This Day in History
May 11

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: May 11?

On May 11 in ...

  • 1189 - Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg.
  • 1330 - Constantinople (Istanbul) becomes new capital by Roman Emperor Constantine for Eastern Roman Empire.
  • 1421 - Jews are expelled from Styria Austria.
  • 1535 - Queen Juana of Spain signs a decree establishing a mint in New Spain.
  • 1548 - Great fire in Brielle.
  • 1568 - Birth of Christian I ruler of Anhalt-Bernburg (Battle of White Mountain).
  • 1610 - Matteo Ricci Italian missionary (China), dies.
  • 1625 - Boers besiege Frankenburg estate in Upper-Austria.
  • 1654 - Birth of Cornelis van Alkemade Dutch historian.
  • 1674 - Netherlands and Cologne sign peace treaty.
  • 1678 - French Admiral Jean d'Estrées' fleet runs aground on Aves-islands, Curaçao.
  • 1686 - Death of Otto von Guericke in Hamburg; invented an air pump (1650), first to learn that light travels through a vacuum, but sound does not, first to demonstrate that a vacuum can exist, demonstrated the effects of air pressure, built the world's first electric generator (1663).
  • 1689 - Battle of Bantry Bay, French and English naval battle.
  • 1690 - English troops of William Phips conquer Port Royal, Acadia (Nova Scotia).
  • 1720 - Birth of Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen (Baron Münchhausen) in Bodenwerder; soldier in the Russian army fighting against the Turks, storyteller.
  • 1722 - Birth of Peter Camper Leyden Holland, anatomist/professor (Amsterdam).
  • 1742 - Francesco Stradivari Italian violin maker/son of Antonius, dies at age 70.
  • 1745 - Battle of Fontenoy (Doornik): Austrian Succession war.
  • 1749 - British parliament accept Consolidation Act: fleet reorganization.
  • 1751 - First US hospital founded (Pennsylvania Hospital).
  • 1752 - First US fire insurance policy issued (Philadelphia).
  • 1772 - Amsterdam theater destroyed by fire, 18 killed.
  • 1772 - Joseph Kerckhoff Limburg surgeon/robber captain, hanged.
  • 1778 - Death of William Pitt the Elder, first Earl of Chatham, at age 69; British statesman, Prime Minister (1756-61, 1766-68).
  • 1779 - Death of John Hart in Hopewell, New Jersey; New Jersey delegate to Second Continental Congress, voted for independence.
  • 1784 - England and Tippu Sahib van Mysore sign peace treaty.
  • 1792 - Columbia River discovered and named by US Captain Robert Gray.
  • 1807 - Birth of Ira Aldridge; great 19th century Shakespearian actor (Othello).
  • 1812 - The Waltz dance is introduced into English ballrooms - most observers consider it disgusting and immoral.
  • 1814 - Americans defeat British at Battle of Plattsburgh.
  • 1816 - American Bible Society forms (New York).
  • 1821 - Birth of [Carlos] Charles John Stolbrand; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers).
  • 1830 - Birth of John Converse Starkweather; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers).
  • 1833 - Lady-of-the-Lake ship strikes iceberg and sinks in North Atlantic; 215 people die.
  • 1847 - Birth of Godefroid Kurth; Belgian historian (La cité de Liège au moyen âge).
  • 1852 - Birth of Charles Warren Fairbanks; 26th US Vice President (Republican 1905-09).
  • 1854 - Birth of John Blackham; cricket player (Australia's first wicketkeeper).
  • 1854 - Birth of Ottmar Mergenthaler in Hachtel, Germany; inventor (linotype).
  • 1857 - Delhi falls in Indian Mutiny.
  • 1858 - Minnesota admitted as 32nd US state.
  • 1861 - The New York Stock Exchange prohibits trading of Confederate States of America securities.
  • 1862 - Confederates scuttle CSS Virginia off Norfolk, Virginia, CSA.
  • 1863 - (to June 11) The Paris Postal Conference is held in France, with representatives of 17 countries or cit ystates, to resolve difficulties of foreign mail handling.
  • 1867 - Treaty of London drawn, concerning Luxembourg.
  • 1875 - George "Charmer" Zettlein pitches the first 9-inning shutout.
  • 1881 - Birth of Jan van Gilse; composer/resistance fighter (Frau Helga von Staveren).
  • 1881 - Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Swiss/French writer (Journal Intime), dies at age 59.
  • 1887 - 13th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Lewis aboard Montrose wins in 2:39.25.
  • 1888 - 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49.
  • 1888 - Birth of Irving Berlin AKA Israel Isidor Baline in Temum, Siberia, Russia; songwriter ("There's No Business Like Show Business", "God Bless America", "White Christmas", Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1968)).
  • 1888 - Birth of P A J Losecaat Vermeer; leader of Dutch High Council.
  • 1891 - Birth of Henry Morgenthau Junior; US Secretary of the Treasury (1934-45).
  • 1892 - 18th Kentucky Derby: Lonnie Clayton aboard Azra wins in 2:41.5.
  • 1892 - Birth of Margaret Rutherford Balham in London, England; actress (Murder Most Foul, Murder She Said, Arabella).
  • 1894 - Birth of Anton A Mussert; Dutch Nazi leader (NSB).
  • 1894 - Birth of Florimond Cornellie in Belgium; yachting (Olympics-gold-1920).
  • 1894 - Birth of Martha Graham in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA; choreographer (Appalachian Spring).
  • 1895 - Birth of Jiddu Krishnamurti in India; spiritual philosopher (Songs of Life).
  • 1895 - Birth of William Grant Still in Woodville, Mississippi, USA; composer (Africao-American).
  • 1896 - Birth of Mari Sandoz in Nebraska, USA; author (Cheyenne Autumn).
  • 1897 - Birth of Izak W van der Merwe [Boerneef]; South African writer (Tweetalige Woordeboek).
  • 1900 - James J Jeffries knocks out James J Corbett in 23 for heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1902 - Birth of Bidú Sayao in Niteroi, Brazil; soprano (Mimia - La Bohéme).
  • 1902 - Birth of Kaarlo Sarkia; Finnish poet (Unen Kaivo).
  • 1903 - Birth of Charlie Gehringer; Detroit Tigers' second baseman (1924-42).
  • 1904 - Birth of Salvador Dali in Figueras, Spain; surrealist artist (Crucifixion).
  • 1907 - Birth of Kent Taylor [Louis Weiss] in Nashua, Iowa, USA; actor (Boston Blackie, Rough Riders).
  • 1910 - US President William Taft signs a bill into law establishing Glacier National Park, as the nation's 10th national park.
  • 1911 - Birth of Phil Silvers AKA Philip Silversmith in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (Sargeant Bilko - You'll Never Get Rich: The Phil Silvers Show, The Beverly Hillbillies).
  • 1911 - Birth of Doodles Weaver in Los Angeles, California, USA; comedian (Spike Jones and City Slickers, Doodles Weaver).
  • 1912 - 38th Kentucky Derby: Carol H Shilling aboard Worth wins in 2:09.4.
  • 1912 - Birth of Foster Brooks in Louisville, Kentucky, USA; comedian/actor (Miles - Mork and Mindy).
  • 1912 - Alaska is organized as a US territory.
  • 1913 - Birth of Tutti Camarata in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA; trumpet player (Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman), musical arranger (Glen Gray, Casa Loma Orchestra, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington), musical director (Startime TV show, The Vic Damone Show, The Alcoa Hour).
  • 1916 - Birth of Camilo José Manuel Juan Ramón Francisco de Jerónimo Cela y Trulock AKA Camilo José Cela in Padrón, Galicia, Spain; author (La Colmena - 1951, Nobel Prize in Literature 1989).
  • 1916 - Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity is presented.
  • 1916 - Karl Schwarzschild, German astronomer (s-effect), dies.
  • 1916 - Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger AKA Max Reger, German composer/pianist/organist (Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart), dies at age 43.
  • 1917 - Britain grants Royal Letters Patent to New Zealand.
  • 1918 - 44th Kentucky Derby: William Knapp on Exterminator wins in 2:10.8.
  • 1918 - Birth of Richard P Feynman; physicist (Feynman-diagrams, Nobel Prize 1965).
  • 1918 - Birth of Robert Hunt; CEO (Dowty Group).
  • 1919 - Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Hod Eller no-hits Saint Louis Cardinals, 6-0.
  • 1919 - New York Yankees' Jack Quinn and Washington Senators' Walter Johnson, play to 12 inning 0-0 tie.
  • 1920 - Birth of Denver Pyle in Bethune, Colorado, USA; actor (Uncle Jesse - The Dukes of Hazzard TV show, Code 3, Tammy, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, The Doris Day Show, Andy Griffith Show).
  • 1920 - William D Howells, US author (A Woman's Reason), dies at age 83.
  • 1921 - Birth of Ian Percival; Queen's Council/Member of Parliament.
  • 1921 - Tel Aviv is first all-Jewish municipality.
  • 1923 - Ten homeruns hit in Philadelphia Phillies 20-14 victory over Saint Louis Cardinals.
  • 1923 - Birth of Joan Moriarty; Brigadier matron-in-chief/director (Army Nursing Services).
  • 1923 - Birth of Lord Vincent Gordon "Gordy" Lindsay White; English industrialist/multi-millionaire.
  • 1924 - Birth of Jackie Milburn; English soccer star (Newcastle United).
  • 1924 - Cartel des Gauches wins French parliamentary election.
  • 1924 - Pulitzer Prize awarded to Robert Frost (New Hampshire).
  • 1925 - Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Region constituted in RSFSR.
  • 1926 - Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen, Norway, for first air crossing of Arctic Ocean.
  • 1926 - Birth of Ernest Harrison; CEO (Racal Electronics).
  • 1926 - Birth of Frank Thring in Melbourne, Australia; actor (El Cid, Ben-Hur).
  • 1927 - Birth of Mort Sahl in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; comedian/political satirist/beatnik (Big Party).
  • 1927 - Birth of Zilpha Keatly Snyder; American sci-fi author (Headless Cupid).
  • 1927 - General Henry Martyn Robert (Robert's Rules of Order), dies at age 90.
  • 1927 - Louis B Mayer forms Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  • 1928 - 56th Preakness: Raymond Sonny Workman aboard Victorian wins in 2:00.2.
  • 1928 - 63rd British Golf Open: Walter Hagen shoots a 292 at Royal Saint George's.
  • 1928 - General Electric opens first TV-station (Schenectady New York).
  • 1929 - First regularly scheduled TV broadcasts (3 nights per week).
  • 1930 - Birth of M J Hamlin; Principal/Vice-Chancellor (Dundee University).
  • 1930 - Birth of Stanley L Elkin in Brooklyn, New York, USA; writer/professor (The Living End).
  • 1931 - Birth of Stephen Smalley; reverend/dean (Chester).
  • 1931 - The Creditanstalt, Austria's largest bank, goes bankrupt, beginning the banking collapse in Central Europe that causes a worldwide financial meltdown.
  • 1932 - Birth of Valentino [Garavani] in Milan, Italy; fashion designer (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis).
  • 1932 - Siam officially suspends gold standard.
  • 1933 - Birth of Louis Farrakhan; minister (black islam nation, million man march).
  • 1934 - Over two days, the most severe dust storm to date in the USA sweeps an estimated 350 million tons of topsoil from the Great Plains across to the eastern seaboard.
  • 1934 - Birth of James M Jeffords; American politician (Representative-Republican-Vermont, 1975-).
  • 1935 - 61st Preakness: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 1:58.4.
  • 1935 - Birth of Doug McClure in Glendale, California, USA; actor (Trampas - The Virginian TV show (1962-66), Backtrack! (1969), Checkmate, Roots).
  • 1935 - Edward H Thompson, US archaeologist (Mayan civilization), dies at age 78.
  • 1937 - Birth of David Allan; cricket player (West Indian wicketkeeper 1962-66).
  • 1938 - Alfonsina Storni, Argentine poet (El dulce daño / suicide), dies at age 45.
  • 1938 - Arnold Sauwen, Flemish poet (Hours of Solitude), dies at age 81.
  • 1938 - Birth of Carla Bley [Carla Borg] in Oakland, California, USA; musician ("Escalator Over the Hill").
  • 1938 - Birth of Harvey Sollberger in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA; flutist/composer ("2 Oboes Troping").
  • 1939 - The Japanese army attacks Outer Mongolia at Nomonhan (Khalkin Gol).
  • 1940 - 66th Preakness: Fred A Smith aboard Bimelech wins in 1:58.6.
  • 1940 - New York World's Fair reopens for a second year.
  • 1940 - (afternoon) Belgian Fort Eben Emael surrenders to German infantry. About 1000 prisoners are taken.
  • 1941 - First German Messerschmidt 109F plane shot down above England.
  • 1941 - Birth of Eric Burdon in Walker-on-Tyne, England; rock vocalist (The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun", War).
  • 1941 - Birth of Ian Redpath; cricket player (dependable Australian opening batsman 1964-76).
  • 1942 - Birth of Terry McGovern in Berkley, California, USA; actor (Jim - Charlie and Company, Nine Months, Darkwing Duck).
  • 1942 - Japanese troops conquer Kalewa.
  • 1943 - Birth of Les Chadwick in Liverpool, England; bassist (Gerry and the Pacemakers - "Ferry Cross the Mersey").
  • 1943 - Birth of Nancy Greene in Canada; giant slalom (Olympics-gold-1968).
  • 1943 - Hermann Goering-division in Tunisia surrenders.
  • 1943 - US 7th division lands on Attu, Aleutian, (first US territory recaptured).
  • 1944 - Birth of John Benaud; cricket player (brother of Richie; Australian bat 1972-73).
  • 1944 - Slomp, Resistance fighter (Frits de Zwerver), freed from Arnhem prison.
  • 1945 - US marines conquer Awatsha Draw, Okinawa, Japan.
  • 1946 - First night game at Boston Braves Field (New York Giants 5, Boston Braves 1).
  • 1946 - 72nd Preakness: Warren Mehrtens aboard Assault wins in 2:01.4.
  • 1947 - BF Goodrich manufactures first tubeless tire, in Akron, Ohio, USA.
  • 1947 - Birth of Claude "Butch" Hudson Trucks; drummer (Allman Brothers).
  • 1947 - Laos accepts constitution for parliamentary democracy.
  • 1948 - Birth of Alfred Matt in Austria; slalom (Olympics-bronze-1968).
  • 1948 - Haganah takes control of Safed and port of Haifa.
  • 1948 - Luigi Einaudi is elected President of Italy.
  • 1949 - First Polaroid camera sells for US$89.95 (New York City).
  • 1949 - Birth of Joâo Botelho in Lamego, Portugal; director (Trafico, Hard Times).
  • 1949 - By a vote of 37-12, Israel becomes 59th member of United Nations.
  • 1949 - Siam again renames itself Thailand.
  • 1950 - Belgium mine disaster at Borinage, 39 die.
  • 1950 - Birth of Dane Iorg; baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies, Saint Louis Cardinals).
  • 1951 - Jay Forrester patents computer core memory.
  • 1952 - Birth of Shohreh Aghdashloo; actress (24).
  • 1952 - Birth of Frances Fisher; actress (Lyon's Den, Glory Days, Becker).
  • 1952 - Birth of Darrow Igus in Newark, New Jersey, USA; comedian (Fridays, Roll Out).
  • 1953 - Birth of Boyd Gaines in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; actor (Mark - One Day at a Time, Sure Thing, Angela's Eyes).
  • 1953 - Tornado kills 114 in Waco, Texas, USA (US$39 million damage).
  • 1953 - Winston Churchill criticizes John Foster Dulles' domino theory.
  • 1954 - Birth of Edgar Riley Junior; rocker (Axe K).
  • 1955 - Birth of Jos Haagmans; Dutch singer (Frank Boeijen Group).
  • 1955 - Birth of Mark Herndon in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA; drummer (Alabama - "Take Me Down").
  • 1955 - G L Jessop, cricket player (match-winning batsman, brilliant field), dies.
  • 1955 - Israel attacks Gaza.
  • 1956 - NBC-TV airs the final episode of kids TV show The Pinky Lee Show.
  • 1956 - Walter S Adams, US astronomer/director of Mount Wilson, dies at age 79.
  • 1957 - Birth of Luca Urbani in Rome, Italy; MD/astronaut (STS 78-alternate).
  • 1957 - Gabriel Paris forms Government of Colombia.
  • 1958 - Beverly Hanson wins LPGA Lawton Golf Open.
  • 1958 - Birth of Peter Antonie; Australian rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1958 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island.
  • 1958 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak.
  • 1959 - Birth of Martha Quinn in Albany, New York, USA; MTV VJ/actress (Tracey - Bradys).
  • 1959 - New York Yankees' catcher Yogi Berra's errorless streak of 148 games ends.
  • 1960 - Birth of Jürgen Schult in German Federal Republic; discus thrower (world record 1986).
  • 1960 - French passenger liner France launched.
  • 1960 - Israeli soldiers capture Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 1961 - Birth of Cecile Licad in Manila, Philippines; pianist (Leventritt Award-1981).
  • 1962 - Antonio Segni becomes President of Italy.
  • 1962 - Birth of Steve Bono; NFL quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31).
  • 1962 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island.
  • 1962 - US sends troops to Thailand.
  • 1963 - Birth of Tim Raybon; country singer (Raybon Brothers).
  • 1963 - Birth of Blair Piercy in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Canadian Tour golfer (1992 Cordova Bay Open).
  • 1963 - Birth of Mark Breland in Brooklyn, New York, USA; welterweight boxer (Olympics-gold-1984).
  • 1963 - Birth of Natasha Richardson in London, England; actress (Gothic, Handmaid's Tale).
  • 1963 - Los Angeles Dodgers' Sandy Koufax second no-hitter beats San Francisco Giants, 8-0.
  • 1963 - Racial bomb attacks in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
  • 1964 - Birth of Bobby Witt in Arlington, Virginia, USA; pitcher (Texas Rangers).
  • 1964 - Birth of Drew Story in San Clemente, California, USA; canoe (alternate-Olympics-1996).
  • 1964 - Birth of Floyd Youmans; baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos).
  • 1964 - Birth of Jeff Sellers; baseball pitcher (Boston Red Sox).
  • 1964 - Birth of Katie Wagner, daughter of Robert Wagner; model/guest VJ (MTV).
  • 1965 - First of two cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 in India.
  • 1965 - Ellis Island added to Statue of Liberty National monument.
  • 1965 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1965 - West Indies becomes first holders of the Frank Worrell Cricket Trophy.
  • 1966 - Birth of Chris Mohr; NFL punter (Buffalo Bills).
  • 1966 - Birth of Trenidad Hubbard in Chicago, Illinois, USA; outfielder (Colorado Rockies).
  • 1966 - Real Madrid wins 11th Europe Cup I.
  • 1967 - 100,000,000th US phone connected.
  • 1967 - Birth of Eric Young in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; infielder (Colorado Rockies).
  • 1967 - Birth of Jamie Brayshaw; cricket player (son of Ian; Western Australia and South Africa right-handed batsman).
  • 1967 - Birth of Kenneth Gould in Chicago, Illinois, USA; welterweight boxer (Olympics-bronze-1988).
  • 1967 - ABC airs the last ABC Stage '67 TV show. A total of 28 programs aired.
  • 1967 - Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark apply for European Community membership.
  • 1968 - Birth of Keith West; bassist (Heartland).
  • 1968 - NHL Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens sweep Saint Louis Blues in four games.
  • 1968 - Students and police battle in Paris, France, hundreds injured.
  • 1969 - Carol Mann wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open.
  • 1969 - Monty Python comedy troupe forms.
  • 1970 - Birth of Dean Capobianco; Australian 200 metre/400 metre (Olympics-1992, 1996).
  • 1970 - Birth of Michael Joubert; Australian 400 metre/800 metre (Olympics-1996).
  • 1970 - Sammy Davis Junior weds Altovise.
  • 1971 - Birth of Corey Fuller; NFL cornerback (Minnesota Vikings).
  • 1971 - Birth of Yo Murphy; WLAF receiver (Scottish Claymores).
  • 1971 - Cleveland Indians' Steve Dunning becomes last American League pitcher to hit grand slam.
  • 1972 - Birth of Andrew Bonhomme in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Australasia golfer.
  • 1972 - Birth of Hicham El-Mashtoub; NFL center (Houston Oilers).
  • 1972 - Birth of Stefen Reid; Canadian Football League linebacker (Montreal Alouettes).
  • 1972 - San Francisco Giants trade Willie Mays to New York Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and cash.
  • 1972 - Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins beat New York Rangers, 4 games to 2.
  • 1972 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1973 - Birth of Dean Pullar Cobram in Victoria, Australia; diver (Olympics-1996).
  • 1973 - Birth of Michelle Venturella; US softball infielder (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1973 - Birth of Patrick Sapp; NFL offensive linebacker (San Diego Chargers).
  • 1973 - Dutch Government of Uyl forms.
  • 1974 - Birth of Roger Juffing; soccer player (Fortuna Sittard).
  • 1975 - Birth of Coby Bell; actor (Third Watch, LA Doctors, The Game).
  • 1975 - Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Lady Tara Golf Classic.
  • 1975 - Israel signs an agreement with European Economic Market.
  • 1976 - Alvar Aalto, architect (Finlandia House), dies at age 78.
  • 1976 - J Anaya, Bolivian military/ambassador to France, is murdered.
  • 1976 - The ABC TV network airs the last Marcus Welby, M.D. TV show in the USA. 172 episodes aired.
  • 1977 - Hamburger SV wins 17th soccer Europe Cup II.
  • 1979 - Death of Lester Flatt at age 64; country musician (Flatt and Scruggs - "Ballad of Jed Clampett").
  • 1980 - Birth of Austin O'Brien; actor (Touched By an Angel).
  • 1980 - Birth of Matthew Lawrence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; actor (Dynasty, Matthew - Brotherly Love).
  • 1980 - Pam Higgins wins LPGA Lady Michelob Golf Tournament.
  • 1980 - Pete Rose steals second, third, and home in one inning for Philadelphia Phillies.
  • 1981 - Andrew Lloyd Webber/TS Eliot's musical Cats premieres in London.
  • 1981 - Birth of Austin O'Brien; actor (Apollo 13, My Girl 2, Lawnmower Man).
  • 1981 - Death of Bob Marley at age 36 of brain and lung cancer in Miami, Florida, USA; reggae icon (Bob Marley and the Wailers - "Rastaman Vibration").
  • 1981 - Hoyt J Fuller, editor (first World magazine), dies at age 57.
  • 1981 - Death of Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1897).
  • 1982 - Birth of Cory Monteith in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; actor (Glee, Kyle XY).
  • 1982 - Birth of Jonathan Jackson in Orlando, Florida; actor (Lucky - General Hospital).
  • 1982 - Leigh Snowden, actress (Hot Rod Rumble), dies of cancer at age 51.
  • 1983 - Comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) approaches 0.0312 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth.
  • 1983 - Zenna [Chlarson] Henderson, author (Anything Box), dies at age 65.
  • 1983 - Aberdeen FC wins the European Cup Winners Cup - beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the final played in Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • 1983 - NBC airs the final episode of TV show Quincy, M.E..
  • 1984 - A transit of Earth from Mars takes place.
  • 1984 - Haunted Castle at Six Flags Great Adventure burns down, killing eight.
  • 1984 - Detroit Tigers set best 30-game start record (26-4).
  • 1985 - Fire engulfs a wooden stand in the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England during a football match, killing 56.
  • 1985 - Samuel Frith, English co-founder of soccer team (Bradford City), dies.
  • 1985 - Booby trap bomb kills 86 people in India.
  • 1985 - Dave Concepcion becomes fourth Cincinnati Reds teammate to get 2,000 hits, the others include Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Cesar Cedeno.
  • 1985 - Garmt Stuiveling, literary (Ego and Echo), dies at age 77.
  • 1985 - Jorja Curtright, actress (Whistle Stop), dies of a heart attack.
  • 1985 - The FBI brings charges against the suspected heads of the five Mafia families in New York City.
  • 1986 - Muffin Spencer-Devlin wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic.
  • 1986 - Death of Henry P. McIlhenny, American art collector, socialite, philanthropist. and the chairman of the Philadelphia Art Museum (born 1910).
  • 1987 - First heart-lung transplant takes place (Baltimore, Maryland, USA).
  • 1987 - Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon, France, for war crimes committed during World War II.
  • 1987 - Corazon Aquino is elected President in the Philippines.
  • 1988 - France performs nuclear test.
  • 1988 - H A R (Kim) Philby, British double agent, dies (born 1912).
  • 1988 - KV Mechelen wins 28th Europe Cup II.
  • 1988 - Mario Andretti records fastest Indianapolis 500 lap (221.565 mph).
  • 1988 - In Germany, the Bundestag parliament passes a law dividing the postal system (Die Deutsche Post) into the telephone system (Deutsche Telekom), the post office (Deutsche Post), and the postal bank. Private competition will be allowed in telephone long distance service.
  • 1989 - ABC airs the 217th and final episode of TV show Dynasty.
  • 1989 - France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island.
  • 1989 - Kenya announces worldwide ban on ivory to preserve its elephant herds.
  • 1989 - President Bush orders nearly 2,000 troops to Panamá.
  • 1989 - The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly meets for the first time.
  • 1989 - Birth of Giovani dos Santos, FC Barcelona football player.
  • 1990 - New York Yankees trade Dave Winfield to California Angels for Mike Witt.
  • 1991 - Ho Dam, foreign minister of North Korea (1970-83), dies.
  • 1992 - Carlos Herrera, drink inventor (Margarita), dies at age 90.
  • 1992 - Elizabeth McDonald, inventor (Spic and Span), dies at age 98.
  • 1992 - CBS airs the 100th episode of Murphy Brown TV show.
  • 1993 - 28th Academy of Country Music Awards: Garth Brooks wins.
  • 1993 - Paramaribo Suriname TV studio destroyed by fire.
  • 1994 - Grease opens at Eugene O' Neill Theater in New York City for 1,503 performances.
  • 1994 - Six white racists sentenced to death in South Africa.
  • 1994 - Inter Milan wins 23rd UEFA Cup.
  • 1994 - Lewis B Puller, US writer (Pulitzer 1992), commits suicide at age 48.
  • 1995 - Arthur Lubin, director (Francis the Talking Mule, Mr Ed), dies at age 96.
  • 1995 - William John Phillips, actor (Nothing but a Man), dies at age 80.
  • 1995 - Sega of America begins shipping the Saturn video game system in the US. Price is US$399 with the VirtuaFighter game. 30,000 units are available for the initial launch, with ten game titles available.
  • 1995 - The first Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, over three days. The show takes its name from Electronic Entertainment magazine. 350 game companies show 1300 games for video game systems and personal computers. Total attendance is 28,000. Sony introduces the PlayStation in a US$4 million booth, including an appearance by Michael Jackson.
  • 1995 - In New York City, more than 170 countries decide to extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions.
  • 1996 - Florida Marlins' pitcher Al Leiter no hits Colorado Rockies, 11-0.
  • 1996 - Nnamdi Azikiwe, President of Nigeria (1963-66), dies.
  • 1996 - After takeoff from Miami, Florida, a fire started by improperly-handled oxygen canisters in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board.
  • 1997 - New York Mets' players C Everett and Butch Huskey are 9th to hit consecutive pinch home runs.
  • 1997 - Scott McCarron wins Bellsouth Golf Classic.
  • 1997 - Terry-Jo Myers wins LPGA Sara Lee Classic.
  • 1997 - IBM's "Deep Blue" chess computer defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the six-game series, the first time a computer beat a chess World Champion in a match.
  • 1998 - India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, including one thermonuclear device.
  • 2002 - Ray Charles takes part - with other musicians - in a peace concert in Rome, which is the first event to take place inside the city's ancient Colosseum since 404 A.D. The event was organized in partnership with the Glocal Forum and the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation.
  • 2003 - Death of Noel Redding at age 57 at his home in Ireland; bassist (Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Are You Experienced", "Axis: Bold as Love", "Electric Ladyland").
  • 2003 - Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.
  • 2005 - Serial killer Michael Ross becomes the first person executed in New England in 45 years.
  • 2005 - US President George W. Bush signs into law the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, also known as the Real ID Act, setting national standards for identification cards for all citizens.
  • 2006 - Hideki Matsui's streak of playing in every game since starting his Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees ends at 518 games. Previous record holder was Ernie Banks, who played in 424 consecutive games with the Chicago Cubs.
  • 2007 - Death of Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan head of state (born 1913).
  • 2008 - Tornadoes and strong storms across central United States kill 22 and severely damage towns of Picher, Oklahoma, and Seneca, Missouri.
  • 2008 - General election in Serbia. Coalition of President Boris Tadic wins 39 percent, the Radicals win 29 percent.
  • 2008 - Myanmar holds a constitutional referendum.
  • 2009 - The NASA space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on a mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • 2010 - Queen Elizabeth II asks Britain's Conservative leader David Cameron to form a new government and he accepts. Cameron will form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The party's leader, Nick Clegg, will become deputy prime minister.
  • 2013 - Twin car bomb explosions in Reyhanli, Turkey, killing at least 51 people.
  • 2013 - Election in Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League(N) is re-elected President winning 124 of 272 seats.
  • 2015 - Version O of Les Femmes d'Alger by Pablo Picasso sells for US$179.3 million at Christie's auction in New York, setting a new world record for a painting.
  • 2016 - Bangladesh hangs Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the country's largest Islamist party, for atrocities committed during the war for independence from Pakistan in 1971.
  • 2020 - The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology publishes the result of radiocarbon and DNA analysis from the fossils that had been found in the Bacho Kiro cave, Bulgaria. The result, showing that the fossils belong to Homo sapiens instead of Neanderthal, indicates that modern humans may have arrived in Europe thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
  • 2022 - Death of Shireen Abu Aqleh of gunshots in Jenin, West Bank, at age 51; journalist (Al Jazeera).
  • 2023 - In the USA, the Biden Administration ends the public-health emergency declaration due to the Covid-19 virus. Over 1.1 million Americans died from Covid-related causes.

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