This Day in History
December 19

What happened in history on this day: December 19? On December 19 in ... 401 - Anastasius I, Bishop of Rome (399-401), dies. 401 - Saint Anastasius I ends his reign as Catholic Pope. 1036 - Birth of Su Tung-p'o China, poet/essayist/painter/calligrapher. 1055 - Seldjuken under Toghril Beg occupy Baghdad. 1154 - King Henry II of England crowned. 1370 - Urban V [Guillaume de Grimoard] first Avignon Pope (1362-70), dies. 1498 - Birth of Andreas Osiander Germany, Protestant Reformation theologist. 1551 - Dutch west coast hit by hurricane. 1562 - Battle at Dreux: Anne de Montmorency and huguenots under Condé captured. 1606 - The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery depart England carrying settlers who, at Jamestown, Virginia, found the first of the thirteen colonies that become the United States. 1614 - Melchior Bischoff composer, dies at age 67. 1676 - Birth of Louis-Nicholas Clerambault Paris France, composer/organist. 1683 - Birth of Philip V Versailles France, King of Spain (1700-24, 24-46). 1686 - Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years (as per Defoe). 1688 - King James II's wife and son flee to France. 1696 - Jean-François Regnard's "Le Joueur" premieres in Paris. 1723 - Birth of Susanne K von Klettenberg German friend of Goethes mother. 1732 - Benjamin Franklin (under the name Richard Saunders) begins publication of "Poor Richard's Almanack". 1741 - Vitus J Bering Dutch navigator/explorer, dies. 1744 - Birth of Jacobus J Cramer priest of Holland/Zealand/West-Friesland. 1749 - Francesco Antonio Bonporti composer, dies at age 76. 1753 - Birth of John Taylor Virginia, philosopher (Jeffersonian Democracy). 1776 - Thomas Paine published his first "American Crisis" essay, in which he wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls". 1777 - Washington settles his troops at Valley Forge Pennsylvania for the winter. 1778 - Birth of Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte daughter of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. 1779 - Birth of Auguste-Gaspard-Louis Desnoyers Paris France, engraver. 1783 - Birth of Charles-Julien Brianchon France, mathematician (Brianchon's theorem). 1783 - English government of Pitt Jr forms. 1788 - Chinese troops occupy capital Thang Long Vietnam. 1790 - Birth of William Parry England, Arctic explorer. 1792 - Birth of [Andries] Hendrik Potgieter Cape Colony, settled Transvaal. 1795 - First state appropriation of money for road building, Kentucky. 1796 - Birth of Manuel Breton de los Herreros Quel Spain, poet/comic playwright. 1797 - Birth of Josef Theodor Krov composer. 1798 - A meteorite lands in Benares, India, dtriking a building. 1798 - Charles-Joseph Panckoucke publisher (Moniteur Universel), dies at age 62. 1800 - Georg Peter Weimar composer, dies at age 66. 1804 - Mary Bright British Prime Minister Rockingham, dies. 1809 - Birth of Pierre-Joseph van Beneden Belgium, paleontologist (life cycle of tapeworms). 1813 - Birth of Thomas Andrews Belfast Ireland, chemist/physicist (ozone). 1814 - Birth of Edwin McMasters Stanton in Steubenville, Ontario, Canada; US Attorney General (1860-61), US Secretary of War (1862-68). 1815 - Michel Woldemar composer, dies at age 65. 1815 - Robert Hudson composer, dies at age 83. 1817 - Birth of James Jay Archer Brigadier-General (Confederate Army) died in 1864. 1819 - Birth of James Clifford Veatch Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1895. 1821 - Birth of Mary Ashton Livermore American reformer/women's suffrage leader. 1823 - Georgia passes first US state birth registration law. 1823 - Nicolas-Joseph Hullmandel composer, dies at age 67. 1824 - Birth of Hercules Robinson Ireland, South Africa Commissioner (1880-89, 1895-97). 1825 - Birth of George Frederick Bristow composer. 1828 - South Carolina declares the right of states to nullify federal laws. 1831 - Birth of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Hawaii. 1832 - Birth of John Kirk Barry Scotland, Dr/companion to explorer David Livingstone. 1835 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin approaches New Zealand. 1836 - Birth of Maria L Sanford pioneer educator (PTA). 1837 - Birth of John Carpenter Carter Brigadier-General (Confederate Army), died in 1864. 1842 - US recognizes independence of Hawaii. 1843 - Charles Dickens publishes "A Christmas Carol" in England. 1848 - Adam van Duyn governor of South Holland, dies at age 77. 1849 - Birth of Henry Clay Frick Pennsylvania, built world's largest coke and steel operation. 1851 - J M William Turner British painter (Rain, Steam and Speed), dies at age 76. 1852 - Birth of A[lbert] A Michelson Strelno Prussia, US physicist (Nobel Prize 1907). 1854 - Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents sewing machine to sew curving seams. 1859 - Grading started for Market Street railroad. 1861 - Birth of Constance [Clara] Garnett Brighton England, Russian-English translator. 1861 - Birth of Italo Svevo Trieste Austria, Italian novelist (La Coscienza di Zeno). 1861 - Battle of Black Water. 1862 - Skirmish at Jackson/Salem Church, Tennessee (80 casualties). 1864 - Birth of Adolf Sandberger composer. 1865 - Birth of Hermann Hirt in Magdeburg, Prussia; linguist (Indo-European Grammar). 1865 - Birth of Minnie Maddern Fiske in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; stage actress (Henrik Ibsen's plays). 1865 - Birth of Tikhon Toropets in Pskov, Russia; patriarch of Russian Orthodox/saint. 1867 - Victims of "Angola Horror" burn to death (Angola, New York). 1869 - Birth of Eduard Hermann in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; German linguist (Homer). 1871 - Albert L Jones (New York City, New York), patents corrugated paper. 1875 - Birth of Carter G Woodson in New Canton, Virginia, USA; American historian (black studies). 1879 - Birth of Beals C Wright; tennis champion (US Open-1905). 1884 - Birth of Antonín Zápotocky; premier/President of Czechoslovakia. 1884 - Italy recognizes King Leopold II's Congo Free State. 1885 - Birth of F S Flint in London, England; translator/poet (imagist movement). 1887 - Jake Kilrain and Jem Smith fight bare knuckles 106 rounds to a draw. 1888 - Birth of Fritz Reiner in Budapest, Hungary; conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony 1938-48). 1890 - Birth of Klaas Schilder; Dutch theologist/vicar (Occupied Territory). 1891 - Birth of Edward Bernard Andre Maria in Raczynski, Poland; president-in-exile (1979-86). 1891 - Canadian Rugby Union forms. 1893 - Birth of Harry Blomberg; Swedish author (Mäster Jacob). 1894 - Birth of Ford C Frick; baseball commissioner (1951-65). 1894 - Birth of Paul Dessau in Hamburg, Germany; composer/conducter (Berlin, 1925-33). 1894 - Birth of Yoshida Isoya in Tokyo, Japan; architect (modern sukiya style). 1895 - Birth of Ingeborg Refling-Hagen; Norwegian author/poet (Loke Saar Havre). 1895 - Birth of Maurice Roelants; Belgian author (Jazz Player). 1901 - Birth of Oliver [Hazard Perry] La Farge in New York City, New York, USA; anthropologist/novelist (Laughing Boy). 1901 - Birth of Vitorino Nemésio; Portuguese author (Presença). 1902 - Birth of Leonard Hirsch; British violinist/orchestra leader (RAF Symphony Orchestra). 1902 - Birth of Ralph Richardson in England; actor (David Copperfield, Dr Zhivago, Anna Karenina). 1903 - Birth of Cyril Dean in Darlington, England; biologist (hereditary mechanisms). 1903 - Birth of George Davis Snell in Bradford, Massachusetts, USA; geneticist (H-2 gene). 1903 - Williamsburg suspension bridge opens between Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York. 1906 - Birth of H Allen Smith in Illinois, USA; humorist/author (Armchair Detective, Low Man on the Totem Pole, Rhubarb). 1906 - Birth of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev in Ukraine; first Secretary of the Community Party/President of the USSR (1964-82). 1907 - 239 workers die in a coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek Pennsylvania. 1910 - First US city ordinance requiring white and black residential areas (Baltimore, Maryland). 1910 - Birth of Jean Genet in Paris, France; novelist/dramatist (The Blacks). 1910 - Rayon fabric is first commercially produced, in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. 1915 - Alois Alzheimer, German neurologist (first described Alzheimer's Disease), dies at age 51. 1915 - Birth of Édith Giovanna Gassion AKA Édith Piaf in Paris, France; singer ("Little Sparrow"), French cultural icon. 1916 - Birth of Adriaan van der Veen; Dutch writer (Sister at Sea). 1916 - Birth of Hal Hastings in New York City, New York, USA; orchestra leader (Chevrolet on Broadway). 1916 - Birth of Mervyn Wallace; cricket player (13 Tests for New Zealand, latterly as captain). 1917 - First NHL game played on artificial ice (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). 1917 - Québec Bulldogs play their first professional hockey game. 1918 - Robert Ripley begins his "Believe It or Not" column (New York Globe). 1919 - American Meteorological Society is founded. 1920 - First US indoor curling rink opens (Brookline, Massachusetts). 1920 - Birth of David Susskind in New York City, New York, USA; TV host (Open End, David Susskind Show). 1920 - Birth of Jimmy Dickens in Bolt, West Virginia, USA; country singer (Grand Ole Opry). 1920 - Birth of Ragnild Hveger in Denmark; 400 metre swimmer (Olympics-silver-1936). 1924 - Birth of Edmund Purdom in England; actor (Asissi Underground, Pieces). 1924 - Birth of Peter Prowtiny; English real estate developer/multi-millionaire. 1924 - Test Cricket debut of Bill Ponsford, who scores 110 in first innings. 1925 - Birth of Robert Sherman in Manhattan, New York, USA; song writer ("The Bear Necessities", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", "It's a Small World", Academy Awards for "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Grammy Awards), named Disney Legend 1990. 1926 - Birth of Bobby Layne; NFL quarterback (Detroit Lions). 1926 - Birth of Jeanne Kirkpatrick; US ambassador to United Nations. 1928 - First autogiro (predecessor of helicopter) flight in US. 1928 - Birth of Galt MacDermot in Montréal, Quebec, Canada; composer (Letting Down My Hair). 1929 - Birth of Herman T M Lauxtermann; Dutch second chamber member (VVD). 1930 - James Weldon Johnson resigns as executive secretary of NAACP. 1930 - Johnny Douglas, cricket player (soccer int, boxing gold medal), drowns. 1931 - Donald Bradman scores 112 Australia versus South Africa at cricket Sydney Cricket Ground. 1931 - Joseph A Lyons (Conservative) becomes premier of Australia. 1932 - British Broadcasting Corp begins transmitting overseas. 1933 - Birth of Cicely Tyson in Harlem, New York, USA; actress (Roots, Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman). 1933 - Birth of James Booth in London, England; actor/writer (Zulu, Robbery, Revenge). 1933 - Electric Home and Farm Authority Inc, authorized. 1934 - Birth of Al Kaline in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Hall of Fame outfielder (Detroit Tigers/American League batting champion 1955). 1934 - Birth of Rudi Carrell [Rudolf W Kesselman]; Dutch showmaster. 1934 - Japan agress to fleet treaty of 1922 and 1930. 1938 - Birth of Barbara Steele in Trenton, Wirrall, England; actress (Came from Within). 1939 - Karl Wagenfeld Low, German writer (Lucifer, Death and Devil), dies at age 70. 1939 - Russian air and ground attack against Finnish positions near Summa. 1939 - Willem Benoy, Flemish actor/director (The White), dies at age 57. 1940 - Birth of Phil Ochs in El Paso, Texas, USA; anti-war folk singer ("Joe Hill", "War is Over"). 1941 - Birth of Maurice White in Memphis, Tennessee, USA; rock vocalist (Earth, Wind and Fire - "Spirit"). 1941 - German submarine U-574 sinks. 1941 - Adolf Hitler takes complete command of German Army. 1941 - L M Dovator, Russian general, dies in battle. 1941 - US Office of Censorship is created to control information pertaining to war. 1943 - Birth of William De Vries in Brooklyn, New York, USA; surgeon-inventor (Symbion artifical heart). 1943 - Military coup in Bolivia. 1944 - Birth of Alvin Lee in Nottingham, England; rock vocals/guitarist (10 Years After). 1944 - Birth of Tim Reid in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; comedian (Venus Flytrap - WKRP, Frank's Place). 1944 - Birth of Zal Yanovsky; rock guitarist (Lovin' Spoonful - "Do You Believe in Magic"). 1945 - Austrian Republic re-establishes. 1945 - Birth of Elaine Joyce in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; actress (City of Angels, Mr Merlin). 1945 - Russians discover a body buried in an armored shelter in a garden near the Chancellery. A dentist identifies the body as being Adolf Hitler. 1945 - Birth of John McEuen; rocker (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). 1946 - Birth of Robert Urich in Toronto, Ohio, USA; actor (SWAT, Spenser for Hire, Vega$). 1946 - War breaks out in Indochina as Ho Chi Minh attacks French in Hanoi. 1947 - Birth of Janie Fricke in South Whitley, Indiana, USA; country singer ("It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy"). 1948 - Second political action of Java/Sumatra. 1948 - Cleveland Browns beat Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game. 1948 - Philadelphia Eagles shutout Chicago Cardinals 7-0 in NFL championship game. 1949 - Birth of Claudia A Kolb; American 200 metre breast stroke swimmer (Olympics-silver-1964). 1949 - Luxury passenger ship Aquitania demolished in Garelock, Scotland. 1950 - US General Dwight Eisenhower is named NATO commander. 1950 - Tibet's Dalai Lama flees Chinese invasion. 1951 - Barton Yarbrough, actor (Dragnet), dies at age 51. 1951 - Birth of Fred W Leslie in Ancon, Panamá; PhD/astronaut (STS 73). 1951 - German General Christiansen leaves Netherlands. 1952 - Harry Makepeace, cricket player (cricket and soccer international for England), dies. 1953 - Birth of Peter McEwan; cricket player (New Zealand batsman early 1980s). 1953 - Robert A Millikan, American physicist (Nobel Prize 1923), dies at age 85. 1955 - Birth of Susil Fernando; cricket player (5 Tests for Sri Lanka 1983). 1956 - Birth of Alice Barrett in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Frankie Frame - Another World). 1957 - The Music Man, starring Robert Preston, opens at Majestic Theater in New York City for 1375 performances. 1957 - Birth of Doug Johnson; rock keyboardist (Loverboy - "Get Lucky"). 1957 - Birth of Kevin McHale; NBA forward (Boston Celtics). 1957 - John W Van Druten, US stage/screenwriter (I Remember Mama), dies at age 56. 1958 - First radio broadcast from space (recorded Christmas message by President Eisenhower: "To all mankind, America's wish for Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men Everywhere"). 1958 - Birth of Iqbal Sikander; cricket player (Pakistan leg-spinner 1992 World Cup). 1958 - Birth of Limahl British; rocker (Kajagoogoo - "Too Shy"). 1958 - Birth of Rick Pearson in Marianna, Florida, USA; Nike golfer (1990 Yuma Open). 1959 - First Liberty Bowl game-Pennsylvania State beats Alabama 7-0. 1959 - Birth of Edward Metgod; Dutch soccer goalie (Haarlem, Sparta). 1959 - Birth of Kathryn "Furu" Carpenter in Marshall, Michigan, USA; fencer-epee (Olympics-1996). 1959 - Walter Williams, claimed to be last survivor of Civil War, dies at age 117. 1960 - Birth of Mike Lookinland in Mount Pleasant, Utah, USA; actor (Bobby - The Brady Bunch). 1960 - Fire aboard USS Constellation, under construction in Brooklyn, New York (50 die). 1960 - Mercury-Redstone 1A reaches 210 km in test flight. 1961 - Birth of Reggie White; NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31) (dies 2004). 1961 - British government begins process of switching to decimal coin system. 1961 - Indonesian President Sukarno proclaims general mobilization. 1962 - Birth of Bettina Huebers in Hamburg, German Federal Republic; illegitimate daughter of Paul McCartney. 1962 - Birth of Charith Senanayake; cricket player (played for Sri Lanka vs New Zealand 1991). 1962 - Nyasaland secedes from Rhodesia and Nyasaland. 1962 - Transit 5A1, first operational navigational satellite, launched. 1963 - Birth of Chris Greatrex; LPGA golfer (1995 Fielcrest Cannon Classic-71st). 1963 - Birth of Jennifer Beals in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Flashdance, Bride). 1963 - Birth of Karen Bliss-Livingston in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, USA; cyclist (Olympics-1996). 1964 - Birth of Arvydas Sabonis; NBA center (Portland Trail Blazers). 1964 - Birth of Beatrice Dalle in Breast, France; actress (Betty Blue, Sabbath). 1964 - Birth of Lorie Kane in Prince Edward Island, Canada; LPGA golfer (du Maurier Ltd-1994, 1995). 1964 - Birth of Mike Fetters in Van Nuys, California, USA; pitcher (Milwaukee Brewers). 1964 - Birth of Randall McDaniel; NFL guard (Minnesota Vikings). 1965 - Birth of Jessica Steen in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actress (Earth II, Homefront, Trial and Error). 1965 - French President Charles De Gaulle re-elected (Mitterrand gets 45 percent). 1966 - Birth of Alberto "La Bomba" Tomba; Italian skier (Olympics-gold-1988, 1992). 1966 - Birth of Courtney Griffin; Canadian Football League defensive back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers). 1966 - Birth of Eric Weinrich in Roanoke, Virginia, USA; NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks). 1966 - Birth of Monique Oliver in Malibu, California, USA; WPVA volleyball player (US Open-4th-1994). 1966 - Birth of Rajesh Chauhan; cricket player (Indian off-spinner since 1993). 1966 - Birth of Robert MacNaughton in New York City, New York, USA; actor (ET - The Extraterrestrial). 1966 - Birth of Roberto Beam; soccer player (Vitesse/MVV). 1967 - Alfred Courtens, Belgian sculptor, dies at age 78. 1967 - Birth of Doug Johns in South Bend, Indiana, USA; pitcher (Oakland Athletics). 1968 - Birth of Jennifer Devine in Portland, Oregon, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1968 - Norman Thomas, founder (ACLU)/Socialist Party (1926-55), dies at age 84. 1969 - Birth of Kristy Swanson; actress (Knots Landing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). 1969 - Birth of Michael Bates; NFL wide receiver (Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers). 1969 - Birth of Mike Alexander; WLAF corner (Rhein Fire). 1969 - Birth of Nayan Mongia; cricket player (Indian Test batsman-wicketkeeper 1994-). 1969 - Birth of Santana Dotson; NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31). 1969 - Birth of Scott Pearson in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada; NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres). 1969 - Birth of Tom Gugliotta; NBA forward (Minnesota Timberwolves). 1970 - Birth of Jon Cleveland in Fresno, California, USA; Canadian 100 metre/200 metre swimmer (Olympics-bronze-1992, 1996). 1970 - Birth of Robert Lang in Teplice, Czechoslovakia; NHL forward (Team Czechoslovakia Representative, Los Angeles Kings). 1970 - Birth of Wendy Miles in Australia; golfer (1993 T77 Alpine Australian Ladies Masters). 1970 - Birth of Zac Foley; rock bassist (EMF-Unbelievable). 1971 - The USA devalues the dollar and realigns exchange rates. 1971 - Birth of Amy Locane in Trenton, New Jersey, USA; actress (Andrea - Spencer, Sandy - Melrose Place). 1971 - Birth of Jennifer Dore in Kearny, New Jersey, USA; rower (Olympics-4th-1996). 1971 - Birth of Mike Groh; WLAF quarterback (Rhein Fire). 1971 - CBS airs Homecoming - A Christmas Story (introducing the Waltons). 1971 - NASA launches Intelsat 4 F-3 for COMSAT Corp. 1971 - Stanley Kubrick's X-rated film A Clockwork Orange premieres. 1972 - The last American manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth. 1972 - Birth of Alyssa Jane Milano in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (Samantha - Who's The Boss?, Jennifer - Melrose Place, Phoebe - Charmed). 1972 - Birth of Warren Sapp; NFL defensive tackle (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). 1972 - Birth of Waverly Jackson; NFL defensive line (Carolina Panthers). 1972 - South Korean oil tanker Sea Star collides with Brazilian tanker Horta Barbosa in the Gulf of Oman, spilling about 133.5 million litres of oil. 1973 - Birth of Kebu Stewart; NBA forward (Philadelphia 76ers). 1973 - Grenada adopts constitution. 1974 - Film The Man With the Golden Gun premieres in theaters in the US. 1974 - Birth of Bryant Westbrook; cornerback (Detroit Lions). 1974 - Birth of Jake Plummer; quarterback (Arizona Cardinals). 1974 - Birth of Ricky Ponting; cricket player (prodigious Tasmania batsman, Australia 1995). 1974 - Dave Kryskow scores Washington Capitals' first NHL shorthanded goal. 1974 - Nelson A Rockefeller sworn-in as the 41st Vice-President. 1975 - Birth of Casual [Jon Owens]; rapper. 1975 - Birth of Kristin Folkl in Saint Louis, Missouri; volleyball outside hitter (alternate-Olympics-1996). 1975 - John Paul Stevens becomes a US Supreme Court Justice. 1975 - Ron Wood joins music group The Rolling Stones. 1976 - Jo Ann Washam/Chi Chi Rodriguez win Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Golf Championship. 1976 - John Lever takes 7-46 in first Test Cricket innings, versus India Delhi. 1976 - Piper Cherokee plane crashes into Baltimore Memorial Stadium upper stands, injuring the pilot and three others, 10 minutes after Baltimore Colts lose 40-14 to Pittsburgh Steelers; no one seriously hurt. 1976 - Soviet Union President Leonid Brezhnev receives his fifth Lenin order. 1977 - Birth of Maria Joana Parizotto; Miss Universe-Brazil (1996). 1977 - In Kerman Province, Iran, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurs. The town of Zarland and surrounding villages are the hardest hit; some of the villages are completely destroyed. 1977 - Dutch government of Van Agt/Wiegel forms. 1977 - Nellie Taylor Ross, governor, dies at age 101. 1977 - Cyril Ritchard, American actor (Side By Side), dies at age 83 following heart attack during performance in Chicago on November 25 and subsequent coma. 1978 - Birth of Lauren Petty; Miss New Jersey Teen USA (1997). 1978 - Indira Gandhi ambushed in India. 1980 - Birth of Marla Sokoloff; American actress. 1980 - Birth of Jake Gyllenhaal; American actor. 1980 - Anguilla becomes a British dependency separate from Saint Kitts. 1980 - Iran requests US$24 billion in US guarantees to free hostages. 1980 - Mutual Broadcasting cancels Sears Radio Theater. 1981 - In the Aegean Sea, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs. 1981 - Birth of Stevie Ficker; Miss Oregon Teen USA (1997). 1982 - Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, French organist/composer, dies at age 71. 1983 - The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro. 1983 - Raymond Massey, actor (Dr Gillespie - Dr Kildaire), dies at age 87. 1984 - People's Republic of China Premier Zhao Ziyang and Margaret Thatcher sign Hong Kong Treaty for the return of Hong Kong in 1997. 1984 - People's Republic of China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor. 1984 - Fire at the Wilberg Mine in central Utah kills 27 people. 1984 - Scotty Bowman becomes NHL's all time winningest coach. 1984 - Wayne Gretzky, 23, is 18th and youngest NHL player to score 1,000 points. 1985 - Birth of Lady Sovereign; British rapper. 1986 - Jack Morris agrees to salary arbitration with former team Detroit Tigers and accuses owners of collusion against free agency. 1986 - Michael Sergio, who parachuted into Shea Stadium during game six of the World Series, sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $500. 1986 - Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov is permitted to return to Moscow after years of internal exile. 1987 - Birth of Aaron Renfree; British singer. 1987 - Boston Bruins' Ken Linseman and Saint Louis Blues' Doug Gilmore score goals, two seconds apart. 1987 - Gari Kasparov becomes world chess champion. 1988 - NASA unveils plans for lunar colony and manned missions to Mars. 1988 - Oklahoma's College football team gets three year probation. 1988 - Unexploded WWII bomb found in Frankfurt, Germany-5,000 evacuated. 1989 - American Airlines purchases Eastern Airline's Latin American route. 1989 - Dorothea "Stella" Gibbons, English journalist/author, dies at age 87. 1989 - Iranian oil tanker Kharg-5 explodes, burns, and is abandoned off Morocco, spilling 81.6 million litres of crude oil. 1990 - Basil Henson, actor (Change Partners), dies of stroke at age 71. 1991 - Boris Yeltsin takes control of Kremlin. 1991 - Ernest K Gann, US adventure novelist, dies at age 81. 1991 - Paul Maxwell, actor (City of Fear, Freedom to Die), dies at age 70. 1991 - Birth of Declan Galbraith, British singer. 1991 - Paul Keating replaces Bob Hawke as the new prime minister of Australia. 1993 - Anthonius "Ton" Kors, writer (Time of Anton de Lange), dies at age 47. 1993 - Antoon Veerman, Dutch ARP Assistant Secretary of Education (1973-75), dies at age 77. 1993 - Guinee General Lansana re-elected president. 1993 - Michael Clarke, drummer (Byrds), dies of liver failure at age 49. 1994 - Noel Pointer, jazz violinist, dies at age 39. 1994 - A planned exchange rate correction of the Mexican Peso to the US Dollar becomes a massive financial meltdown in Mexico, unleashing the 'Tequila' effect on global financial markets. This will prompt a US$50 billion 'bailout' by the Clinton administration. 1994 - The Whitewater scandal investigation begins in Washington, DC. 1994 - Civil unions between homosexuals are made legal in Sweden. 1995 - Dame Ruth Nita Barrow, Governor-General of Barbados, dies at age 79. 1995 - Harold Watkinson, politician/businessman, dies at age 85. 1995 - Janet Wilder, stuntwoman, dies at age 29. 1995 - Queen Elizabeth askes Prince Charles and Diana to divorce. 1996 - Marcello Mastroiani, actor (8 1/2, Assassin, Family Diary), dies at age 72. 1996 - Ronald Howard, actor (Hunting Party, Koroshi), dies at age 78. 1996 - Yuli Borisovich Khariton, scientist, dies at age 82. 1997 - Death of David Schramm, American astrophysicist, at age 52 (born 1945). 1997 - The film Titanic is released to movie theaters. 1997 - Masaru Ibuka, co-founder of Sony Corporation, dies at age 89. 1998 - Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan announces that Iraq will no longer cooperate and declares that UNSCOM's "mission is over." 1998 - The US House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. 1998 - Mel Fisher, underwater film maker, dies from bladder cancer at age 76. 1999 - Death of Desmond Llewelyn, Welsh actor (born 1914). 2001 - A new world-record high barometric pressure of 1085.6 hPa (32.06 inHg) is recorded in Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia. 2001 - In Argentina, President Fernando de la Rúa and finance minister Domingo Cavallo impose stricter austerity measures. The resulting population revolt is put down by federal police. 21 are killed, 1350 injured. 2002 - General election in South Korea. Roh Moo-hyun of the Millennium Democratic Party narrowly beats rival to become president. 2003 - Death of Hope Lange, American actress (born 1941). 2004 - Death of Herbert C. Brown, English-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1912). 2004 - Death of Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (born 1922). 2006 - A Libyan court sentences five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV. 2007 - A presidential election takes place in South Korea. Former mayor of Seoul Lee Myung-bak, of the Grand National Party, wins with 50 percent of the vote against two other major opponents. 2007 - Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, is announced as Time magazine's 2007 Person of the Year. 2007 - An explosion and fire at the T2 Laboratories facility in Jacksonville, Florida kills four and injures 14. 2007 - The Flying Phantom sinks in the River Clyde, three crew are killed. 2008 - U.S. crude oil prices drop to US$33.87 a barrel, lowest since February 2004. 2008 - US President George W. Bush announces US$17.4 billion in emergency loans to U.S. carmakers to prevent a collapse of the industry and save hundreds of thousands of jobs. 2009 - Death of Iran's most senior dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, at age 87.         Your Ad Here         You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://thisdayinhistoryinfo.info/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of World History Today in Sports History Today in USA History Today in Disney History Today in Personal Computer and Video Game History Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Computers