today.nukz.net: Almanac

Bix Beiderbecke 1903-1931

Events

241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands – The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa against the Berbers, and makes a triumphal entry into Carthage.
1607 – Susenyos defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.
1629 – Charles I of England dissolves the Parliament, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.
1735 – An agreement between Nadir Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja and Russian troops are withdrawn from Baku.
1762 – French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.
1804 – Louisiana Purchase: In St. Louis, Missouri, a formal ceremony is conducted to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States.
1814 – Napoleon I of France is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.
1816 – Crossing of the Andes: A group of royalist scouts is captured during the Action of Juncalito.
1830 – The KNIL also known as the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.
1831 – The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis-Philippe to support his war in Algeria.
1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican-American War.
1861 – El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bambara Empire of Mali.
1864 – American Civil War: The Red River Campaign begins as Union troops reach Alexandria, Louisiana.
1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."
1891 – Almon Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
1906 – The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, kills 1099 miners in Northern France.
1909 – By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.
1917 – Batangas with the other provinces in the Philippines is formally founded as the Philippines's early encomiendas.
1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.
1933 – An earthquake in Long Beach, California kills 115 people and causes an estimated $40 million dollars in damage.
1944 – Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.
1945 – The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting firestorm kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
1952 – Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the "provisional president".
1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent his removal.
1966 – Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyen Cao Ky sacked rival General Nguyen Chanh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Lima Site 85, concluding the 11th with largest single ground combat loss of United States Air Force members (12) during that war.
1969 – In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later retracts his plea.
1970 – Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. Military with My Lai war crimes.
1975 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam, on their way to capturing Saigon.
1977 – Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.
1980 – Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris shoots and kills Scarsdale diet doctor Herman Tarnower
1980 – Formation of the Irish Army Ranger Wing
1990 – In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.
2000 – The NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.
2005 – Tung Chee Hwa resigns from his post as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong after widespread public dissatisfaction of his tenure.
2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
2008 – The New York Times reveals that Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer had patronized a prostitution service.

Births

1415 – Vasili II of Russia (d. 1462)
1452 – Ferdinand II of Aragon (d. 1516)
1503 – Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1564)
1536 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, English politician (d. 1572)
1628 – Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician (d. 1694)
1709 – Georg Steller, German naturalist (d. 1746)
1745 – John Gunby, American soldier (d. 1807)
1749 – Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian librettist (d. 1838)
1769 – Joseph Williamson, English philanthropist (d. 1840)
1772 – Friedrich von Schlegel, German aesthetician (d. 1829)
1776 – Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen consort of Prussia (d. 1810)
1787 – William Etty, English painter (d. 1849)
1787 – Francisco de Paula Martinez de la Rosa, Spanish statesman and dramatist (d. 1862)
1788 – Joseph von Eichendorff, German writer (d. 1857)
1810 – Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet (d. 1886)
1839 – Dudley Buck, American composer, organist, and writer on music (d. 1909)
1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian composer (d. 1912)
1844 – Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist (d. 1908)
1845 – Tsar Alexander III of Russia (d. 1894)
1846 – Edward Baker Lincoln, son of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (d. 1850)
1847 – Kate Sheppard, New Zealand suffragist (d. 1934)
1850 – Spencer Gore, British tennis player and cricketer (d. 1906)
1875 – Alexander Goldenweiser, Russian pianist, teacher, and composer (d. 1961)
1876 – Ernst Tandefelt, Finnish nobleman, assassin of Minister Ritavuori (d. 1948)
1881 – Thomas Quinlan, musical impresario (d. 1951)
1887 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Grandmaster of Ninjutsu (d. 1972)
1888 – Baldwin Cooke, American actor d. 1953
1888 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (d. 1961)
1892 – Arthur Honegger, French-born Swiss composer (d. 1955)
1892 – Gregory La Cava, American director (d. 1952)
1899 – Robert Meier, German WW1 veteran (d. 2007)
1900 – Pandelis Pouliopoulos, secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (d. 1943)
1903 – Bix Beiderbecke, American musician (d. 1931)
1905 – Betty Amann, German-American actress. (d. 1990)
1905 – Richard Haydn, English actor (d. 1985)
1906 – Lionel Bertrand, Canadian politician and newspaper editor (d. 1979)
1911 – Warner Anderson, American actor (d. 1976)
1915 – Harry Bertoia, Italian artist (d. 1978)
1915 – Sir Charles Groves, English conductor (d. 1992)
1916 – Davie Fulton, Canadian politician and judge (d. 2000)
1917 – Frank Perconte, American sergeant.
1918 – Günther Rall, German ace fighter pilot (d. 2009)
1919 – Marion Hutton, American singer (d. 1987)
1920 – Alfred Peet, Dutch-American entrepreneur (d. 2007)
1920 – Boris Vian, French writer and musician (d. 1959)
1923 – Val Logsdon Fitch, Nobel laureate
1925 – Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet (d. 2005)
1925 – Jean-Guy Cardinal, French Canadian politician (d. 1979)
1926 – Višnja Stahuljak, Croatian writer (d. 2011)
1927 – Claude Laydu, Belgian-born French actor (d. 2011)
1928 – Sara Montiel, Spanish actress and singer
1928 – James Earl Ray, American assassin (d. 1998)
1929 – Huey P. Meaux, American record producer (d. 2011)
1931 – Georges Dor, Québécois author, playwright, singer and songwriter (d. 2001)
1935 – Graham Farmer, Australian rules footballer
1936 – Sepp Blatter, Swiss FIFA President
1936 – Alfredo Zitarrosa, Uruguayan Vocals and journalist (d. 1989)
1937 – Joe Viterelli, American actor (d. 2004)
1938 – Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens
1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor, martial artist and internet meme
1940 – David Rabe, American playwright and screenwriter
1940 – Dean Torrence, American singer (Jan and Dean)
1945 – Birgitta Sellén, Swedish politician
1946 – Hiroshi Fushida, Japanese racing driver
1946 – Mike Hollands, Australian animator
1946 – Jim Valvano, American basketball coach (d. 1993)
1947 – Kim Campbell, 19th Prime Minister of Canada
1947 – Paul Condon, Baron Condon, former police commissioner
1947 – Bob Greene, American journalist
1947 – Tom Scholz, American songwriter and guitarist (Boston)
1948 – Austin Carr, American basketball player
1948 – Richard Park, British media consultant and broadcaster
1949 – Bill Buxton, Canadian computer scientist and designer
1951 – Gloria Diaz, Filipina actress, Miss Universe 1969
1952 – Johanna Lindsey, American novelist
1952 – Mike O'Donnell, American Composer
1952 – Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
1953 – Jacqueline Gareau, Canadian marathon runner
1953 – Paul Haggis, Canadian film director
1954 – Didier Barbelivien, French singer and songwriter
1955 – Toshio Suzuki, Japanese racing driver
1955 – Youssra, Egyptian actress and singer
1956 – Mitchell Lichtenstein, American actor, son of Roy Lichtenstein
1956 – Robert Llewellyn, Writer, Actor, Presenter
1957 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Islamist and leader of al-Qaeda (d. 2011)
1957 – Matt Knudsen, American actor
1957 – Shannon Tweed, Canadian actress and model
1957 – Jim White, American folk singer-songwriter
1958 – Steve Howe, American baseball player (d. 2006)
1958 – Sharon Stone, American actress
1960 – Lance Burton, American stage illusionist
1960 – Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, German keyboardist and songwriter
1960 – Anne MacKenzie, journalist and broadcaster
1961 – Laurel Clark, physician and astronaut (d. 2003)
1961 – Mitch Gaylord, American gymnast
1961 – Pam Oliver, American sportscaster
1961 – Bobby Petrino, American football coach
1962 – Jasmine Guy, American actress
1962 – Seiko Matsuda, Japanese pop singer
1963 – Jeff Ament, American musician (Pearl Jam)
1963 – Rick Rubin, American record producer
1964 – Neneh Cherry, Swedish musician
1964 – Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
1964 – David Faber, American television reporter
1965 – Rod Woodson, American football player
1966 – Edie Brickell, American singer
1966 – Gráinne Mulvey, Irish composer
1966 – Mike Timlin, American baseball player
1967 – Daichi Suzuki, Japanese swimmer
1968 – Felice Arena, Australian children's author
1968 – Thio Li-ann, Singaporean law professor and NMP
1969 – Paget Brewster, American actress
1969 – Walter Schreifels, American musician (Gorilla Biscuits)
1970 – Matt Barlow, American singer (Iced Earth)
1970 – Michel van der Aa, Dutch composer
1971 – Steve Arnold, British racing driver
1971 – Jon Hamm, American actor
1971 – Daryle Singletary, American singer
1971 – Timbaland, American rapper
1972 – Takashi Fujii, Japanese television performer
1972 – Matt Kenseth, American race car driver
1972 – Paraskevi Tsiamita, Greek athlete
1973 – Eva Herzigova, Czech model
1973 – John LeCompt, American guitarist
1973 – Chris Sutton, English footballer
1973 – Dan Swanö, Swedish musician
1973 – Mauricio Taricco, Argentine footballer
1974 – Cristián de la Fuente, Chilean model and actor
1975 – Lyne Bessette, Canadian bicycle racer
1975 – Jerry Horton, American guitarist (Papa Roach)
1976 – Kisaki, Japanese musician
1976 – Haifa Wehbe, Lebanese actress, model and singer
1977 – Peter Enckelman, Finnish footballer
1977 – Shannon Miller, American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist
1977 – Colin Murray, British radio DJ
1977 – Rita Simons, English actress
1977 – Robin Thicke, American singer
1977 – Bree Turner, American dancer and actress
1978 – Neil Alexander, Scottish footballer
1978 – Benjamin Burnley, American musician (Breaking Benjamin)
1979 – Edi Gathegi, American actor
1981 – Samuel Eto'o, Cameroonian footballer
1981 – Efthimios Kouloucheris, Greek footballer
1981 – Steven Reid, Irish International footballer
1982 – Kwame Brown, American basketball player
1983 – Che'Nelle, Malaysian Australian singer
1983 – Rafe Spall, English actor
1983 – Carrie Underwood, American country singer
1983 – Reena Virk, Canadian murder victim (d. 1997)
1984 – Nikos Arabatzis, Greek footballer
1984 – Ben May, English footballer
1984 – Olivia Wilde, American actress
1985 – Lassana Diarra, French footballer
1985 – Casey Dienel, American singer-songwriter
1986 – JC de Vera, Filipino actor
1987 – Martellus Bennett, American football player
1987 – Tuukka Rask, Finnish ice hockey player
1988 – Christian Beck, German footballer
1988 – Michael Dunlop, Northern Irish motorbike racer
1988 – Ivan Rakitic, Croatian footballer
1992 – Emily Osment, American actress and singer
1993 – Jeffrey Scaperrotta, American actor

Deaths

1291 – Arghun, Persian ruler
1315 – Agnes Blannbekin, Austrian mystic (b. c. 1244)
1391 – Tvrtko I, first king of Bosnia (b. 1338)
1510 – Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, Swiss-born preacher (b. 1445)
1513 – John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander (b. 1443)
1549 – Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, English politician and diplomat
1584 – Thomas Norton, English politician and writer (b. 1532)
1585 – Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (b. 1517)
1588 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss scholar (b. 1533)
1669 – John Denham, English poet (b. 1615)
1670 – Johann Rudolf Glauber, German chemist (b. 1604)
1776 – Élie Catherine Fréron, French critic (b. 1719)
1776 – Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish merchant and philanthropist (b. 1701)
1792 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1713)
1823 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1746)
1832 – Muzio Clementi, Italian composer (b. 1752)
1861 – Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet (b. 1814)
1864 – Jack Slade, American frontier figure (b. 1831)
1872 – Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian politician (b. 1805)
1898 – Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, Founder of the Religious of the Assumption (b. 1817)
1895 – Charles Frederick Worth, English-born couturier (b. 1826)
1910 – Karl Lueger, mayor of Vienna (b. 1844)
1910 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1824)
1913 – Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist (b. 1820)
1937 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian writer (b. 1884)
1940 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian writer (b. 1891)
1942 – William Henry Bragg, English physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1862)
1948 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American novelist, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald (b. 1900)
1948 – Jan Masaryk, Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia (b. 1886)
1949 – James Rector, American athlete (b. 1884)
1950 – Marguerite De La Motte, American actress (b. 1902)
1951 – Kijuro Shidehara, Prime minister of Japan (b. 1872)
1966 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)
1967 – Yiorgos Batis, Greek composer and musician (b. 1885)
1970 – Vasilis Avlonitis, Greek actor (b. 1904)
1973 – Eugene 'Bull' Connor, American segregationist (b. 1897)
1977 – E. Power Biggs, English-born organist (b. 1906)
1982 – Minoru Shirota, inventor of Yakult (b. 1899)
1984 – June Marlowe, American actress (b. 1903)
1985 – Konstantin Chernenko, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (b. 1911)
1985 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player (b. 1927)
1986 – Ray Milland, British actor (b. 1905)
1988 – Andy Gibb, English-born singer (b. 1958)
1992 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek composer and musician (b. 1925)
1994 – Abdelkader Alloula, Algerian playwright (b. 1929)
1996 – Ross Hunter, American film producer (b. 1920)
1997 – LaVern Baker, American singer (b. 1929)
1998 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (b. 1913)
1999 – Oswaldo Guayasamin, Ecuadorian painter and sculptor (b. 1919)
1999 – Valentino Mazzia, American forensic anesthesiologist (b. 1922)
2001 – Nicholas Georgiadis, Greek painter, stage and costume designer (b. 1923)
2001 – Massimo Morsello, Italian musician and activist (b. 1958)
2003 – Barry Sheene, British motorcycle racer (b. 1950)
2004 – Dave Blood (David Schulthise), American musician (b. 1956)
2005 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian (b. 1936)
2005 – Danny Joe Brown, American singer (Molly Hatchet) (b. 1951)
2005 – Danny Taylor, American musician (Silver Apples)
2006 – Anna Moffo, American soprano (b. 1932)
2007 – Richard Jeni, American comedian (b. 1957)
2007 – Ernie Ladd, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
2008 – Richard Fran Biegenwald, American serial killer (b. 1940)
2008 – Vangelis Kazan, Greek actor (b. 1936)
2010 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (b. 1971)
2010 – Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, Egyptian Muslim cleric (b. 1928)