Today in history...
Wednesday May 27, 2009
* 927 – Battle of the Bosnian Highlands: Croatian army, led by King Tomislav, defeats the Bulgarian Army.
* 927 – Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies.
* 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as prince two weeks before his untimely death.
* 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
* 1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
* 1647 – Peter Stuyvesant was inaugurated as Director-General of New Netherland.
* 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
* 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland.
* 1812 – South American Wars of Independence: In Bolivia, the Battle of La Coronilla, in which the women from Cochabamba fight against the Spanish army.
* 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
* 1849 – The Great Hall of Euston station in London is opened.
* 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins his attack on Palermo, Sicily, as part of the Italian Unification.
* 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson.
* 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
* 1895 – Oscar Wilde is imprisoned for sodomy.
* 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri and East Saint Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing $2.9 billion in damage (1997 USD).
* 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
* 1907 – Bubonic plague breaks out in San Francisco, California.
* 1908 – Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Din is elected the first Khalifa of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
* 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
* 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
* 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
* 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
* 1933 – The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon The Three Little Pigs, with its hit song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
* 1933 – The Century of Progress World's Fair opens in Chicago, Illinois.
* 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
* 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
* 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops. Two survive.
* 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an "unlimited national emergency".
* 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
* 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is assassinated in Prague.
* 1957 – Toronto's CHUM-AM, (1050 kHz) becomes Canada's first radio station to broadcast only top 40 Rock n' Roll music format.
* 1958 – The F-4 Phantom II makes its first flight.
* 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celal Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
* 1962 – The Centralia, Pennsylvania mine fire starts.
* 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
* 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
* 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
* 1968 – The meeting of the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (National Union of the Students of France) takes place. 30,000 to 50,000 people gather in the Stade Sebastien Charlety.
* 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
* 1975 – The Dibble's Bridge coach crash near Grassington, North Yorkshire, England kills 32 - the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
* 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
* 1995 – In Culpeper, Virginia, actor Christopher Reeve is paralyzed from the neck down after falling from his horse in a riding competition.
* 1996 – First Chechnya War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
* 1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Paula Jones can pursue her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton while he is in office.
* 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
* 1999 – The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands indicts Slobodan Milošević and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo.
* 2006 – The May 2006 Java earthquake strikes at 5:53:58 AM local time (22:53:58 UTC May 26) devastating Bantul and the city of Yogyakarta killing over 6,600 people.
Birthdays today...
* 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Arab historian (d. 1406)
* 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian (d. 1594)
* 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German scholar (d. 1649)
* 1601 – Antoine Daniel, Jesuit missionary and martyr (d. 1648)
* 1623 – William Petty, English scientist and philosopher (d. 1687)
* 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (d. 1650)
* 1651 – Louis-Antoine, Cardinal de Noailles, French cardinal (d. 1729)
* 1652 – Liselotte von der Pfalz, Duchess of Orléans (d. 1722)
* 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, 8th President of the United States in Congress Assembled (d. 1796)
* 1756 – King Maximilian I of Bavaria (d. 1825)
* 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American entrepreneur (d. 1877)
* 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American suffragette (d. 1894)
* 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American composer (d. 1910)
* 1820 – Mathilde Bonaparte, French princess and socialite (d. 1904)
* 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, New York representative to the U.S. House of Representatives (d. 1892)
* 1836 – Jay Gould, American financier (d. 1892)
* 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American gunfighter (d. 1876)
* 1837 – Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter (d. 1887)
* 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, 7th President of Portugal (d. 1941)
* 1864 – Ante Trumbić, Croatian politician (d. 1938)
* 1867 – Arnold Bennett, British novelist (d. 1931)
* 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and graphic artist (d. 1958)
* 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish writer (d. 1945)
* 1878 – Isadora Duncan, American dancer (d. 1927)
* 1879 – Karl Bühler, German linguist and psychologist (d. 1963)
* 1879 – Hans Lammers, German SS officer (d. 1962)
* 1884 – Max Brod, Austrian author (d. 1968)
* 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (d. 1979)
* 1891 – Claude Champagne, French-Canadian composer (d. 1965)
* 1893 – Hermann Dörnemann, German supercentenarian (d. 2005)
* 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French writer (d. 1961)
* 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American author (d. 1961)
* 1897 – John Cockcroft, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
* 1900 – Uładzimir Zylka, Belarusian poet (d. 1933)
* 1904 – Chuhei Nambu, Japanese athlete (d. 1997)
* 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist and science writer (d. 1964)
* 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer, philanthropist
* 1911 – Hubert H. Humphrey, 38th Vice President of the United States and United States Senator from Minnesota (d. 1978)
* 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Austrian-born Israeli politician (d. 2007)
* 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (d. 1993)
* 1912 – John Cheever, American author (d. 1982)
* 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer (d. 2002)
* 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player (d. 1995)
* 1913 – Wols, German painter (d. 1951)
* 1915 – Herman Wouk, American writer
* 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese politician
* 1921 – Caryl Chessman, American robber and rapist (d. 1960)
* 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor
* 1923 – Henry Kissinger, 56th United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
* 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American entrepreneur
* 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American writer (d. 2008)
* 1930 – John Barth, American novelist
* 1930 – William S. Sessions, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
* 1933 – Ted Rogers, Canadian entrepreneur (d. 2008)
* 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author
* 1935 – Lee Meriwether, Miss America (1955) and actress
* 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American pianist
* 1935 – Mal Evans, British Beatles assistant (d. 1976)
* 1936 – Louis Gossett Jr., American actor
* 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian politician
* 1937 – Allan Carr, American film producer and writer (d. 1999)
* 1939 – Socratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
* 1942 – Lee Baca, American law enforcement official
* 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and presenter
* 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
* 1944 – Christopher Dodd, United States Senator from Connecticut and Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut
* 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer and songwriter
* 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian musician
* 1946 – Lewis Collins, English actor
* 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish musician (d. 2005)
* 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer
* 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant
* 1951 – Ana Belén, Spanish singer and actress
* 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian politician
* 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player
* 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor
* 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American professional wrestling promoter
* 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American television anchor
* 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English musician (Siouxsie and the Banshees)
* 1957 – Duncan Goodhew, English Olympic Games gold medalist swimmer
* 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer and songwriter (Split Enz, Crowded House)
* 1958 – Linnea Quigley, American actress
* 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
* 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
* 1962 – Steven Brill, American film writer and director
* 1964 – Adam Carolla, American comedian and television personality
* 1965 – Todd Bridges, American actor
* 1965 – Patrick Cash, Australian Tennis Player
* 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English footballer
* 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player
* 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player
* 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
* 1969 – Dondre Whitfield, American actor
* 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
* 1970 – Tim Farron, British politician
* 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
* 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
* 1970 – Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (d. 2002)
* 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
* 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
* 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian rules footballer
* 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
* 1972 – Ivete Sangalo, Brazilian singer
* 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
* 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
* 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby union footballer
* 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer and songwriter (Caedmon's Call)
* 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
* 1975 – André 3000, American musician (OutKast)
* 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
* 1975 – Jadakiss, American rapper (The Lox)
* 1975 – Jamie Oliver, British chef and television personality
* 1976 – RJD2, American hip-hop producer
* 1976 – Anita Blonde, Hungarian pornographic actress
* 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian athlete
* 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
* 1977 – Tommie van der Leegte, Dutch footballer
* 1978 – Adin Brown, American footballer
* 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footbaler
* 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
* 1981 – Özgür Çevik, Turkish singer and actor
* 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
* 1981 – David Mauro, American painter
* 1981 – Miloy, Angolan footballer
* 1981 – Fivos Constantinou, Cypriot distance runner
* 1983 – Bobby Convey, American footballer
* 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
* 1984 – Kalle Spjuth, Swedish bandy player
* 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
* 1990 – Ekaterina Zaikina, Russian figure skater
Famous deaths...
* 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 326)
* 735 – Bede, English historian and theologian
* 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias, King of Asturias (b. 831)
* 927 – Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria
* 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland
* 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English military leader (b. 1404)
* 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1452)
* 1525 – Thomas Muentzer, German rebel leader
* 1541 – Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury (b. 1473)
* 1564 – John Calvin, French religious reformer (b. 1509)
* 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
* 1615 – Marguerite de Valois, queen of Henry IV of France (b. 1553)
* 1661 – Archibald Campbell, Scottish religious dissident (b. 1607)
* 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, French painter (b. 1613)
* 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian composer (b. 1626)
* 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French critic (b. 1628)
* 1707 – Marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
* 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist (b. 1716)
* 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French revolutionary (b. 1760)
* 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American explorer (b. 1799)
* 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1782)
* 1896 – Aleksandr Grigorievich Stoletov, Russian physicist (b. 1839)
* 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician, Nobel laureate (b. 1843)
* 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian social activist (b. 1848)
* 1926 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (b. 1904)
* 1941 – Gunther Lutjens, German admiral, died in sinking of the German battleship Bismarck (b. 1889)
* 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain, died in sinking of the German battleship Bismarck (b. 1894)
* 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player (b. 1885)
* 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist (Ripley's Believe It or Not!) (b. 1890)
* 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player (b. 1868)
* 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American illustrator (b. 1877)
* 1963 – Gregoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (b. 1912)
* 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian politician (b. 1889)
* 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German politician (b. 1889)
* 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor (b. 1926)
* 1973 – P.Ramlee, Malaysian actor,singer and songwriter (b. 1922)
* 1984 – Vincent James McMahon, U.S. professional wrestling promoter. (b. 1914)
* 1986 – Isma'il Raji' al-Faruqi, Palestinian-born philosopher (b. 1921)
* 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1891)
* 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet (b. 1907)
* 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, 44th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1908)
* 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist (b. 1904)
* 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
* 1993 – Mary Philbin, American actress (b. 1903)
* 1993 – Werner Stocker, German actor (b. 1955)
* 2000 – Crawford Murray MacLehose of Beoch, British statesman (b. 1917)
* 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian hockey player (b. 1921)
* 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer, fighter pilot, intelligence and counter-intelligence officer (b. 1912)
* 2001 – Ramon Bieri, American actor (b. 1929)
* 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer (b. 1925)
* 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (b. 1966)
* 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (b. 1939)
* 2006 – Alex Toth, American cartoonist (b. 1928)
* 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American columnist (b. 1949)
* 2006 – Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indian actor (b. 1944)
* 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer (b. 1967)
* 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor (b. 1919)
* 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress (b. 1932)
* 2008 – Franz Künstler, Last remaining Austro-Hungarian Empire World War I veteran (b. 1900)
Holidays and observances...
* Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin: Abolition Day
* Nigeria: Children's Day
* Bolivia: Mother's Day (Día de la Madre)
Have a great Wednesday.
~Brian
