This Day in History
May 21

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 21?

On May 21 in ...

  • 143 - Earliest known date in America - pre Mayan king Harvest - Bergvorst installed.
  • 685 - Battle at Nechtansmere: Picten beat Northumbrians.
  • 987 - Louis V last Carlovingians King of France (966-987), dies.
  • 996 - Pope Gregory V crowns his cousin Otto III German emperor.
  • 1040 - King Henry III gives Utrecht the Groninger currency.
  • 1216 - French crown prince Louis enters England.
  • 1254 - Koenraad IV Roman Catholic-German king (1237-54), dies at age 26.
  • 1420 - Treaty of Troyes-French King Charles VI gives France to English.
  • 1471 - Birth of Albrecht Dürer in Nürnberg (Germany); court painter to the Holy Roman Emperors, Maximilian I and Charles V: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Passion of Christ, Adam and Eve.
  • 1471 - King Edwards IV enters London.
  • 1481 - Christian I king of Denmark/Norway/Sweden, dies.
  • 1502 - Portuguese Admiral Da Nova discovers Saint Helena.
  • 1524 - Thomas Howard second duke of Norfolk general/premier, dies at about age 80.
  • 1526 - Sermon of Bathe, Aargau: TC evangelical theology.
  • 1527 - Birth of Philip II King of Spain (1556-98) and Portugal (1580-98).
  • 1542 - Hernando de Soto dies while searching for gold, near Mississippi River.
  • 1602 - Martha's Vineyard first sighted (Captain Bartholomew Gosnold).
  • 1633 - Birth of Joseph de La Barre composer.
  • 1639 - Giovan D "Tommaso" Campanella Italian philosopher/poet, dies at age 70.
  • 1647 - Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft poet/playwright (Warenar), dies at about age 65.
  • 1650 - James G Marquis of Montrose, Scottish general, hanged.
  • 1671 - Birth of Azzolino Bernardino Della Ciaia composer.
  • 1674 - General John Sobieski chosen King of Poland.
  • 1680 - Birth of Frederich Karl Erbach composer.
  • 1683 - West Indian Company sells 1/3 of Suriname.
  • 1688 - Birth of Alexander Pope in England; poet (Rape of the Lock) (dies 1744).
  • 1690 - John Eliot English missionary in Massachusetts, dies at age 85.
  • 1703 - Roemer Vlacq Dutch Admiral, dies in battle.
  • 1725 - Robert Haley earl of Oxford English Whig-premier (1710-4), dies at age 63.
  • 1756 - 10,000 Hanoverians disembark at Chatham to serve as protection in event of French invasion.
  • 1775 - Birth of Lucien Bonaparte; prince of Canino/Musignano.
  • 1790 - Death of Thomas Warton; English poet (Oxford sausage).
  • 1793 - Curaçao Island Council forbids criticism on House of Orange.
  • 1808 - Birth of Gérard de Nerval [Labrunie]; French poet/writer (Sylvia).
  • 1809 - Battle at Aspern-Essling: Austrian arch duke Karl beats Napoleon.
  • 1819 - First bicycles (swift walkers) in US introduced in New York City.
  • 1821 - Birth of John F Loudon; Dutch entrepreneur/colonial director.
  • 1822 - Birth of Dabney Herndon Maury; Major General (Confederate Army) (dies 1900).
  • 1822 - Birth of Mosby Monroe Parsons; Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (dies 1865).
  • 1825 - Birth of George Lafayette Beal; Brevet Major General (Union volunteers).
  • 1826 - Birth of Danillo II; ruler of Montenegro.
  • 1832 - First Democratic National Convention (Baltimore).
  • 1834 - Birth of Charles-Albert Gobat in Switzerland; politician/lawyer/author (Nobel Prize 1902).
  • 1835 - Birth of Newton Martin Curtis; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers).
  • 1840 - New Zealand becomes a British colony.
  • 1850 - Birth of Giuseppe Mercalli in Milan, Italy; volcanologist and seismologist, inventor of the Mercalli Intensity Scale (1902).
  • 1855 - Birth of Emile A G Verhaeren; Belgian poet/writer (Les Flammes Hautes).
  • 1856 - Lawrence, Kansas, is captured and sacked by pro-slavery forces.
  • 1860 - Birth of Willam Einthoven; Dutch physiologist/inventor (electrocardiograph).
  • 1861 - Richmond, Virginia, is designated Confederate Capital.
  • 1865 - Birth of C J Thomsen in Denmark; archaeologist, named Stone/Iron/Bronze Ages.
  • 1866 - First-class cricket debut of G F Grace aged 15 years 159 days.
  • 1867 - Birth of John James Ferris; cricket player (mighty Australian bowler of late 1880s).
  • 1871 - French regular troops attack Commune of Paris; 17,000 die.
  • 1872 - Birth of Henry Warren in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; inventor (Telechon electric clock).
  • 1873 - Birth of Everard Verachtert; Flemish translator (I speak beschaafd Dutch).
  • 1878 - 4th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Carter aboard Day Star wins in 2:37.25.
  • 1878 - Birth of Glenn Hammond Curtiss; American inventor (hydroplane).
  • 1878 - Birth of Louis L H de Visser; Dutch Member of Parliament (CPN).
  • 1879 - Battle of Iquiquw.
  • 1881 - In Washington, D.C., humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons found the American National Red Cross.
  • 1881 - US Nation Lawn Tennis Association is formed.
  • 1882 - Birth of Georgine M "May" Basting; actress (Hostage Rights of Aemstel).
  • 1886 - 14th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Bard wins in 2:45.
  • 1887 - Birth of Mabel Taliaferro in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Sentimental Tommy, My Love Come Back).
  • 1890 - Birth of Albert van Raalte; conductor (AVRO-orchestra).
  • 1891 - Boxers Peter Jackson and Jim Corbett fight to a draw in 61 rounds.
  • 1892 - Birth of John Peale Bishop; US poet (This Side of Paradise).
  • 1893 - Birth of Arthur Carr; cricket captain (England versus Australia 1926).
  • 1893 - Birth of Simon Delmonte; actor/director (Boemeladvocaat).
  • 1894 - August A Kundt, German physicist (test of Kundt), dies at age 54.
  • 1895 - Franz von Suppe, Austrian composer (Poet und Bauer), dies at age 76.
  • 1897 - Yerkes Observatory 40-inch (1-metre) refractor used for first time.
  • 1898 - Birth of Armand Hammer in New York City, New York, USA; millionaire industrialist (Occidental Petroleum).
  • 1899 - Birth of Ralph Sanford in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp).
  • 1901 - Birth of Horace Heidt in Alameda, California, USA; orchestra leader (Ship of Joy radio show, Answers by the Dancers radio show, Anniversary Night with Horace Heidt radio show, Pot of Gold radio show, Tums Treasure Chest radio show, Horace Heidt's Original Youth Opportunity Program radio and TV show, The Swift Show Wagon with Horace Heidt TV show, American Way TV show).
  • 1901 - Birth of Suzanne Lilar [Verbist]; France/Belgian writer (Le burlador).
  • 1903 - Birth of Ali Sastroamidjojo; Indonesian attorney/minister/premier (1953-57).
  • 1903 - Birth of Manly Wade in Wellman, Angola; sci-fi author (After Dark, Devil's Planet).
  • 1903 - Birth of Pedro Aramburu; President of Argentina.
  • 1904 - Birth of Thomas Waller AKA Fats Waller in New York City, New York, USA; pianist and songwriter ("Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Blue Turning Grey Over You").
  • 1904 - Birth of Robert Montgomery in Beacon, New York, USA; actor/director (Robert Montgomery Presents TV show (1950-56), Earl of Chicago, Yellow Jack).
  • 1904 - Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA Soccer) forms in Paris, France.
  • 1906 - Birth of Helen Willis Moody Roark; tennis player (US Open 1923-25, 1927-29, 1931).
  • 1906 - Birth of Keith Rigg; cricket player (Australian Test batsman in the thirties).
  • 1906 - Louis H Perlman patents a demountable tire-carrying rim for cars.
  • 1907 - 32nd Preakness: G Mountain aboard Don Enrique wins in 1:45.4.
  • 1908 - First horror movie (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) premieres in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • 1909 - Birth of Guy de Rothschild; French banker.
  • 1911 - Birth of André Renard; Belgian worker's union leader (Syndical Unifié).
  • 1914 - 39th Preakness: Andy Schuttinger aboard Holiday wins in 1:53.8.
  • 1914 - Greyhound Bus Company begins in Minnesota.
  • 1916 - Birth of Harold Robbins in New York City, New York, USA; author (Moneychangers, Carpetbaggers, Betsy).
  • 1916 - Britain begins "Summer Time" (Daylight Savings Time).
  • 1917 - Birth of Dennis Day in New York City, New York, USA; comic actor/singer ("Danny Boy", Jack Benny Show radio show, Dennis Day Show radio show, Benny Show TV show).
  • 1917 - Birth of Jean-Louis Curtis; French writer (Just Causes).
  • 1917 - Birth of Raymond Burr in New Westminster, BC, Canada; actor (Fort Laramie radio show, Perry Mason TV show (1957-66, two Emmy awards), Ironside TV show (1967-75), Godzilla).
  • 1918 - US House of Representatives passes amendment allowing women to vote.
  • 1919 - Birth of Lord Maxwell; senator/professor (College of Justice, Scotland).
  • 1919 - Birth of Mark Wood; bishop (Ludlow).
  • 1920 - Birth of Anthony Steel in London, England; actor (Malta Story, Wooden Horse).
  • 1921 - Birth of Andrei Sakharov in Moscow, Russia; physicist, human rights worker (Nobel Prize 1975) (dies 1989).
  • 1922 - On the Road to Moscow is first cartoon to receive a Pulitzer Prize.
  • 1922 - Colonel Ruppert buys out Colonel Huston's interest in New York Yankees for US$1,500,000.
  • 1922 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Eugene O'Neill (Anna Christie).
  • 1924 - Birth of Peggy Cass in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actress/TV panelist (Mame movie and play, Tonight Show TV show, To Tell the Truth TV show, The Hathaways TV show).
  • 1924 - Birth of Robert Parris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; composer (Book of Imaginary Beings).
  • 1925 - George Lloyd of Dolobran becomes British High Director of Egypt.
  • 1926 - Birth of Rick Jason in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Day of the Wolves, Eagles Attack at Dawn, Case of the Dangerous Robin TV show, Combat! TV show, Matt Houston TV show, Police Woman TV show, Murder She Wrote TV show, Wonder Woman TV show, Fantasy Island TV show, Airwolf TV show, Dallas TV show, The Young and the Restless TV show).
  • 1926 - Birth of Robert Creeley in Massachusetts, USA; poet/novelist (The Island).
  • 1926 - Ronald Arthur A Firbank, British writer (Prancing Nigger), dies at age 40.
  • 1926 - Chicago White Sox player Earl Sheely hits a record 6th consecutive double.
  • 1927 - Birth of Kay Kendall in Yorkshire, England; actress (Genevieve, Les Girls).
  • 1927 - (10:22 PM) American pilot Charles Lindbergh in the Spirit of St. Louis monoplane lands at Le Bourget airfield near Paris, France, after first solo air crossing of Atlantic (33 hours 30 minutes).
  • 1929 - Automatic electric stock quotation board installed, New York City.
  • 1929 - Birth of Charles Wadsworth in Barnesville, Georgia, USA; pianist (Lincoln Center).
  • 1929 - Birth of Paul Winslow; cricket player (big-hitter for South Africa, 108 versus England 1955).
  • 1929 - Birth of Robert Welch; designer/silversmith (Robert Welch flatware).
  • 1929 - V P F A Royle, cricket player (one Test England versus Australia 1879), dies.
  • 1930 - Birth of David Smith; principal/vice chancellor (Edinburgh University).
  • 1930 - Birth of Malcolm Fraser; Prime Minister of Australia (Liberal, 1975-83).
  • 1930 - Birth of Stanley Wells; director (Shakespeare Institute University of Birmingham).
  • 1930 - Max Bishop draws 8 walks in a doubleheader.
  • 1931 - Belgian Government of Henri Jaspar falls.
  • 1931 - Birth of George Vassiliou; President of Cyprus (1988-93).
  • 1932 - Birth of John Armitage; principal (College of Saint Hilda and Saint Bede Durham).
  • 1933 - Birth of Barry Norman in Britain; film critic (The Film Greats).
  • 1933 - Birth of Richard Libertini in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Soap, Ghost).
  • 1933 - John Henry Mackay, Scottish/German author (Der Schwimmer), dies at age 69.
  • 1934 - Oskaloosa, Iowa becomes first US city to fingerprint its citizens.
  • 1935 - Birth of Terry Lightfoot; clarinetist/bandleader (New Orleans Jazzmen).
  • 1935 - Hugo de Vries, botanist (Gruppenweise Artbildung), dies at age 87.
  • 1935 - Jane Addams, a founder of ACLU (Nobel Prize 1973), dies at age 65.
  • 1936 - Birth of Ama Samy in Burma; Jesuit priest/Zen teacher/disciple of Yamada Koun.
  • 1936 - Birth of Dipak Nandy; founder (Runnymead Trust).
  • 1938 - Birth of David Groh in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Joe - Rhoda, Don - Another Day).
  • 1938 - Czechoslovakia garrisons its border with Germany.
  • 1938 - Donald Bradman scores 143 Australia versus Surrey, 198 minutes, 11 fours.
  • 1940 - Dutch AVRO-chairman Willem Vogt fires all Jewish employees.
  • 1940 - Allied counter-attack at Atrecht, North-France.
  • 1940 - Paul Reynaud forms French Government.
  • 1941 - First US ship sunk by a German submarine (SS Robin Moore).
  • 1941 - Birth of Anatoli Semyonovich Levchenko in USSR; cosmonaut (TM-4).
  • 1941 - Birth of Ronald Isley in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; singer (Isley Brothers - "Twist and Shout").
  • 1941 - German airforce occupies airport at Maleme, Crete.
  • 1942 - Birth of Bill Reiter; voice actor (Dr. Bundolo).
  • 1942 - Birth of David Hunt; Wales Secretary of State.
  • 1942 - Birth of Robert C Springer in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; Colonel US Marine Corp/astronaut (STS-29, STS-38).
  • 1942 - Great Britain convoy PQ16 departs to Russia.
  • 1943 - Birth of Hilton Valentine; rock guitarist (Animals - "House of the Rising Sun").
  • 1943 - Fastest 9-inning American League baseball game (89 minutes), Chicago White Sox beat Senators.
  • 1944 - Birth of Mary Robinson; President of Republic of Ireland (Labour, 1990-).
  • 1944 - Adolf Hitler begins attack on English/US "terror pilots".
  • 1945 - Birth of Richard Hatch in Santa Monica, California, USA; actor (Battlestar Galactica).
  • 1945 - Australia Services win first Victory Test Cricket at Lord's by six wickets.
  • 1945 - Birth of Ernst Willi Messerschmid in Reutlingen, Germany; astronaut (STS 22).
  • 1945 - German war criminal Heinrich Himmler is captured.
  • 1946 - Physicist Louis Plotin is fatally irradiated during the Demon Core incident at Los Alamos.
  • 1946 - Birth of David Hill; Australian TV-reporter/owner (Fox Sports).
  • 1946 - Birth of Ronald Bear; actor/director (Havana, Make-up).
  • 1948 - Birth of Booth Savage in New Brunswick, Canada; actor (Home Fires, Hot Shots, Chasing Rainbows).
  • 1948 - Birth of Carol Potter; actress (Beverly Hills 90210, Sunset Beach).
  • 1948 - Birth of Leo [Gerard] Sayer in Shoreham-on-Sea, England; singer ("When I Need You", "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing").
  • 1948 - New York Yankees' Joe Dimaggio hits for the cycle (single, double, triple, homerun).
  • 1949 - Birth of Andrew Nell; editor (Sunday Times).
  • 1949 - Birth of Arno Hintjens; Belgian singer (T C Matic).
  • 1949 - Birth of Rosalind Plowright; British soprano (Aida, Senta).
  • 1950 - Birth of Roger Hodgson in London, England; rocker (Supertramp - "The Logical Song").
  • 1950 - Vietnamese troops of Ho Chi-Minh attack Cambodia.
  • 1951 - Birth of Al Franken; comedian/writer/actor (Saturday Night Live, Stuart Saves His Family, LateLine).
  • 1952 - Birth of Mr T AKA Lawrence Tero in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (The A-Team TV show, Rocky III movie, T and T).
  • 1952 - Brooklyn Dodgers score 15 runs in first inning and beat Cincinnati Reds, 19-1.
  • 1952 - Dutch Queen Juliana opens Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.
  • 1952 - John Garfield, actor (Juarez, Air Force), dies at age 39.
  • 1953 - French Government of Mayer resigns.
  • 1954 - American amendment to give 18-year-olds right to vote is defeated.
  • 1954 - Birth of Bill Abbott in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada; yachter (Olympics-1996).
  • 1954 - Birth of Marina Langner in Dusseldorf, Germany; Miss World runner-up (1975).
  • 1955 - Birth of John Glavin; rock keyboardist (Molly Hatchet - "Flirtin' with Disaster").
  • 1955 - Birth of Liaqat Ali; cricket pace bowler (Pakistan in six Tests 1975-79).
  • 1955 - Birth of Stan Lynch in Gainesville, Florida, USA; rock drummer (Tom Petty and Heartbreakers).
  • 1956 - Birth of Joanna M C "Annemarie" Henselmans; singer/cabaretière (School Desk).
  • 1956 - Jordan government of Said el-Mufti forms.
  • 1956 - US explodes first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll.
  • 1957 - Birth of Judge Reinhold in Wilmington, Delaware, USA; actor (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Beverly Hills Cop, Secret Service Guy, Redemption High).
  • 1957 - Birth of Sue Woodstra in Colton, California, USA; volleyball player (Olympics-silver-1984).
  • 1957 - Edwin Saint Hill, cricket player (two Tests for West Indies 1930-31), dies.
  • 1957 - French Government of Mollet resigns.
  • 1958 - Birth of Mike Barson; rock keyboardist (Madness).
  • 1958 - Birth of Monte Lynch; cricket player (Surrey batsman, West Indies Rebel, England ODI player).
  • 1958 - Indonesian paratroopers reconquer Morotai Island.
  • 1958 - US performs nuclear test at Bikini Island (atmospheric tests).
  • 1959 - Gypsy opens at Broadway Theater in New York City for 702 performances.
  • 1959 - Birth of Nick Cassavetés; actor (Rosemary's Baby, Quiet Cool).
  • 1960 - 86th Preakness: Bobby Ussery aboard Bally Ache wins in 1:57.6.
  • 1960 - Birth of Mark Kevin Carnevale in Annapolis, Maryland, USA; PGA golfer (1992 Chattanooga).
  • 1961 - Birth of Brent Briscoe; actor (The Handler, Evening Shade).
  • 1961 - Birth of Tim Lever; keyboard/sax (Dead or Alive - "You Spin Me Round").
  • 1961 - Governor Patterson declares martial law in Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
  • 1962 - Three more Cleveland Indians' homeruns set American League record for most homeruns (26) over 8 games.
  • 1963 - Birth of Yelena Vodorezova; USSR figure skater (Olympics-1976).
  • 1964 - First nuclear-powered lighthouse begins operations (Chesapeake Bay).
  • 1964 - Birth of Annabel Schofield in Llanelli, Wales; actress (Laurel Ellis - Dallas).
  • 1964 - Birth of Tom Harding in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (1991 Transamerica).
  • 1964 - Birth of Tommy Albelin in Stockholm, Sweden; NHL defenseman (Calgary Flames).
  • 1964 - Fire in Wégimond, Belgium resort, kills 19.
  • 1964 - US begin intelligence flights above Laos.
  • 1964 - Death of James Franck in Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany; won the Nobel Prize for Physics (1925).
  • 1966 - 92nd Preakness: Don Brumfield aboard Kauai King wins in 1:55.4.
  • 1966 - Birth of Manon Kelley in Québec City, Quebec, Canada; actress (Red Lips 2).
  • 1966 - Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) TKOs British champ Henry Cooper in round six for heavyweight boxing title in London, England.
  • 1966 - Pat O'Malley, silent film actor (Wild One, Quiet Man), dies at age 75.
  • 1967 - Birth of Cindy Haley in Tyler, Texas, USA; LPGA golfer (1987 Texas Amateur-second).
  • 1967 - Birth of Rogel Nachum in Israel; Men's triple jump (Olympics-1996).
  • 1967 - Birth of Todd Doohan in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada; Canadian Tour golfer (Western Ontario Amateur-1992).
  • 1967 - Birth of Tracy Simien; NFL linebacker (Kansas City Chiefs).
  • 1967 - Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open.
  • 1968 - Birth of Lisa Edelstein; actress (House).
  • 1968 - Chicago Cubs' Billy Williams sets outfielder record of 695 straight games.
  • 1968 - Doris Lloyd, actress (Oliver Twist), dies of heart strain at age 71.
  • 1968 - US nuclear-powered submarine (Scorpion), with 99 men, reported missing and is later found at the bottom of the ocean off Azores.
  • 1968 - USSR performs underground nuclear test.
  • 1969 - After 9,015 at bats Hank Aaron is lifted for a pinch hitter, Mike Lum, who doubled in a 15-3 victory over the New York Mets.
  • 1969 - Birth of Reid Simpson in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada; NHL left wing (New Jersey Devils).
  • 1969 - Slovan Bratislava wins 9th Europe Cup II in Basel, Switzerland.
  • 1970 - Birth of Dorsey Levens; NFL running back (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31).
  • 1970 - Birth of Roman Turek in Strakonice, Czechoslovakia; hockey goalie (Team Czechoslovakia Republic, Olympics-1998).
  • 1970 - Birth of Scott "Munnster" Munn in Larkspur, California, USA; rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1970 - Birth of Veronica Sanchez in Michoan, México; WPVA volleyball player (Hermosa-17-1994).
  • 1970 - US National Guard mobilized to quell disturbances at Ohio State University.
  • 1970 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
  • 1970 - Vinton Hayworth, actor (General Schaeffer - I Dream of Jeannie), dies at age 63.
  • 1971 - Birth of Eric Nies; actor (MTV Real World, Grind).
  • 1971 - Birth of Jeff Stavroff in Columbus, Ohio, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (1994 Space Coast-4).
  • 1971 - Chelsea wins 11th Europe Cup II in Athens, Greece.
  • 1971 - Dennis King, actor (Devil's Brother), dies of heart ailment at age 73.
  • 1971 - National Guard mobilized to quell riot in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.
  • 1972 - Birth of Liliko Ogasawara in Englewood, New Jersey, USA; middleweight judoka (Olympics-1996).
  • 1972 - Kathy Cornelius wins LPGA Bluegrass Golf Invitational.
  • 1973 - Carlo E Gadda, Italian engineer/writer (War Diary), dies at age 79.
  • 1973 - George Breakstone, actor/director (Great Expectations), dies at age 53.
  • 1973 - Death of Vaughn Monroe at age 61 in Stuart, Florida, USA; singer and bandleader (over 50 hits on the Billboard charts, "There I've Said It Again" (1945), "Ghost Riders in the Sky" (1949)).
  • 1974 - Birth of Fairuza Balk; writer (The Craft Gas Food Lodging, Family Guy, Shadow of a Doubt, Best Xmas Pageant Ever).
  • 1974 - Birth of Havoc; rapper (Mobb Deep).
  • 1975 - Borussia Mönchengladbach wins fourth UEFA Cup at Enschede.
  • 1977 - 103rd Preakness: Jean Cruguet aboard Seattle Slew (undefeated) wins in 1:54.4.
  • 1977 - Fire in hotel Duc de Brabant Brussels, kills 19.
  • 1977 - San Diego Padres beat Montreal Expos, 11-8, in 21 innings.
  • 1978 - Birth of Adam Gontier; lead singer (Three Days Grace).
  • 1978 - 118 Unification church couples wed in England.
  • 1978 - Birth of Kandy Marshall; Miss Virginia Teen USA (1996).
  • 1978 - Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic.
  • 1978 - Yamada Mumon Roshi is appointed head of Zen Rinzai Sect.
  • 1979 - Elton John becomes first western rocker to perform live in the USSR.
  • 1979 - National Volksraad installed in Namibia.
  • 1979 - The Montréal Canadiens defeat the New York Rangers 4 games to 1 in the best-of-seven series, winning the Stanley Cup.
  • 1980 - Ida Kaminska, actress (Shop on Main Street), dies.
  • 1980 - Fox releases the film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back to theaters.
  • 1980 - Eintracht Frankfurt wins 9th UEFA Cup at Frankfurt, Germany.
  • 1981 - Kim Seelbrede of Ohio is crowned 30th Miss USA.
  • 1981 - Stanley Cup: New York Islanders beat Minnesota North Stars, 4 games to 1.
  • 1981 - Yuki Shimoda, actor (Farewell to Manzanar), dies.
  • 1981 - In France, Socialist François Mitterrand becomes President.
  • 1981 - Birth of Beth Botsford; 100 metre/200 metre backstroke (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1982 - Falklands War: HMS Ardent is struck by many bombs from Argentine aircraft, killing 22 of its crew and injuring 30. The ship is abandoned and sinks.
  • 1982 - Royal Marines and paratroopers from the British Task Force land at San Carlos Bay on the Falkland Islands and raise the Union Flag.
  • 1983 - 109th Preakness: Donald Miller Junior on Deputed Testamony wins in 1:55.4.
  • 1984 - Atari introduces the Atari 7800 ProSystem video game system. It features higher resolution graphics than the Atari 5200, optional keyboard to make it a home computer, and compatibility with Atari 2600 cartridges. Price is US$149.
  • 1984 - In Eastern China, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs.
  • 1984 - Andrea Leeds, actress (Stage Door, Earthbound), dies of cancer at age 70.
  • 1984 - Ann Little, actress (Roaring Road), dies.
  • 1985 - Birth of Mutya Buena; British singer and songwriter (Sugababes).
  • 1986 - Atlanta Braves' player Rafael Ramirez hits four doubles in a game.
  • 1986 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1987 - Birth of Ashlie Brillault; American actress (Lizzie McGuire).
  • 1987 - Death of Alejandro Rey at age 57; actor (Carlos - Flying Nun TV show).
  • 1987 - Military coup in Fiji Islands under Lieutenant Colonel Sitivani Rabuka.
  • 1988 - 114th Preakness: Eddie Delahoussaye aboard Risen Star wins in 1:56.2.
  • 1988 - Dino Conte Grandi, Italian delegate to League of Nations, dies at age 92.
  • 1988 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1989 - 35th Mazda LPGA Championship won by Nancy Lopez (her third LPGA championship).
  • 1989 - NBC airs the last episode of Miami Vice after a 5-year run.
  • 1990 - Birth of Scott Leavenworth; actor (Seventh Heaven).
  • 1990 - Franklyn Seales, actor (Silver Spoon, Onion Field), dies of AIDS at age 37.
  • 1990 - CBS-TV airs the last episode of Newhart.
  • 1990 - Mary Victor Bruce, who flew around the Empire State Building in 1930, dies.
  • 1990 - Moelvi Mohammed Farouk, Indian spiritual leader, is murdered.
  • 1991 - Ethiopia's Marxist president Mengistu Haile Mariam resigns.
  • 1991 - The last episode of STAT airs.
  • 1991 - Jean Van Houtte, Prime Minister of Belgium (1952-54), dies.
  • 1991 - Rajiv Gandhi, Indian Prime Minster (1984-91), assassinated by a bomb at age 46 in Madras, India (born 1944).
  • 1991 - Birth of Sarah Ramos; American actress (Runaway, American Dreams).
  • 1992 - Brendan Mulholland, Daily Mail reporter, dies at age 59.
  • 1992 - People's Republic of China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor.
  • 1992 - New Jersey senate overrides Governor Florio's veto and lowers sales tax to 6 percent.
  • 1993 - Dayanara Torres, 18, of Puerto Rico, crowned 42nd Miss Universe.
  • 1993 - John Frost, English Lieutenant-Colonel (operation Market Garden 1944), dies at age 80.
  • 1993 - John Holland, actor (They Saved Hitler's Brain), dies at age 65.
  • 1993 - Opposition leader Xanana Gusmao of East-Timor sentenced to life.
  • 1993 - Robin Smith scores 167 in England Texaco Trophy loss versus Australia.
  • 1993 - Venezuela president Carlos Andrés Pérez fired.
  • 1994 - 120th Preakness: Pat Day aboard Tabasco Cat wins in 1:56.4.
  • 1994 - Giovanni Goria, Prime Minister of Italy (1987-88), dies.
  • 1994 - Death of Johan Hendrik Weidner, Belgian World War II resistance fighter (born 1912).
  • 1994 - Cincinnati Reds bat out of order against Los Angeles Dodgers in second inning.
  • 1994 - South Yemen secedes from Yemen.
  • 1994 - Sushmita Sen, 18, of India, crowned 43rd Miss Universe.
  • 1995 - Chris Johnson wins Star Bank LPGA Golf Classic.
  • 1995 - Les Aspin, US Secretary of Defense (1993-95), dies of stroke at age 56.
  • 1995 - Pope John Paul II canonizes John Sarkander during his visit to Olomouc, the Czech Republic.
  • 1996 - Al "Lash" La Rue, cowboy actor (Lash of the West), dies at age 78.
  • 1996 - Ken Griffey Junior, 26, is 8th youngest to hit 200 homeruns.
  • 1996 - Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens beats New York Yankees for his 200th win.
  • 1996 - The MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters in Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000 in one of Africa's worst maritime disasters.
  • 1996 - The Trappist Martyrs of Atlas are executed.
  • 1996 - Auctions by Bowers and Merena sells the Louis Eliasberg US 1913 Liberty Head nickel for US$1.485 million, a record for a single coin at auction.
  • 1998 - At Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, Kipland Kinkel (who was suspended for bringing a gun to school) shoots a semi-automatic rifle into a room filled with students, killing two and wounding 25 others, after killing his parents at home.
  • 1998 - Suharto resigns after 32 years as President of Indonesia and his 7th consecutive re-election by the Indonesian Parliament (MPR). Suharto's hand-picked Vice President, B. J. Habibie, becomes Indonesia's third president.
  • 1998 - (to September 30) Expo 1998 is held in Lisbon, Portugal, with the title "Oceans, an Heritage for the Future".
  • 1998 - Seagram Company of Canada announces it is buying the world's biggest music company, Polygram N-V, in a deal worth US$10.6 billion.
  • 2000 - Death of Sir John Gielgud at age 96; actor (Brideshead Revisited TV mini-series, Wagner, Marco Polo, Scarlett, War and Remembrance).
  • 2000 - Death of Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur and founder of Herbalife (born 1956).
  • 2002 - The US State Department releases a report naming seven state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
  • 2003 - F.C. Porto defeats Celtic 3-2 (AET) in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville, Spain.
  • 2003 - An earthquake in the Boumerdès region of northern Algeria kills 2,200.
  • 2005 - Elena Paparizou wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece in Kiev, Ukraine, with the song "My Number One".
  • 2005 - Death of Stephen Elliott of congestive heart failure at age 86; actor (Chicago Hope, Trial and Error, Saint Elsewhere, Falcon Crest, Executive Suite, Beacon Hill, A World Apart, As The World Turns).
  • 2005 - Death of Howard Morris at age 85 of a heart ailment; comedic actor (Andy Griffith Show TV show).
  • 2006 - National referendum in Montenegro; citizens vote for independence.
  • 2006 - The Dallas Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs in overtime to win the Western Conference semi-finals in the NBA Playoffs.
  • 2006 - Death of Billy Walker at age 77 in a single-vehicle crash near Montgomery, Alabama; country singer ("Charlie's Shoes" (1966), "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Cross the Brazos at Waco" (1964)).
  • 2007 - The 19th century ship the Cutty Sark is badly damaged by fire in London, United Kingdom.
  • 2008 - U.S. crude oil price passes US$130 per barrel, rising $5 above the previous day to a record high of US$134.
  • 2008 - In Kenya, eleven elderly people accused of being witches are burned to death by a mob.
  • 2008 - General election in Georgia. President Mikheil Saakashvili wins 60 percent of vote. David Gamkrelidze of opposition part wins 15 percent.
  • 2009 - Linda Fleming, 66-year-old US woman with advanced cancer, becomes the first person to die under a new assisted suicide law in Washington State.
  • 2010 - Salva Kiir is sworn in as the first elected president of the semi-autonomous southern region of Sudan.
  • 2010 - An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 airliner crashes and bursts into flames outside the Mangalore airport in Karnataka state in southern India, killing 158 people. Eight people survive.
  • 2010 - Paramount releases the film Shrek Forever After to theaters.
  • 2010 - Eyjafjallajokull volcano on Iceland ceases eruptions, having started March 20.
  • 2010 - Japan launches the Akatsuki orbiter probe on an H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima spaceport to Venus to study its atmosphere in detail.
  • 2012 - In Beijing, China, China Guardian auctions a People's Republic of China 1968 8-fen "Long Live Complete Victory of the Great Cultural Revolution" postage stamp, with Taiwan in white, unused, for 7.3 million yuan (US$1.15 million).
  • 2014 - Death of Jaime Lusinchi, President of Venezuela (born 1924).
  • 2019 - Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, France. World premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
  • 2019 - Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant empire files for bankruptcy, leaving about 1000 workers unemployed.
  • 2019 - Death of Glauco Sansovini, Captain Regent of San Marino (born 1938).
  • 2020 - Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh, killing over 100 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 4 million others.
  • 2020 - The U.S. announces it will withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty within six months, alleging continuous violations by Russia.
  • 2020 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 5 million worldwide.
  • 2022 - General election in Australia, won by Labor Party and new prime minister Anthony Albanese.
  • 2022 - Death of Colin Cantwell at age 90; American designer (X-Wing and Death Star in Star Wars movie).
  • 2023 - Death of Ray Stevenson at age 58; actor (Thor, Divergent).

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