Today in History for 26th April 2022:
Historical Events
1890 – Henry Morton Stanley inaugurated in London
1954 – “Seven Samurai”, Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, is released
1962 – Ranger 4 crash lands on (backside of) Moon
1967 – San Marco 2 Launch (1st Equatorial Launch)
1992 – “Growing Pains” final episode on ABC TV
1993 – “Shakespeare for My Father” opens at Helen Hayes NYC for 266 performances
Famous Birthdays
1603 – Francesco Nigetti, Italian composer, born in Florence, Italy (d. 1681)
1834 – Artemus Ward [Charles Farrar Browne], American humorist (considered to be America’s first stand-up comedian), born in Waterford, Maine (d. 1867)
1910 – Erland von Koch, Swedish composer, born in Stockholm (d. 2009)
1925 – Jørgen Ingmann, Danish jazz guitarist (“Apache”; “Dansevise”), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2015)
1933 – Carol Burnett, American comedian (The Carol Burnett Show) and actress (Annie; The Four Seasons; Mad About You), born in San Antonio, Texas
1952 – Popo Molefe, South African politician and secretary-general (South Africa UDF), born in Sophiatown, Gauteng, South Africa
Famous Deaths
1922 – Hans Sommer, German theatre composer, dies at 84
1951 – John Alden Carpenter, American composer (Sea Drift), dies at 75
1981 – Jim Davis, American actor (Jack Ewing-Dallas), dies at 65
1986 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (All the King’s Men, Highway Patrol), dies after a series of strokes at 74
1991 – Leo Arnaud, French-American composer (Bugler’s Dream), dies at 86
2013 – George Jones, American country singer-songwriter (“Golden Rings”; “Oh Lonesome Me”), dies from hypoxic respiratory failure at 81