This Day in History
February 16

What happened in history on this day: February 16? On February 16 in ... 309 - Pamphilus van Caesarea, Palestinian scholar/martyr, beheaded. 374 - Ninth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 600 - Pope Gregory the Great decrees saying "God bless You" is the correct response to a sneeze. 923 - Abu Dja'far Mohammed Djarir al-Tabari, Islamic historian, dies at age 83. 1075 - Birth of Ordericus Vitalis French monk/historian/poet. 1247 - Hendrik Raspe [Papenking], count of Thüringen, dies. 1279 - Afonso III King of Portugal (1248-79), dies. 1349 - Jews are expelled from Burgsdorf Switzerland. 1391 - Johannes V Palaeologus Emperor of Byzantium (1341-91), dies. 1486 - Diet of Frankfort. 1497 - Birth of Philipp Melanchthon Germany, Protestant reformer (Augsburgse Confessie). 1512 - Battle at Valeggio French troops beat Venetianen. 1514 - Birth of Georg Joachim Rhäticus [Rheticus] in Feldkirch, Austria; astronomer/mathematician. 1519 - Birth of Gaspard de Coligny Huguenot leader/French Admiral. 1538 - Everhard/Erardus van de Mark prince-bishop of Liege, dies at age 65. 1559 - Pope Paul IV calls for deposition of sovereigns supporting heresy. 1600 - Giordano Bruno burned at stake. 1620 - Birth of Frederick William Great Elector, founder of Brandenburg-Prussia. 1641 - English king Charles I accept Triennial Act. 1653 - Johannes Schultz composer, dies at age 70. 1655 - Dutch Grand Pensionary advisor Johan de Witt marries Wendela Bicker. 1659 - First known cheque, for £400 drawn on a British bank. 1666 - Netherlands and Brandenburg sign treaty. 1669 - Birth of Arnold Boonen Dutch portrait painter. 1677 - Earl of Shaftesbury arrested/confined in London Tower. 1684 - Birth of Bohuslav Matej Czernohorsky Czechoslovakian monk/composer. 1698 - Birth of Pierre Bouguer French mathematician (heliometer). 1709 - Birth of Charles Avison composer. 1740 - Birth of Giambattista Bodoni Saluzzo Italy, printer/typeface designer. 1741 - Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine (second US Magazine) begins publishing. 1742 - Earl of Wilmington becomes British premier. 1746 - Birth of Johann Heinse German Sturm und Drang novelist/art critic. 1751 - First publication of Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard". 1754 - Richard Mead physician, dies. 1760 - Native American hostages killed in Fort Prince George South Carolina. 1771 - Messier presents his original list of 45 M-objects to French Academy. 1774 - Birth of Pierre Rode composer. 1777 - Messier adds M53 to his catalog (globular cluster in Coma Berenice). 1779 - William Boyce English organist/composer (Cathedral Music), dies. 1787 - Birth of Andreas Schelfhout Dutch painter/etcher/lithographer. 1790 - Birth of Chretien Urhan composer. 1791 - Richard earl d'Alton Austria General of South Netherlands, commits suicide at age 58. 1799 - Charles Theoby ruler (Palts and Bayern), dies at age 74. 1803 - Jan V clav Stich Bohemian composer, dies at age 56. 1804 - Lieutenant Stephen Decatur raids Tripoli Harbor and burns Navy frigate "Philadelphia" after pirates seized it. 1807 - Birth of Lysander Cutler Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1866. 1812 - Birth of Henry Wilson (Republican) 18th Vice-President (1873-75). 1813 - Birth of Joseph Reid Anderson Brigadier General (Confederate Army) died in 1892. 1813 - Birth of Semyon Stepanovich Gulak-Artemovsky composer. 1821 - Birth of Heinrich Barth Hamburg Germany, geographer/explorer (Central Africa). 1822 - Birth of Francis Galton Birmingham England, anthropologist and geneticist. 1822 - Birth of James Patton Anderson Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1872. 1823 - Birth of Brigadier General John D Imboden organized first Virginia Partisan Texas Rangers. 1823 - Johann Gottfried Schict composer, dies at age 69. 1824 - Athenaeum founded. 1825 - George Gerson composer, dies at age 34. 1826 - Birth of Franz von Holstein composer. 1826 - Birth of Joseph V von Scheffel German writer (Gaudeamus). 1829 - François-Joseph Gossec Belgian/French composer (Messe of Morts), dies at age 95. 1831 - Birth of Nikolai Leskow writer. 1832 - Birth of Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac Major General (Confederate Army). 1832 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reaches St-Pauls (1 degrees N, 29 degrees W). 1834 - Birth of Ernst Heinrich Haeckel Potsdam Germany, biologist (Causes of Evolution). 1834 - Lionel Lukin life boat pioneer, dies. 1836 - Birth of Benjamin Edward Woolf Dutch composer. 1838 - Birth of Arnoldus Pannevis South African ship's doctor/linguist. 1838 - Birth of Henry Adams Boston Massachusetts, US historian, writer (Education of Henry Adams). 1838 - Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions. 1840 - American Charles Wilkes discovers Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica. 1846 - Battle of Sobraon ends first Sikh War in India. 1847 - Birth of Ludwig Philipp Scharwenka German composer (Album polonaise). 1848 - Birth of Hugo de Vries Dutch botanist (How species emerge). 1850 - Birth of Octave Mirbeau France, writer (Journal of a Lady's Maid). 1851 - Anne Nagell van Ampsen Dutch politician, dies at age 95. 1852 - Birth of Charles Taze Russell founded Jehovah's Witnesses. 1852 - Birth of William Scarborough Macon Georgia, linguist/author (Birds of Aristophanes). 1854 - Birth of Oscar Fetras composer. 1854 - Franz Liszts symphony "Orpheus" premieres. 1856 - Birth of Willem Kes Dutch violinist/composer/conductor (Parkorkest Amsterdam). 1857 - Auguste-Gaspard-Louis Desnoyers French engraver, dies at age 77. 1857 - Elisha Kent Kane Arctic explorer (Kane Basin), dies at age 37. 1857 - Gallaudet College (National Deaf Mute college) forms (Washington DC). 1858 - Birth of Laurence "Lon" Myers US, track star (top US miler). 1858 - Georg F Creuzer German philological/historian, dies at age 86. 1860 - Dutch Rochussen/Van Bosse government resigns. 1862 - Fort Donelson captured by General Grant (1,400 confederates surrender). 1864 - Vaclav Jindrich Veit composer, dies at age 58. 1864 - Battle of Mobile, Alabama - operations by Union Army. 1866 - Birth of Johann Strauss Austria, composer (Waltz King). 1866 - Birth of Vyacheslav I Ivanov Russian philosopher/classical/poet. 1866 - Birth of William "Sliding Billy" Hamilton New Jersey, hall of fame baseball player. 1868 - Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks founded in New York. 1868 - Birth of Wilhelm Schmidt German anthropologist/linguist (Anthropos). 1876 - Birth of George Macauley Trevelyan England, historian (Giuseppe Garibaldi). 1876 - In Judesegeri, India, a water tank is struck by a meteorite. 1878 - Birth of Selim Palmgren Finnish pianist/composer/conductor (Peter Schlemihl). 1878 - Silver dollar became US legal tender. 1880 - American Society of Mechanical Engineers founded, New York City, New York. 1881 - Birth of Maurits H E Uyldert Dutch poet/writer (Youth of a Poet). 1883 - "Ladies Home Journal" begins publication. 1884 - Birth of Robert Flaherty Michigan, father of documentary film (Nanook of the North). 1886 - Birth of Andrew Ducat cricket player (Test for England 1921 (3 and 2) Soccer International). 1886 - Birth of Van Wyck Brooks New Jersey, literary historian/writer (Ordeal of Mark Twain). 1887 - First newspaper convention (Rochester New York). 1887 - Eduard Douwes Dekker writes his last text (Lf8-c5). 1890 - Birth of Semyon Semyonovich Bogatiryov composer. 1892 - Henry Walter Bates naturalist/explorer (South America), dies. 1892 - The opera "Werther" is produced (Vienna). 1893 - Birth of Ivor Armstrong Richards England, literary critic. 1894 - British troops occupy Ilorin, Gold Coast. 1896 - Birth of Alexander Brailowsky Russia, pianist (Chopin). 1896 - Birth of Charles A L Panzéra French baritone (L'horizon Chimérique). 1898 - Birth of Katharine Cornell actress (Barretts of Wimpole St). 1899 - François Félix Faure, President of France (1895-99), dies at age 57. 1900 - First Chinese daily newspaper in US publishes first issue (Chung Sai Yat Po - San Francisco). 1900 - George Labram, US mine engineer in South Africa, dies in battle. 1900 - Stanley Cup: Montréal Shamrocks beat Winnipeg Victorias, 3 games to 1. 1901 - Birth of Chester Morris in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Diagnosis: Unknown). 1901 - Birth of Wayne King in Savannah, Illinois, USA; saxophonist/bandleader (the Waltz King). 1903 - Birth of Edgar Bergen in Chicago, Illinois, USA; ventriloquist (Charlie McCarthy). 1904 - Birth of Ellis Achong; cricket player (West Indian SLA, 8 wickets in 6 Tests). 1904 - Birth of George F Kennan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; US ambassador to Moscow. 1905 - First US Esperanto club organizes in Boston, Massachusetts. 1905 - Birth of Lord Franks; British ambassador (to US). 1906 - Birth of Jeffrey Lynn; actor (Tony Rome, Butterfield 8, Up Front). 1906 - Birth of Vera Menchik in Moscow, Russia; first official women's world chess champion (1927). 1907 - Birth of Anghélos Terzakis in Greece; writer (Without God). 1907 - Birth of Henri van Albada; Belgian sculptor (Charles V). 1907 - Giosué Carducci, poet (Nobel Prize 1906), dies. 1909 - First subway car with side doors goes into service (New York City, New York). 1909 - Birth of Hugh Beaumont in Lawrence, Kansas, USA; actor (Ward Cleaver - Leave it to Beaver). 1909 - Birth of Jeffrey Lynn in Auburn, Massachusetts, USA; actor (My Son Jeep, The Roaring Twenties). 1909 - Serbia mobilizes against Austria-Hungary. 1910 - Birth of Michael Milne-Watson; CEO (BUPA). 1911 - Birth of Hal Porter in Australia; writer (Tilted Cross, Paper Chase). 1912 - Birth of Arthur Crook; British editor (Times Literary Supplement). 1912 - Birth of Del Sharbutt in Cleburne, Texas, USA; TV announcer (Your Hit Parade). 1912 - Birth of Machito "Frank Grillo" in Florida, USA; bandleader (created salsa music). 1912 - Birth of Maitland Mackie; Lord Lieutenant (Aberdeenshire). 1912 - Edgar Evans, British explorer (Antarctica), dies. 1913 - US President William Taft agrees not to intervene in Mexico. 1914 - Birth of Jimmy Wakely in Mineola, Arkansas, USA; country singer ("5 Star Jubilee"). 1915 - Emil Waldteufel [Charles Levy], French composer (Estudiantina), dies. 1916 - Jeltje de Bosch Kemper, Dutch feminist, dies at age 79. 1916 - Russian troops conquer Erzurum, Armenia. 1916 - [Gerard] Jan Ligthart, Dutch educator (Ot and Sien), dies at age 57. 1917 - First synagogue in 425 years opens in Madrid, Spain. 1918 - Death of Károly earl Khuen-Héderváry; Hungarian Governor/premier (1910-12). 1918 - Lithuania declares independence from Russia and Germany (National Day). 1920 - Birth of Lee Russell in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; singer (Vincent Lopez). 1920 - Birth of Patty Andrews in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; singer (Andrews Sisters). 1922 - Birth of Geraint Evans; British opera vocalist (Knaben Wunderhorn). 1922 - Birth of Paul van't Veer; Dutch journalist/writer (Het Vrije Volk). 1923 - Allies accept Latvia's occupation of Memel territory. 1923 - In Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. 1923 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Theresa Weld Blanchard. 1923 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Sherwin Badger. 1924 - Birth of James Swaffield; Director-General (Swaffield and Clerk to the GLC). 1924 - Birth of Peter Webster; British High Court Judge. 1925 - Birth of David Emms; director (London Goodenough Trust for Overseas Graduates). 1925 - Birth of Per Bailey; director (Gatwick and Stansted Airports). 1926 - Birth of John Schlesinger in London, England; film director (Midnight Cowboy, Darling). 1926 - Birth of Vera-Ellen [Westmeyr Rohe] in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; actress/dancer (Wonder Man). 1927 - US restores diplomatic relations with Turkey. 1929 - Birth of Peter Porter; Australian/British author/poet (Chair of Babel). 1930 - Birth of Peggy King in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA; singer/actress (George Gobel Show). 1930 - Birth of Ricou Browning in Florida, USA; director/actor (Thunderball). 1931 - Birth of Gamini Goonesena; cricket leg-spinner (all-rounder for Ceylon, Notts). 1931 - Birth of George E Sangmeister; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Illinois) (dies 2007). 1931 - Birth of Ken Takakura [Goichi Oda] in Kitam Japan; Japanese actor (A Story of the Antarctic). 1931 - Dirk Schäfer, Dutch pianist/composer (Klavier), dies at age 57. 1931 - Extreme right wing Pehr Evind Svinhufvud is elected President of Finland. 1932 - First patent issued for a tree, to James Markham for a peach tree. 1932 - Birth of Gretchen Wyler in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA; actress (Silk Stockings). 1933 - Archie Jackson, cricket player (of TB, Australia bat too briefly average 47.4), dies. 1933 - Catholic newspaper Germania warns against Nazis/communists. 1933 - England regains the Ashes, thanks to bodyline tactics. 1934 - Birth of Austin "Ted" Taylor; American gospel/R&B-singer ("Be Ever Wonderful"). 1934 - Birth of Marlene Bauer Hagge in Eureka, South Dakota, USA; LPGA golfer (1950 Woman Athlete of the Year). 1934 - Over Texas, USA, a pilot swerves to avoid crashing with a fireball. 1934 - Eduard Bagritsky [Dzjubin], Russian poet/journalist, dies at age 38. 1935 - Birth of Brian Bedford in England; actor (Anthony - Coronet Blue). 1935 - Birth of Robin Clark; chemist (FRS). 1935 - Birth of Sonny Bono in Detroit, Michigan, USA; singer (Sonny and Cher, Mayor - Republican - Palm Springs, California). 1936 - IV Olympic Winter Games close at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 1936 - Spanish Frente Popular (People's Front) wins elections. 1936 - Tommy Ward, South African cricket wicket keeper (23 Tests), electrocuted. 1937 - DuPont Corp patents nylon, developed by employee Wallace H Carothers. 1938 - Birth of Barry Primus in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Sergeant McKenna - Cagney and Lacey, Boxcar Bertha). 1938 - Birth of John Corigliano in New York City, New York, USA; composer (Fern Hill, Ghosts of Versailles). 1938 - Otto zur Linde German, author (Lieder of the Leids), dies at age 64. 1938 - US Federal Crop Insurance program authorized. 1938 - Austria's Schuschnigg accepts Adolf Hitler's ultimatum, puts pro-Nazi ministers in control of police and foreign affairs. 1940 - British search-plane finds German ship Altmark off Norway. 1941 - Birth of Vitali Kuznetsov in USSR; judo (Olympics-silver-1972). 1942 - Birth of Kim Chong-Il [Yura], President of North-Korea (1994-). 1942 - German submarines attack Aruba oil refinery. 1943 - -32 degrees F (-36 degrees C), Falls Village, Connecticut, USA (state record). 1943 - Birth of Anthony Dowell in London, England; ballet dancer (Royal Ballet). 1943 - Birth of J D Moore; headmaster (Saint Dunstan's College). 1943 - Red army conquers Kharkov. 1943 - Sign on Munich facade "Out with Hitler! Long live freedom!" done by "White Rose" student group. 1943 - Withdrawing Africa Corps reaches Mareth line in North Africa. 1944 - Birth of Richard Ford; US author (Sportswriter). 1945 - Billy Frank, cricket player (Test South Africa versus England 1896, 5 and 2, 1-52), dies. 1945 - Rudolf Värnlund, Swedish playwright (Upproret), dies at age 45. 1945 - US forces land on Corregidor, in the Philippines. 1945 - Venezuela declares war on Germany. 1946 - First commercially-designed helicopter tested, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. 1946 - Birth of Aleksandr Shaparenko in USSR; 1000m kayak (Olympics-gold-1972). 1946 - Birth of Ian Lavender; British actor (Stupid Boy in Dad's Army). 1948 - First newsreel telecast, 20th Century Fox-Movietone News shown on NBC. 1948 - Miranda, famous moon of Uranus, photographed for first time. 1949 - Birth of Dorus Vrede; Surinam poet (Otobanda). 1950 - Birth of Peter Hain; British Member of Parliament. 1950 - Birth of William Katt in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Greatest American Hero, First Love). 1950 - David Denton, cricket player (England batsman in 11 Tests 1905-10), dies. 1950 - Writers fail to elect anyone to Baseball's Hall of Fame. 1951 - Henri Velge, first chairman (Belgian Council of State), dies at age 65. 1951 - New York City passes bill prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing. 1952 - Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, age 77, retires; Pittsburgh Pirates retire his #33. 1952 - Ian Craig makes New South Wales cricket debut aged 16 years 249 days (New South Wales record). 1952 - Knut [Pedersen] Hamsun, Norwegian writer (Wanders, Nobel Prize 1920), dies. 1953 - Birth of George Martin; NFL defensive back (New York Giants). 1953 - Birth of Mike Ford in New York City, New York, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (1976 Port Jefferson Open). 1954 - Birth of Iain [Menzies] Banks in United Kingdom; sci-fi author (Wasp Factory). 1954 - Birth of Michael Holding; cricket fast bowler (Whispering Death- Awesome for West Indies). 1955 - Birth of Guy Gallo in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; writer (Under the Volcano). 1955 - Birth of Jeff Clayton; American jazz saxophonist/composer (Groove Shop). 1956 - Birth of James Ingram; singer ("On the Wings of Love"). 1956 - Great Britain abolishes the death penalty. 1957 - Birth of LeVar Burton in Landstuhl, Germany; actor (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation). 1957 - Leslie Hore-Belisha [Lord Halifax], British Minister of Transport, dies at age 63. 1958 - Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. 1958 - Birth of Herb Williams; NBA center (Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks). 1958 - Birth of Ice-T; rap singer/actor (New Jack City, Tank Girl, Crazy Six). 1958 - Birth of John Paul Morse in Marshall, Michigan, USA; PGA golfer (1995 United Airlines). 1958 - Birth of Lisa Loring; actress (As the World Turns, Wednesday - Addams Family). 1958 - CBS airs the last The Seven Lively Arts TV show. 1959 - Birth of John P McEnroe; tennis player (US Open 1979-81, 1984, Wimbledon 1981, 1983, 1984). 1959 - Birth of Kelly Tripuka in Glenn Ridge, New Jersey, USA; NBA forward (Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz). 1959 - Fidel Castro names himself Cuba's premier after overthrowing Batista. 1960 - US nuclear submarine USS Triton sets off on underwater round-world trip. 1961 - First all-solid-propellant rocket put in orbit, Wallops Island, Virginia, USA. 1961 - Birth of Andy Taylor in Dolver-Hampton, England; rock guitarist (Duran Duran - "Hungry Like the Wolf"). 1961 - China uses its first nuclear reactor. 1961 - US satellite Explorer 9 is launched. 1962 - Birth of Alexa Kenin in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Mousie - Coed Fever). 1962 - Birth of Tony Kiley; rocker (Blow Monkeys - "Wicked Ways"). 1962 - Darius Milhaud's 12th Symphony premieres. 1962 - US Open Tennis: Jimmy Bostwick defeats brother Pete to win. 1963 - First round-trip swim of Strait of Messina, Italy (Mary Revell of US). 1963 - The Beatles hit the top of British rock charts with "Please, Please Me". 1963 - C and A Building in Amsterdam burns down. 1964 - The Beatles' make their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. 1964 - Birth of Mark Price; NBA guard (Cleveland Caveliers). 1965 - Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors. 1966 - Birth of Eric Uptagrafft in Spokane, Washington, USA; prone rifle (Olympics-1996). 1966 - Bob Cowper makes 307 versus England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 727 minute s, 20 fours. 1966 - End of Wally Grout's Test Cricket career, 187 dismissals as Australia WK. 1966 - France performs underground nuclear test at Ecker, Algeria. 1966 - Hendrik W Tilanus, artillery officer/leader (CHU 1939-63), dies at age 81. 1967 - Birth of Robert Massey; NFL cornerback (Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions). 1967 - Red Ruffing selected to baseball Hall of Fame. 1967 - Smiley Burnette, cowboy (Charlie - Petticoat Junction), dies at age 55. 1968 - The Beatles' George Harrison and John Lennon and wives fly to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. 1968 - Birth of Cecil Gray; NFL tackle (Arizona Cardinals). 1968 - Birth of Erik Regtop; Dutch soccer player (SC Heerenveen). 1968 - America's first 9-1-1 phone system goes into service in Haleyville, Alabama. 1968 - Elvis Presley receives gold record for "How Great Thou Art". 1969 - Birth of Claude Lambert in Montréal, Québec, Canada; boxer (Olympics-1996). 1969 - Birth of Fermin Cacho in Barcelona, Spain; 1500 metre runner (Olympics-2 gold-1992, 1996). 1969 - Birth of Tim Costo; US baseball infielder (Cincinnati Reds). 1970 - Joe Frazier knocks out Jimmy Ellis in five rounds for undisputed heavyweight boxing crown. 1971 - Birth of Anthony Abrams; NFL defensive tackle (Kansas City Chiefs). 1971 - Birth of Chi Kredell in Long Beach, California, USA; water polo driver (Olympics-1996). 1971 - Birth of Larry Jones; NFL running back (Washington Redskins). 1971 - Birth of Marco Sas; Dutch soccer player (NAC). 1971 - Birth of Mike Hubbard in Lynchburg, Virginia; catcher (Chicago Cubs). 1971 - Birth of Shivanthini Dharmasiri; Miss Sri Lanka-Universe (1996). 1971 - Birth of Van Tuinei; defensive end (San Diego Chargers). 1972 - Birth of Jerome Bettis; running back (Pittsburgh Steelers). 1972 - German mass murderers "Three of Breda" freed. 1972 - Test Cricket debut of Lawrence Rowe West Indies versus New Zealand Kingston, 214 and 100. 1972 - First NBA player to score 30,000 points (Wilt Chamberlain in 940 games). 1973 - Birth of Cathy Freeman in Mackay, Australia; 100 metre/200 metre/400 metre (Olympics-silver-1992, 1996). 1973 - Birth of James Young; Australian water polo player (Olympics-1996). 1973 - Pieter Van der Bijl cricket player (outstanding South African bat in 1938-39), dies. 1973 - West Indies versus Australia at Kingston, first time since 1955 without Sobers. 1974 - Birth of Jevon Langford; defensive end (Cincinnati Bengals). 1974 - Birth of Kathy McCormack; ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics-silver-1998). 1974 - Birth of Kimberly Dawn in Whipany, Oklahoma, USA; rocker (PC Quest-Can You See). 1975 - Birth of Casey Barrett in Montréal, Québec, Canada; 200 metre Butterfly (Olympics-1996). 1975 - Birth of Marty Murray Deloraine; NHL center (Calgary Flames). 1975 - Washington Capitals' first NHL shutout, beating Kansas City Scouts 3-0. 1977 - Birth of Alexei Morozov; NHL forward (Team Russia Olympics-silver-1998, Pittsburgh Penguins). 1977 - Birth of Trina Jackson; 4X200 metre freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-1996). 1977 - USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan. 1978 - First Computer Bulletin Board System (Ward and Randy's CBBS, Chicago, Illinois). 1978 - Birth of Caroline Hunt in Chicago, Illinois; rhythmic gymnast (US team-1996). 1979 - Birth of Emma Louise DeSilets; Miss Washington Teen-USA (1997). 1979 - Near the coast of Peru, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. 1979 - Louise Allbritton, actress (Celia - Stage Door), dies at age 58. 1979 - Nematullah Nassiri, Iran General/head of Savak, executed. 1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. 1980 - Birth of Ashley Lelie; American football player. 1980 - Continuous traffic jam extends 176 km north of Lyons, France. 1980 - Eric Heiden skates 5km in 7:02.29 (Olympic record). 1981 - Birth of Lupe Fiasco; American hip-hop artist. 1982 - Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett Majors divorce. 1982 - Agatha Barbara elected as first female President of Malta. 1983 - Australian bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 76 people. 1983 - Birth of Agyness Deyn; English supermodel. 1984 - Bill Johnson becomes first American to win Olympics downhill skiing gold. 1984 - Ken Williams, TV announcer (Video Village), dies at age 69. 1984 - New Jersey Devils' first overtime goal, Jan Ludvig beats Hartford Whalers 6-5. 1985 - Largest NBA crowd to date, 43,816, sees Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons. 1985 - Larry Ward, actor (Frank Ragan - Dakotas), dies at age 69. 1985 - Livingston Bramble defeats Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini to win WBA champion. 1985 - Israel begins withdrawing troops from Lebanon. 1985 - New Jersey Devils score their fastest hat trick: 42 seconds. 1986 - The French Air Force raids the Libyan Ouadi Doum airbase in northern Chad. 1986 - Hein Vergeer becomes world champion skater. 1986 - Howard Da Silva of Cleveland, Ohio, actor (Ben Franklin - 1776), dies at age 76. 1986 - Karlstad skates world record 10 km (14:12.14). 1986 - Mário Soares (Socialist) elected Portugal's first civilian president. 1986 - The Soviet liner Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. 1988 - First documented combat action by US military advisors in El Salvador. 1989 - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and North Yemen form common market. 1989 - Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox pitcher signs record US$7.5 million, three-year contract. 1989 - William Hayden becomes governor-General of Australia. 1989 - Pan Am flight 103 crash investigators announce that the cause of the crash was a bomb hidden inside a radio-cassette player. 1990 - Keith Haring, American artist/cartoonist (brilliant baby), dies of AIDS at age 31 (born 1954). 1991 - Birth of Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg. 1991 - Dutch PPR, Political Party Radicals, disbands. 1991 - Enrique B Varela, commandant Nicaragua contras, dies. 1991 - NBC airs the last episode of the Disney TV series The Fanelli Boys. 1991 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Tonya Harding. 1992 - Abbas Musawi, leader of Hezbollah, assassinated. 1992 - Angela Carter, British novelist (Magic Toyshop), dies of cancer at age 51. 1992 - Former silver Goodyear blimps are now painted yellow and blue. 1992 - George Mann MacBeth, Scottish journalist/poet (A War Quartet), dies. 1992 - Janio Quadros, President of Brazil (1961), dies. 1992 - Los Angeles Lakers retire Magic Johnson's #32 uniform. 1992 - Winand J Borgerhoff Mulder, court judge Amsterdam (squatters), dies at age 78. 1992 - Birth of Steffani Brass, American actress. 1992 - Birth of Danielle Catanzariti, Australian actress. 1993 - Birth of Mike Weinberg, American actor. 1993 - Richard Salant, news president (CBS - 60 Minutes), dies at age 78. 1993 - Sharon Disney, adopted daughter of Walt and Lillian Disney, dies of complications from cancer. 1993 - Sandra Völker swims world record 50 metre backstroke (28.33 seconds). 1994 - Johann Olav Koss skates world record 1500 metre (1:51.29). 1994 - Premier Alfonso Bustamente ends government in Peru. 1996 - Brownie McGhee, American blues guitarist, dies at age 81 (born 1915). 1996 - Edmund G "Pat" Brown, Governor of California, dies at age 90 (born 1905). 1996 - Gary Kirsten scores 188 for South Africa versus United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi. 1996 - Roger Bowen, American actor (MASH, Main Event, What About Bob), dies at age 62 (born 1932). 1997 - At age 25, Jeff Gordon is youngest winner in Daytona 500 history. 1997 - Paul Stankowski wins Hawaiian Golf Open. 1997 - Terry-Jo Myers wins LPGA Los Angeles Women's Championship. 1998 - Birth of Mr Jefferson in Virginia, USA; first cloned calf. 1998 - Martha Gellhorn, female war reporter for Reuthers, dies at age 89. 1998 - Tellabs Inc acquires Coherent Communications Systems for $670 million. 1998 - China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, killing 202 people (all 196 on board and six on the ground). 1999 - In Uzbekistan, an apparent assassination attempt against President Islom Karimov takes place at government headquarters. 1999 - Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrests one of their rebel leaders. 2001 - British and U.S. forces carry out bombing raids, attempting to disable Iraq's air defense network. Three people are killed in a suburban area of Baghdad. 2001 - The Honduras-registered Steadfast oil tanker runs aground in rough seas off Indonesia's Java island, then partially sinks in shallow waters, leaking about 373,000 litres of sump oil. 2001 - Death of Bob Buhl, baseball player (born 1928). 2002 - Death of Walter Winterbottom, English football manager (born 1913). 2002 - Rachel Thaler, 16, is blown up at a pizzeria in an Israeli shopping mall following a suicide bombing attack on a crowd of teens. 2003 - Death of Eleanor "Sis" Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley (born 1907). 2005 - The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, without the support of the United States and Australia. 2005 - The National Hockey League cancels its 2004-2005 season, becoming the first North American professional league to cancel a season due to a labour dispute. 2005 - Death of Nicole DeHuff, American actress (born 1974). 2006 - Death of Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (born 1925). 2006 - Kobe Airport, a controversial offshore airport in Kobe, Japan, opens for airline service.         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. 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