1727 – Horatio Gates, British-American soldier (general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War), born in Maldon, England (d. 1806) 1739 – George Clinton, American revolutionary war soldier and politician (US Vice-President, 1805-12; Governor of New York, 1777-95 and 1801-04), born in Little Britain, New York (d. 1812) 1885 – Andre Maurois [Emile Herzog], …
1775 – US Continental Congress creates United States Post Office (U.S.P.O.) in Philadelphia under Benjamin Franklin 1903 – Horatio Nelson Jackson, Sewall K. Crocker, and a bulldog named Bud complete the first automobile trip across the United States, traveling from San Francisco to New York in a two-cylinder Winton in 63 days, 12 hours, and …
1881 – Nathan Clifford, American statesman, diplomat and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at 77 1934 – Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian right-wing politician (Chancellor, 1932-34), assassinated by Nazis at 41 1973 – Louis St. Laurent, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (Liberal: 1948-57), dies of natural causes at 91 1987 – Charles Stark “Doc” Draper, …
1683 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch painter, etcher and playwright (Wiskunstenaars), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1756) 1750 – Henry Knox, American general (Continental Army and later the United States Army) and 1st US Secretary of War (1785-94), born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay (d. 1806) 1824 – Richard James Oglesby, American politician and Major General (Union …
1922 – ATandT begins broadcasting on WBAY (NYC, later WEAF, WNBC, WRCA, and WFAN) 1956 – Pittsburgh Pirates’ Roberto Clemente hits MLB’s first and only walk-off inside-the-park grand slam for a 9-8 win over visiting Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field 1963 – Belgian Senate accepts law on language regulations 1993 – Romantic comedy film “Sleepless …
1739 – Benedetto Marcello, Italian author and composer (Lettera Famigliare), dies on 53rd birthday 1819 – Sophie Gail, French singer and composer, dies at 43 1846 – Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, French King of the Netherlands (1806-10), dies at 67 1910 – Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ukrainian landscape painter, dies at 69 1995 – Jerzy Bonawentura Toeplitz, Ukrainian-Polish …
1884 – Abraham Rutgers, Dutch governor (Suriname, 1928-33), born in Amsterdam (d. 1966) 1914 – Kenneth Bancroft Clark, American civil rights activist (Dark Ghetto) and first black president of the American Psychological Association, born in Panama Canal Zone (d. 2005) 1914 – Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian-American FDA Director (stopped thalidomide use in the US), born …
1651 – Anthony Johnson, a free African American, receives grant of 250 acres in Virginia 1905 – Tsar Nicholas II (Russia) and Emperor Wilhelm II (Germany) sign the Björkö Treaty, whereby each country agrees to come to the other’s defense if attacked by European powers 1908 – After days of discussion with his ministers, Sultan …
685 – John V begins his reign as Catholic Pope 1812 – Battle of Mogilev: first significant fighting during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia results in minor French victory 1877 – First telephone and telegraph line in Hawaii is completed 1904 – Ice cream cone is created during the St. Louis World’s Fair, reputedly first by …
1816 – Elizabeth Hamilton, British author (Cats: A Celebration), dies at 68 1875 – Isaac Singer, American inventor of the first practical home sewing machine, dies at 63 1927 – William Ashley, English economic historian (The Economic Organisation of England), dies at 67 1930 – Glenn Curtiss, American aviation pioneer and airplane builder, dies at …
1339 – Louis I, Duke of Anjou (1360-84) and King of Naples (Battle at Poitiers), born in Château de Vincennes, France (d. 1384) 1816 – Charlotte Saunders Cushman, American actress (Lady MacBeth), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1876) 1824 – Gabriel C. Wharton, American civil engineer and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Culpeper County, …