dies at age 75.
  • 1952 - Henry Wittenberg wins his 8th Amateur Athletic Union wrestling title.
  • 1953 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Golf Open.
  • 1953 - Birth of John Buchanan; cricket player (Queensland batsman 1978-79, Shield coach 1995).
  • 1954 - Birth of Christopher S Nelson in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; actor (Sons and Daughters).
  • 1954 - Birth of Stan Ridgeway; rocker (Mosquito - "Garage Sale").
  • 1955 - Birth of Janice Long; British radio host (Crash FM).
  • 1955 - Winston Churchill resigns as British Prime Minister; Anthony Eden succeeds him.
  • 1957 - Birth of Vince Gill in Norman, Oklahoma, USA; country singer ("When I Call Your Name").
  • 1958 - Birth of Cammie Lusko in Los Angeles, California, USA; Guinness' World's Strongest Woman.
  • 1958 - Birth of Johan Kriek in South Africa; tennis player (US Indoor 1982).
  • 1958 - Jozef Brems, Flemish apostole vicar of Denmark, dies at age 87.
  • 1959 - 23rd Golf Masters Championship: Art Wall Junior wins, shooting a 284.
  • 1960 - Alma Kruger, actor (Made For Each Other), dies at age 88.
  • 1961 - Dutch Governor Platteel installs New Guinea Council.
  • 1962 - Manager J Daems appointed bishop of Antwerp, Belgium.
  • 1962 - Saint Bernard Tunnel finished-Swiss/Italian workers shake hands.
  • 1963 - The Beatles receive their first silver disc ("Please Please Me").
  • 1963 - Jacobus JP Old, architect/co-founder (The Style), dies at age 73.
  • 1963 - Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II becomes chief of Western Samoa.
  • 1964 - First driverless trains run on the London Underground.
  • 1964 - Birth of Martha Faulconer in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; golfer (1993 ShopRite LPGA-5th).
  • 1964 - Birth of Robert "Bob" Kaehler in Burlingame, California, USA; rower (Olympics-5th-1992, 1996).
  • 1964 - Douglas MacArthur, US General (Pacific theater-WWII), dies at age 84.
  • 1964 - Mary Lena Faulk wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Women's Golf Open.
  • 1965 - 37th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards:
    • Best picture: My Fair Lady;
    • Best actor: Rex Harrison;
    • Best actress: Julie Andrews for her role in the film Mary Poppins;
    • Best song: "Chim Chim Cher-ee" by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman in the film Mary Poppins.

  • 1965 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1966 - Birth of Brent Hughes in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada; NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres).
  • 1966 - Birth of Larry Norman in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; canoeist (Olympics-1992, 1996).
  • 1966 - Birth of Scott Dill; NFL tackle/guard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings).
  • 1967 - ATS II launched but fails to reach orbit.
  • 1967 - Philadelphia '76ers player Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record of 41 rebounds.
  • 1968 - Birth of Tasia Valenza in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Dottie Thornton Martin - All My Children).
  • 1969 - Gabriel M-E-R Chevallier, French author (La Peur), dies at age 73.
  • 1969 - Rómulo Gallegos, Venezuela author/President (1947-48), dies at age 84.
  • 1970 - Birth of Erlan Sagymbayev; hockey forward (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998).
  • 1970 - Birth of Tim Jacobs; NFL running back (Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins).
  • 1971 - Birth of Bob Kuberski; NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31).
  • 1971 - Birth of Finidi George; soccer player (Ajax).
  • 1971 - Birth of Stuart Peele; Australian rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1971 - Mount Etna erupts in Sicily, Italy.
  • 1972 - Baseball season is delayed due to a strike.
  • 1972 - Birth of Shigemasa Ito; WLAF offensive linebacker (Rhein Fire).
  • 1972 - Death of Brian Donlevy at age 71 from throat cancer; actor (Steve - Dangerous Assignment).
  • 1972 - New York Mets trade Ken Singleton to Montreal Expos for Rusty Staub.
  • 1973 - Birth of Ed Hobbs; WLAF running back (London Monarchs).
  • 1973 - Birth of Emile Palmer; WLAF defensive tackle (London Monarchs).
  • 1973 - Birth of Estefania Knuth in Barcelona, Spain; LPGA golfer (1992 French International).
  • 1973 - Birth of Spencer Folau; NFL/WLAF offensive tackle (Baltimore Ravens, Rhein Fire).
  • 1973 - Birth of Tony Banks; quarterback (Saint Louis Rams).
  • 1973 - Birth of Yutaka Kawaguchi; hockey defenseman (Team Japan 1998).
  • 1973 - NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie quarterbacks, 1-19).
  • 1974 - Birth of Mike DuHaney in New Haven, Connecticut, USA; soccer defender (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1974 - Birth of Rick Terry; NFL defensive tackle (New York Jets).
  • 1974 - Last day of Test cricket for Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai.
  • 1974 - World's tallest building, the World Trade Center opens in New York City (110 stories).
  • 1974 - William Hudson, actor (I Led Three Lives), dies at age 49.
  • 1975 - Birth of Nikki Dryden in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 800 metre swimmer (Olympics-6th-1992, 1996).
  • 1975 - Chiang Kai-shek, Nationalist Chinese leader, dies from a heart attack at age 87.
  • 1975 - Soyuz 18A launch aborted short of orbit; cosmonauts return safely.
  • 1975 - Victor Marijnen, Dutch premier (1963-65), dies at age 58.
  • 1976 - Birth of Ike Hilliard; NFL wide receiver (New York Giants).
  • 1976 - Birth of Ryan Drese in San Francisco, California; baseball pitcher (Olympics-bronze-1996).
  • 1976 - Harold Wilson resigns, as James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister of England.
  • 1976 - Howard Hughes, reclusive billionaire, dies at age 72.
  • 1977 - Birth of JoAnn Sevin in Dubois, Pennsylvania; air pistol (Olympics-1996).
  • 1977 - Birth of Sevilay Ozturk; Miss Turkey-Universe (1996).
  • 1977 - John Marriott dies at age 83.
  • 1977 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1979 - Baltimore Orioles' manager Earl Weaver wins his 1,000th game as a skipper.
  • 1979 - Ex-premier Pol Jar flees out of Cambodia.
  • 1979 - Pioneer 11 launched towards Jupiter.
  • 1980 - In New York City, USA, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries sells at auction a British Guiana 1856 1-cent stamp, error on magenta paper, used, for 437,000 British pounds (US$935,000), to John E. du Pont, a world record for a single postage stamp.
  • 1980 - CBS TV airs the final episode of Hawaii Five-O.
  • 1981 - 10th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Nancy Lopez.
  • 1981 - Philadelphia Flyers amass a record 2,621 penalty minutes.
  • 1981 - Death of Bob Hite at age 36 of a heart attack; rock musician (Canned Heat - "On the Road Again", "Going Up the Country", "Let's Work Together").
  • 1982 - Abe Fortas, US Supreme court justice, dies at age 71 (born 1910).
  • 1982 - Lord Carrington, British foreign secretary, resigns due to Falkland Islands war.
  • 1982 - Saint Louis Cardinals' Jim Kaat pitches in record 24th consecutive season.
  • 1982 - The British Royal Navy task force sails to recapture the Falkland Islands.
  • 1982 - Birth of Matt Pickens; American soccer player.
  • 1983 - France throws out 47 Soviet diplomats.
  • 1983 - New York Mets' Tom Seaver's sets record 14th National League Opening Day assignment.
  • 1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain's all-time career scoring record of 31,419 points (31,421).
  • 1984 - Theo Koomen, Dutch sportscaster, dies in auto-accident at age 54.
  • 1984 - Arthur Travors "Bomber" Harris, marshal of British Royal Air Force, dies (born 1892).
  • 1985 - Tyrell Johnson, cricket player (West Indies left-arm quickie, one Test 1939), dies.
  • 1986 - Two US soldiers and a Turkish woman killed, 230 injured, in West Berlin discotheque bombing.
  • 1986 - Colin McCool, cricket player (14 Tests for Australia, 36 wickets), dies.
  • 1986 - Manly Wade Wellman, science-fiction author (Devil's Planet), dies at age 82.
  • 1986 - Record for a throw-and-return boomerang toss is set (121 metres).
  • 1986 - In Peru, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurs. At least 16 people killed, 170 injured and 2,000 houses destroyed in the Cuzco area.
  • 1987 - 16th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Betsy King.
  • 1987 - Fox TV network premieres showing Married With Children and Tracey Ullman.
  • 1987 - Wayne Gretzky wins 7th straight NHL scoring title.
  • 1988 - Birth of Asumi Nakata, Japanese voice actress (seiyu).
  • 1988 - Alf Kjellin, Swedish actor/director (Juggler), dies.
  • 1989 - Late Night with David Letterman becomes first network TV series to use Dolby stereo.
  • 1989 - Orel Hershiser ends his 59 consecutive scoreless pitched inning streak.
  • 1989 - Solidarity granted legal status in Poland.
  • 1990 - John Stockton reaches 1000-assist mark for NBA record three years in a row.
  • 1990 - New York Rangers beat New York Islanders 2-1 in first game of preliminaries.
  • 1990 - Nico Scheepmaker, Dutch columnist/poet, dies at age 59.
  • 1991 - Joe Dumaars (Detroit Pistons) ends NBA free throw streak of 62 games.
  • 1991 - Former Texas Republican Senator John Tower (age 65) and 22 others are killed in an airplane crash in Brunswick, Georgia, United States. Tower was chairman of the Senate Armed Sevices Committee, and the Republican Policy Committee.
  • 1991 - The NBC TV network begins airing the series The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage.
  • 1991 - Manley Lanier "Sonny" Carter Junior, US Navy/astronaut (STS 33), dies at age 43.
  • 1991 - Southeast Airlines Embracer 120 crashes in Georgia, killing 23.
  • 1991 - Space Shuttle STS 37 (Atlantis 8) launched.
  • 1991 - US begins air drops to Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq.
  • 1992 - 11th NCAA Women's Basketball Champion: Stanford beats Western Kentucky 78-62.
  • 1992 - 4th Seniors Golf Tradition: Lee Trevino.
  • 1992 - Anthony "Tony" Papa, big band leader, dies at age 65.
  • 1992 - Dana Lofland wins Las Vegas LPGA Golf International.
  • 1992 - Game two of Mayor Challenge - New York Yankees sweep New York Mets 6-5 at Shea Stadium.
  • 1992 - Peru's President Alberto Fujimori suspends constitution and dissolves Congress.
  • 1992 - Samuel H Reshevsky, Polish/US chess grandmaster, dies at age 80.
  • 1992 - Thailand General Suchinda Kraprayoon is installed as president.
  • 1992 - Wrestlemania VIII, 62,167 at Hoosier Dome; Randy "Macho Man" Savage beats Ric Flair for title, Hulk Hogan disqualifies Sid Justice.
  • 1992 - Death of Suada Dilberovic, Bosnian medical student (born 1968); first casualty of the Siege of Sarajevo.
  • 1993 - 55th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Michigan 77-71.
  • 1993 - Colorado Rockies first baseball game - lose to New York Mets 3-0.
  • 1993 - Construction begins on Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  • 1993 - Crowd of 73,293 watches New York Yankees beat Cleveland Indians 9-1.
  • 1993 - At Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, the Florida Marlins play their major league first game ever, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-3.
  • 1993 - Republican Guard kills 64 in Chad.
  • 1994 - Marlon Riggs, US writer/director/producer (Ethnic notions), dies at age 37.
  • 1994 - Miami Heat beat New York Knicks ending 15 game NBA winning streak.
  • 1995 - The U.S. House of Representatives votes 246-188 to cut taxes for individuals and corporations.
  • 1995 - Christian Pineau, French politician, dies.
  • 1997 - Death of Allen Ginsberg, American poet, at age 80 (born 1926).
  • 1997 - Alparslan Turkes, Turkish politician (MHP), dies.
  • 1997 - CBS airs the 100th episode of Walker, Texas Ranger TV show.
  • 1998 - In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshu and costing about US$3.8 billion, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.
  • 1999 - Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 are handed over to Scottish authorities for eventual trial in the Netherlands. The United Nations suspends sanctions against Libya.
  • 2000 - Yoshiro Mori replaces Keizo Obuchi as prime minister of Japan.
  • 2002 - Death of Layne Staley; American singer (Alice in Chains) (born 1967).
  • 2004 - Queen Elizabeth II begins a state visit to France to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.
  • 2005 - Death of Debralee Scott at age 52 after falling into a coma; actress (Angie, Welcome Home Kotter, Sons and Daughters, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman).
  • 2006 - Death of Gene Pitney at age 65 from heart disease while touring Britain; rock singer ("Town without Pity", "The Man who Shot Liberty Vallance", "24 Hours from Tulsa").
  • 2006 - A swan with avian flu is discovered in Cellardyke in Fife, Scotland (the first case in the United Kingdom).
  • 2007 - The Greek Louis Hellenic Cruises' cruise ship M/S Sea Diamond strikes a reef off the harbor of Santorini, tearing a hole in the hull.
  • 2007 - Death of Thomas Stoltz Harvey, Pathologist who conducted Albert Einstein's autopsy (born 1912).
  • 2007 - Death of Leela Majumdar, Bengali children's author (born 1908).
  • 2007 - Death of Darryl Stingley, American football player (born 1951).
  • 2007 - Death of Poornachandra Tejaswi, Indian writer and novelist (born 1938).
  • 2008 - Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter), American actor (Moses - The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes) and activist (1960s Civil Rights, National Rifle Association) dies at age 84 in Beverly Hills, California. Heston won Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Ben Hur. Heston also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and was chairman of the American Film Institute.
  • 2008 - In Miami, Florida, American Serena Williams defeats Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 to win the Sony Ericsson Open for the fifth time.
  • 2009 - In Pakistan, a suicide bomber detonates a device at the entrance to a Shia mosque south of Islamabad, killing at least 20 people.
  • 2009 - North Korea launches a Kwangmyongsong-2 rocket over Japan, prompting an emergency meeting of - but no official reaction from - the United Nations Security Council.
  • 2009 - In Portugal, round 4 of the FIA World Rally Championship is won by Sébastien Loeb.
  • 2009 - In Las Vegas, Nevada, the 44th Academy of Country Music awards are presented:
    • Entertainer of the year: Carrie Underwood
    • Top female vocalist: Carrie Underwood
    • Album of the year: "Fearless" by Taylor Swift
    • Special "crystal milestone" trophy: Taylor Swift, as the top-selling country artist for 2008
    • Top new female vocalist: Julianne Hough
    • Top male vocalist: Brad Paisley
    • Single of the year: "You're Going to Miss This" by Trace Atkins
    • Top vocal group: Rascal Flatts
    • Top vocal duo: Sugarland.

  • 2009 - In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, round 2 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship is won by Jenson Button.
  • 2010 - Duke defeats Butler 61-59 in the NCAA basketball tournament to win the national championship.
  • 2010 - An explosion in the Upper Big Branch Mine-South coal mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, USA kills 29 workers.
  • 2011 - In Switzerland, Numismatica Arts Classica sells at auction a Rome circa 308 C.E. 8-aureus gold medallion, graded Good Extremely Fine, finest of two known, for 1.3 million Swiss franc (US$1,407,550), a price record for a Roman gold coin.
  • 2011 - Death of Ange-Félix Patassé, 5th President of the Central African Republic (born 1937).
  • 2012 - Death of Bingu wa Mutharika, 3rd President of Malawi (born 1934).
  • 2016 - Iceland's Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson steps down as Prime Minister, following revelation that he did not reveal wealth in secret assets in Icelandic bank stocks.
  • 2017 - Death of Arthur Bisguier, American chess Grandmaster (born 1929).
  • 2018 - Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is given an arrest warrant after a vote by the Supreme Court voted 6-5 in favor of denying his habeas corpus, due to corruption and other scandals.
  • 2020 - The first case of COVID-19 in a zoo animal is reported: a four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.
  • 2020 - Death of Mahmoud Jibril, former Prime Minister of Libya (born 1952).
  • 2022 - Complete Shanghai lockdown indefinitely in the People's Republic of China.
  • 2022 - Death of Bobby Rydell of pneumonia at age 79 in Abington, Pennsylvania, USA; singer ("Wild One", "Volare"), actor (Bye Bye Birdie movie).

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