Ken Fussichen's History Of The Day For
July 31st

Home Click on * for the link to the relevant chronology. New Date
432*St Sixtus III begins his reign as Catholic Pope.Ref: 69
768*[Philip] begins & ends his reign as Catholic Pope.Ref: 5
1760*Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, drives the French army back to the Rhine River.Ref: 2
1790*The U.S. Patent Office opens.Ref: 2
1792*Construction started with the laying of the cornerstone in the first building to be used solely as a U.S. Government building. It was the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.Ref: 4
1818*Cleveland's first newspaper, the Cleaveland Gazette and Commercial Register, is published. 
1841*John "Red" Kelly, father of Australian bushranger and folk hero Edward "Ned" Kelly, is transfered from jail in Ireland to the convict ship 'The Prince Regent' in the port of Dublin. Ref 
1846*Donner Party: The Party leaves Ft. Bridger following Hastings trail into the Hastings cutoff. The McCutchen family and Jean Baptiste Trudeau join them. The group now numbers 74 people in twenty wagons.Ref: 27
1861*The first storm warnings are published by British Meteorological department.Ref: 62
1874*Patrick Francis Healy was inaugurated president of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in America. Healy at the same time became the first African-American to head a predominantly white university.Ref: 5
1882*Belle and Sam Starr are charged with horse stealing in the Indian territory.Ref: 2
1889*Death of Horatius Bonar, 81, Scottish preacher and author of the hymn, 'I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say'.Ref: 5
1891*Great Britain declares territories in Southern Africa up to the Congo to be within their sphere of influence.Ref: 2
1904*The Trans-Siberian railroad connecting the Ural mountains with Russia's Pacific coast, is completed.Ref: 2
1919 Germany's Weimar Constitution is adopted.Ref: 70
1920*British Communist Party formed in Cannon Street Station Hotel, London.Ref: 10
1925*Unemployment Insurance Act passed in England.Ref: 5
1932*Adolf Hitler's Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis) doubles its strength in legislative elections.Ref: 2
1941*Göring instructs Heydrich to prepare for Final Solution.Ref: 35
1945*The assembly of Little Boy is completed. It is ready for use the next day.Ref: 91
1948*President Harry S. Truman helped dedicate New York International Airport (later John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild Field.Ref: 70
1953*Dept of Health, Education & Welfare created.Ref: 5
1960*Elijah Muhammad, leader of Nation of Islam, calls for a black state.Ref: 5
1962 Federation of Malaysia formed.Ref: 5
1964*(Mississippi Burning) The FBI learns the probable location of the bodies. By this time the FBI had interviewed about 1000 Mississippians, including an estimated 500 members of the KKK.Ref: 87
1964*Al Parker glides 644 miles without any motor.Ref: 5
1965*Britain bans cigarette advertising on TV.Ref: 10
1969*National Guard mobilizes in racial disturbances in Baton Rouge, La.Ref: 5
1972*Thomas Eagleton, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, withdrew from the ticket with presidential candidate George McGovern following disclosure that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment for depression. Eagleton was replaced by Sargent Shriver, who, incidentally, was the only Democratic vice-presidential nominee who did not serve in Congress at any point in his or her career.Ref: 4
1973*Congress votes to end all bombing in Indochina and to ban any future military moves in area without prior congressional approval. 
1978*Gunman shoots his way into the Iraqi Embassy in Paris.Ref: 5
1989*A pro-Iranian group in Lebanon released a grisly videotape purportedly showing the hanged body of American hostage William R. Higgins.Ref: 70
1991 President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow.Ref: 70
1997*New York City police seized five bombs believed bound for terrorist attacks on subways.Ref: 70
1999*The U.S. heat wave -- linked to at least 94 deaths -- continued. As Chicago baked in 100-degree weather, thousands of hot and sweaty residents were forced to endure the heat without air conditioning or fans, due to sporadic power outages and brownouts.Ref: 4
2002*(Elizabeth Smart) Handyman Richard Albert Ricci, who once worked at the Smart home, pleads innocent to unrelated burglary and theft charges. (USA Today, p 3A, 3/13/2003)Ref: 13
2003*The IRS mails out tax credit checks as part of a $350B tax cut package. (XDG, p 1, 7/31/2003)Ref: 83
2003*According to a July 31, 2003 Wall Street Journal article on page C1, former NY mayor Rudolf Giuliani, formerly a scourge of Wall Street, is joining the investment arm of Bear Stearns Co to back firms whose products and technologies could make Americans safer against terrorism, making Giuliani a Wall Streeter, himself.Ref: 33
2003*According to a page 1 snippet on the Wall Street Journal, the last Volkswagon Beetle rolled of the last line in the world. Hitler's "people's car" ends its 68-year run in Mexico with "Bug" No. 21,529,464.Ref: 33
1498*On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus lands on Trinidad. (XDG, p 4A, 7/31/2000)Ref: 83
1790*The first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont. Mr. Hopkins did not get Patent #1 as thousands of patents were issued before someone came up with the bright idea to number them. The inventor patented a process for making potash and pearl ashes.Ref: 4
1809*First practical US railroad track (wooden, for horse-drawn cars), Phila.Ref: 5
1849*Benjamin Chambers obtains patent on breech-loading cannon.Ref: 10
1964*Ranger 7 - USA Lunar Hard Lander. Arrives at the Moon, sends pictures back at a close range, and impacts the Moon.Ref: 40
1969*Mariner 6 flies past Mars.Ref: 5
1971*The first men to ride in a vehicle on the moon did so on this day in the LRV (lunar rover vehicle). This example of a lunar dune buggy carried Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin for five miles on the lunar surface. Their first stop at the rim of Elbow Crater was televised back to Earth to millions of viewers. The Apollo 15 moon ride lasted two hours.Ref: 4
1980*Soyuz 37 crew returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 36.Ref: 5
1777*The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army.Ref: 70
1813*British invade Plattsburgh, NYRef: 5
1917*Passchendaele offensive (Third Battle of Ypres) opens in Flanders. Ref 
1942*In convoy ONS-115 across the Atlantic ocean, RCN destroyer Skeena and corvette Wetaskiwin sink submarine U-588. 
1944*In France, Operation Bluecoat begins. British Bomber Command and US 8th Air Force support the British 2nd Army on the American flank in Flanders. 
1944*The Soviet army takes Kovno, the capital of Lithuania.Ref: 2
1897*St. Louis hurler John Grimes establishes a major league record which still stands by hitting 6 batters in a nine-inning game.Ref: 1
1910*Chic Cub King Cole no-hits St Louis, 4-0 in a 7 inning game.Ref: 5
1922 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson rides world's first water skis (Minn).Ref: 5
1930*Lou Gehrig grand slams as Yanks beat Red Sox 14-13.Ref: 5
1932*Cleveland Municipal Stadium opens-Phila A's beat Indians 1-0.Ref: 5
1934*St Louis Cards defeat Cin Reds 8-6 in 18 innings, pitchers Dizzy Dean & Tony Freitos go the distantRef: 5
1938*NY Yanks suspend Jake Powell, after he said on Chicago radio he'd "hit every colored person in Chicago over the head with a club".Ref: 5
1939*Using yellow dyed balls, Cardinals beat the Dodgers 5-2 at Sportsman's Park.Ref: 1
1954*At Ebbets Field, using a borrowed bat, Brave Joe Adcock hits four HRs in one game as well as a double to set a ML mark with 18 total bases in a 15-7 victory over the Dodgers.Ref: 1
1955 Marilyn Bell of Toronto, Canada, at age 17, became the youngest person to swim the English Channel.Ref: 4
1959*In his major league debut, Willie McCovey collects four hits in four at-bats, including two triples. The Giant freshman first baseman, who will be selected the league's Rookie of the Year despite his late call-up, will hit 13 home runs in just 52 games.Ref: 1
1959*Red Sox first black pitcher, Earl Wilson, pitches 3.2 innings walking nine and leaves the game with a 4-0 lead.Ref: 1
1961*Due to heavy rain, the second 1961 All-Star game ends in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park with a Rocky Colavito's home run accounting for the American League's only run. Jim Bunning, the AL starter, pitches three perfect innings again (he also did it in 1957) making him the only all-star hurler to accomplish the feat twice.Ref: 1
1963*Four consecutive Indians (W. Held, P. Ramos, T. Francona & L. Brown) hit home runs to help beat the Angels,9-5.Ref: 1
1970*The Houston Astros sent ex-New York Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton down to the minor leagues. Ten days after joining the Oklahoma City farm team, Bouton retired from baseball. He authored several baseball books including Ball Four. Bouton also became a sportscaster in New York City for WABC and WCBS-TV.Ref: 4
1971*Oriole hurler Pat Dobson wins his eighth decision of the month blanking the Royals, 4-0; it's his 12th consecutive victory since June 16th.Ref: 1
1972*White Sox Dick Allen becomes the seventh major leaguer to hit two inside-the-park HRs in one game. The homers helps pace the White Sox over the Twins, 8-1.Ref: 1
1973*ABA Virginia Squires trade Julius Erving to the NY Nets.Ref: 5
1974*Bill Bonham, Chicago Cubs, strikes out 4 batters in the 2nd inning. (Sporting News Complete Baseball Record Book, 2002, ISBN 0-89204-668-0) 
1976*Cincinnati Red Pete Rose extends his hitting streak to 44 consecutive games, a mark topped only by Joe DiMaggio's record of 56. Rose would be held hitless the following night in Atlanta, ending his NL-record string.Ref: 86
1978*NY Yanks now 7½ out of first, picked up 7 games in previous 2 weeksRef: 5
1981*The fifty-day old baseball strike is settled as owners and players agreeing on a pooling systems for free-agents compensation. The All Star game will mark the end of baseball's first ever midseason work stoppage.Ref: 1
1982*Phillies' second baseman Manny Trillo boots a Bill Buckner's grounder ending his errorless streak at 479 chances setting a major league record.Ref: 1
1983*Brooks Robinson, Juan Marichal, George Kell and Walter Alston are inducted into the Hall of Fame bringing the total of Hall of Famers to 184.Ref: 1
1984*US men's gymnastics team won team gold medal at LA Summer Olympics.Ref: 5
1988*Willie Stargell became 200th man inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Stargell had 475 career homers, twice leading the NL (48 in 1971, 44 in 1973). He drove in 1540 runs, scored 1195 and had 2232 hits with a lifetime batting average of .282. His inspirational leadership contributed greatly to Pittsburgh Pirate world championships in 1971 and 1979, when he shared NL MVP honors. His #8 was retired by the Pirates in 1982.Ref: 4
1988*Miami Dolphins beat SF 49ers 27-21 in London.Ref: 5
1990*Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan becomes the 20th pitcher to win 300 games as he defeats the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee County Stadium, 11-3, before 51,533 fans, the second largest crowd of the season.Ref: 86
1992*Olympic swimming world records set this day: Jeff Rouse: 100m backstroke (53.86 sec); Kieren John Perkins: 1500m free style (14:43.4); Tamas Darnyi: 200m backstroke (first swimmer to break 2 minutes in 200m: 1:59.36); Yang Wenyi 50m freestyle (24.79 sec). Also this day, Summer Sanders became the first American athlete to win four medals at the Barcelona Olympics as she won the gold in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.Ref: 4
1993*The Montreal Expos retire Gary Carter's uniform no. 8.Ref: 29
1993*The Toronto Blue Jays acquire leadoff man Rickey Henderson from the A's for the stretch run in return for minor leaguer's Steve Karsay and Jose Herrera.Ref: 86
1994*The Giants become the first professional sports team to host an AIDS benefit game, "Until There's a Cure" Day.Ref: 86
1995*The Mets trade former two-time Cy Young Award winner right-handed pitcher Bret Saberhagen and left-handed pitcher farmhand Dave Swanson (player to be named later) to the Rockies for RHPs Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch.Ref: 1
1996*The Tigers trade first baseman Cecil Fielder to the Yankees for outfielder Ruben Sierra. It is the first swap in major league history in which two players with more than 220 home runs are traded for one another.Ref: 1
1997*Mark McGwire joins the St. Louis Cardinals.Ref: 86
1998*The Colorado Rockies trade outfielder Ellis Burks to the Giants for center fielder Darryl Hamilton and two minor league prospects.Ref: 86
1999*Less than an hour before a game at St. Louis, the Colorado Rockies sends LHP Chuck McElroy and OF Darryl Hamilton to the Mets for LHP Rigo Beltran, and OFs Tom Johnson and Brian McRae. McRae spends only nine days with the club, before Colorado trades him to Toronto.Ref: 86
2001*The Red Sox acquire Expo reliever Ugueth Urbina for two minor league pitchers, Tomo Ohka and Rich Rundles. The hard throwing closer was nearly traded to the Yankees earlier in the season, but the deal was nixed when Urbina failed a physical.Ref: 1
2002*A plan to sell beer outside Boston's Fenway Park is approved on a trial basis by city officials. During the 14 games, brew will be available three hours before game time to one hour after games start to game ticket-holders who pass through a turnstile.Ref: 1
1703*English novelist Daniel Defoe is made to stand in the pillory as punishment for offending the government and church with his satire The Shortest Way With Dissenters.Ref: 2
1845*The French Army introduced the saxophone to its military band. The musical instrument was the invention of Adolphe Sax of Belgium.Ref: 4
1912 US government prohibits movies & photos of prize fights (censorship).Ref: 5
1928 MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, White Shadows on the South Seas. Leo’s dialogue was more extensive than the film’s, whose only spoken word was, “Hello.”Ref: 4
1942*Harry James and his band recorded the classic I’ve Heard that Song Before, for Columbia Records. Helen Forrest sang on the million-seller.Ref: 4
1966*Alabamans burn Beatle products due to John Lennon's anti-Jesus remark.Ref: 5
1968*Beatles close Apple Boutique, giving clothes away for free.Ref: 5
1970*Chet Huntley retires from NBC, ending 'Huntley-Brinkley Report' (No more "Goodnight, David" "Goodnight, Chet")Ref: 5
1970*The complete New American Standard Version of the Bible (NASB) was first published. (The completed NASB New Testament had been released earlier, in 1963.)Ref: 5
1980*John Phillips of the Mamas & Papas is arrested on drug charges.Ref: 5
1985 Prince was big at the box office with the autobiographical story of the Minneapolis rock star, Purple Rain. The flick grossed $7.7 million in its first three days of release on 917 movie screens. The album of the same name was the top LP in the U.S., as well.Ref: 4
1988 The last Playboy Club in the US closes. It was a franchised club in Lansing, MichiganRef: 62
1991 Reuters is first to use expression 'ethnic cleansing' in article about Serb guerrillas in Croatia.Ref: 10
1995*Disney announces the acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC for $19B. (Ref: "Disney, The First 100 Years", 1999, ISBN 0-7868-6442-7) 
1996*Alanis Morissette, born in Ottawa, kicked off her first big-time Canadian tour with a show before 15,000 at General Motors Place, Vancouver. The concert had sold out in less than an hour two months earlier.Ref: 4
1526 Augustus, Elector of Saxony & leader of Protestant Germany, is born.Ref: 70
1527 Emperor Maximilian II, is born.Ref: 10
1763*James Kent Fredericksburgh NY, legal scholar (Columbia), is born.Ref: 5
1784*Denis Diderot France, encyclopedist (Dictionnaire Encyclopdique)/philosopher, dies at age 70.Ref: 70
1803*John Ericsson US, invented screw propeller, built USS Monitor, is born.Ref: 5
1804*George Baxter, English engraver and printer, is born.Ref: 70
1811*Jane Currie Hoge, American welfare worker & fundraiser for the Union, is born.Ref: 70
1816*George Henry Thomas, Union general during the American Civil War, is born.Ref: 2
1822*Abram Stevens Hewitt, American industrialist & philanthropist who became mayor of N. Y. C., is born.Ref: 70
1835*Henri Brisson, French statesman who was twice premier of France, is born.Ref: 70
1837*William Clarke Quantrill, leader of Quantrill's Raiders (Confederate irregulars) is born.Ref: 68
1841*George Melville polar explorer, naval engineer, is born.Ref: 5
1858*Richard Dixon Oldham, English geologist who discovered evidence of the Earth's core, is born.Ref: 70
1859*James Kelly, brother of Australian bushranger and folk hero Edward "Ned" Kelly is born. Ref 
1867*S.S. (Sebastian Spering) Kresge merchant: S.S. Kresge’s five & dime stores [now Kmart]; is born.Ref: 4
1875*Jacques Villon, French painter and printmaker & brother of Marcel Duchamp, is born.Ref: 70
1894*Roy Bargy Mich, orch leader (Jimmy Durante Show)Ref: 5
1900*Elmo Roper, American who developed political forecasting by polls, is born.Ref: 70
1901*Jean Dubuffet France, painter (Landscape with 2 Personages), is born.Ref: 5
1904*Arthur Daley sportswriter (NY Times-Pulitzer 1956), is born.Ref: 5
1911*George Liberace musician: violinist, conductor; administrator of Liberace Museum; brother of pianist/entertainer Liberace; is born in Menasha WI.Ref: 4
1912*Irv Kupcinet Chicago Ill, TV host (Tonight! America After Dark), is born.Ref: 5
1912*Milton Friedman, US economist (Nobel 1976), is born.Ref: 11
1913*Bryan Hextall Hockey Hall of Famer: New York Rangers: Stanley Cup [1940]; Art Ross Trophy winner [1941-1942], is born.Ref: 4
1918*Hank Jones pianist: accompanied Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald; led Hank Jones Trio, is born.Ref: 4
1918*Bill (William) Todman game show producer: Goodson-Todman Productions: The Price is Right, To Tell the Truth, Beat the Clock, I’ve Got a Secret, What’s My Line; is born.Ref: 4
1919*Curt Gowdy, TV sportscaster & outdoorsman, is born in Green River, WY.Ref: 68
1919*Primo Levi, Turin, Italy, chemist/writer (Survival in Aushchwitz), is born.Ref: 68
1921*Whitney Young, Jr., civil rights leader and executive director of the National Urban League, is born.Ref: 2
1922*Hank (Henry Albert) Bauer baseball: NY Yankees [World Series: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958: 4 home runs/all-star: 1952, 1953, 1954], KC Athletics; manager: NY Yankees, KC Athletics, is born.Ref: 4
1923 Ahmet Ertegun CEO (Atlantic Records), is born.Ref: 5
1928*Horace Silver, jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, is born.Ref: 2
1929*Don Murray Calif, actor (Bus Stop, Advise & Consent, Endless Love), is born.Ref: 5
1931*Kenny Burrell guitarist: played with Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman; own combos, is born.Ref: 4
1934*Shirley Jones, Smithton PA, actress (Partridge Family, Elmer Gantry), is born.Ref: 68
1935*Geoffrey Lewis Plainsfield NJ, actor (Earl-Flo, Gun Shy), is born.Ref: 5
1937*John Sellers jockey: winner: Kentucky Derby [1961: on Carry Back], Belmont Stakes [1965: on Hail To All], Brooklyn Handicap [1965: on Pia Star], is born.Ref: 4
1939*John West musician: keyboards: group: Gary Lewis and the Playboys: This Diamond RingRef: 4
1939*France Nuyen Marselles France, actress (St Elsewhere, Diamond Head), is born.Ref: 5
1940*Stanley Jaffe producer (Fatal Attraction), is born.Ref: 5
1943*Susan Flannery NYC, actress (Leslie Stewart-Dallas), is born.Ref: 5
1943*William Bennett US Secretary of Education (1985-88)/drug czar, is born.Ref: 5
1944*Geraldine Chaplin Santa Monica Ca, actress (Dr Zhivago, 3 Musketeers), is born.Ref: 5
1944*Sherry Lansing Chicago Ill, actress (China Syndrome, Black Rain), is born.Ref: 5
1946*Bob Welch rocker (Fleetwood Mac-Oh Well), is born.Ref: 5
1946*Gary Lewis, Jerry's son, singer, (& The Playboys-This Diamond Ring), is born.Ref: 5
1947*Karl Green musician: guitar, harmonica: group: Herman’s Hermits: I’m into Something Good, Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter, I’m Henry VIII, I Am, Listen People, A Must to Avoid, Leaning on the Lamp Post, is born.Ref: 4
1950*Lane Davies actor (Mason-Santa Barbara, Impure Thoughts), is born.Ref: 5
1951*Barry Van Dyke Atlanta Ga, actor (Lt Dillon-Battlestar Galactica), is born.Ref: 5
1951*Evonne Goolagong Cawley Australia, tennis player (Wimbeldon 1971), is born.Ref: 5
1952*Chris Ahrens hockey: NHL: Minnesota North Stars; WHA: Edmonton Oilers, is born.Ref: 4
1952*Alan Autry actor: In the Heat of the Night, Proud Men, Blue De Ville, At Close Range; mayor of Fresno California, is born.Ref: 4
1953*Hugh McDowell chelloist (ELO-Telephone Line), is born.Ref: 5
1956*Michael Biehn actor: The Rock, Breach of Trust, Blood of the Hunter, Tombstone, A Taste for Killing, Timebomb, Aliens, The Terminator, The Fan, Coach, The Runaways, is born.Ref: 4
1957*Daniel Ash musician: guitar, singer: groups: Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, is born.Ref: 4
1957*Leon Durham baseball: St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs [all-star: 1982, 1983], Cincinnati RedsRef: 4
1957*Dirk Blocker LA Calif, actor (Baa Baa Black Sheep, Ryan's Four), is born.Ref: 5
1957*Irina Nazariva USSR, 4 X 400m relay (Olympic-gold-1980), is born.Ref: 5
1957*Victoria E Cooke Hollywood Ca, playmate (Aug, 1980), is born.Ref: 5
1958*Bill Berry musician: drums: group: R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe, Talk about the Passion, So Central Rain, [Don’t Go Back To] Rockville, Seven Chinese Brothers, is born.Ref: 4
1958*Wally Kurth actor (Days of Our Lives), is born.Ref: 5
1962*Actor Wesley Snipes is born. (TWA, 1997)Ref: 95
1962*Kym Malin Dallas TX, playmate (May, 1982), is born.Ref: 5
1962*Sandra "Sweetness" Hodge basketball player (Harlem Globetrotters), is born.Ref: 5
1963*Norman Cook rocker (Housemartins-Happy Hour, Over There), is born.Ref: 5
1965 J.K. Rowling is born.Ref: 10
1966*Dean Cain, actor: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, is born in Mt Clemens MI. (TWA, 1998)Ref: 95
1973*Jerry Rivera Puerto Rico, spanish singer, is born.Ref: 5
1556*St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus -- the Jesuit order of Catholic priests and brothers -- died in Rome.Ref: 68
1750 King John V Portugal, is born.Ref: 10
1771*Thomas Gray, English poet, dies.Ref: 2
1776*Francis Salvador, a plantation owner from South Carolina, became the first Jew to die for American independence, when he was killed in a skirmish with the British.Ref: 5
1811*Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Mexican hero priest, executed by Spanish.Ref: 5
1818*Nikolay Novikov, Russian writer, philanthropist and social critic, dies at age 74.Ref: 2
1849*Sándor Petöfi Kikkörös, Hungary, poet, revolutionary (Jáos Vitéz), dies.Ref: 17
1875*Andrew Johnson, 17th US President, dies at his daughter's house in Carter Station TN, after suffering a stroke at age 66.Ref: 68
1886*Franz Liszt composer: The Hungarian Rhapsodies, Les Preludes, Orpheus, Tasso, Faust, Hungarian Fantasy, Sonata in B Minor; dies at age 74 in Bayreuth, Bavaria.Ref: 4
1935*Gustav Lindenthal, Austrian-born American civil engineer; designed the Hell Gate Bridge, dies at age 85.Ref: 70
1942*German SS gases 1,000 Jews in Minsk, Belorussia.Ref: 5
1944*Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French aviator and writer (Wind, Sand & Stars), dies at age 44.Ref: 70
1949*Lightning strikes a baseball field in Fla, kills the SS & 3rd baseman.Ref: 5
1953*Robert A Taft (Sen-R-Ohio, Mr Republican, co-author of the Taft-Hartley Act), dies in NY at 63.Ref: 68
1964*Country Music Hall of Famer "Gentleman" Jim (James Travis) Reeves died when his single-engine Beechcraft crashed near Nashville, TN. Gentleman Jim started as a DJ, first at KGRI in Henderson, Texas; then at KWKH in Shreveport, LA (the home of the Louisiana Hayride in the early 1950s). His first hit was Mexican Joe in 1953. Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955. He had his own TV series on ABC in 1957. He was in the 1963 film, Kimberley Jim. Reeves bought a radio station in Henderson, Texas, which became very successful. Hits by Jim Reeves include Four Walls, He’ll Have to Go, I’m Getting Better, Am I Losing You, Welcome to My World and I Guess I’m Crazy.Ref: 4
1969*(Manson) A music teacher named Gary Hinman is stabbed to death. On the wall near the body, in Hinman's blood, was printed "political piggy."Ref: 87
1972 Paul-Henri Spaak, Post-World War II statesmen from Belgium, dies at age 73.Ref: 70
1973*Delta Airlines DC-9 crashes in fog at Logan Airport, Boston, killing all but one of 89 aboard. Lone survivor dies 6 months later.Ref: 5
1975*Former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in suburban Detroit. Although presumed dead, his remains have never been found.Ref: 68
1976*Flood in Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado, kills 139. (TWA, 1998)Ref: 95
1977*Stacy Moskowitz shot to death by Son of Sam, at 20.Ref: 5
1978*Enoch Light orch leader (Gulf Road Show with Bob Smith), dies at 70.Ref: 5
1980*Bobby Van (Bobby King Robert Stein) actor, dancer: Escape from Planet Earth, Small Town Girl, Kiss Me Kate, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis; dies. (TWA, 1981)Ref: 95
1981*Gen Omar Torrijos leader of Panama, dies in plane crash.Ref: 5
1982*46 kids & 7 adults die as 2 buses & several cars collide in France.Ref: 5
1984*Bill Raisch one armed actor (Fred Johnson-Fugitive), dies at 79Ref: 5
1986*Teddy Wilson jazz pianist: Carelessly, Where the Lazy River Goes By, My Melancholy Baby, Remember Me?, You Can't Stop Me from Dreaming, Honeysuckle Rose, Ain't Misbehavin'; bandleader, arranger; dies.Ref: 2
1987*Joseph E. Levine movie producer: The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge, The Lion in Winter; dies.Ref: 4
1987*400 trampled to death at Mecca as Iranians clash with Saudi riot police near Great Mosque.Ref: 10
1993*King Baudouin of the Belgians at age 62. (TWA, 1994)Ref: 95
2002*A bomb exploded inside a cafeteria at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, killing nine people, including five Americans.Ref: 70

Last Update: October 27th, 2005
© 2000-2005   Kenneth Fussichen