Today in American History - On This Day

1873 First free kindergarten in the United States is started by Susan Blow in Carondelet, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri 1907 Harry Houdini escapes from chains underwater in 57 seconds at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, California

Historical Events

  • 1629 Cambridge Agreement, Massachusetts Bay Company stockholders agree to emigrate
  • 1748 First Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 1863 Battle of Rocky Gap, West Virginia (White Sulphur Springs): Colonel George S. Patton's Confederate forces defeat Union brigade advance

First Free US Kindergarten

1873 First free kindergarten in the United States is started by Susan Blow in Carondelet, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri

  • 1874 16 blacks kidnapped from Gibson County Jail and lynched in Trenton, Tennessee
  • 1903 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport, RI: Englishman Laurence Doherty beats American defending champion William Larned 6-0, 6-3, 10-8; first non-American champion

Houdini's Underwater Escape

1907 Harry Houdini escapes from chains underwater in 57 seconds at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, California

Johnson's Winning Streak Ends

1912 MLB pitcher Walter Johnson's 16-game winning streak ends

  • 1912 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport, RI: Maurice McLoughlin wins first of 2 straight US singles titles; beats Wallace F. Johnson 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
  • 1913 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport, RI: Defending champion Maurice McLoughlin beats R. Norris Williams 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
  • 1945 Japanese diplomats board USS Missouri to receive instructions on Japan's surrender at the end of WWII

An American In Paris

1951 Film "An American in Paris" with music by George Gershwin, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron premieres in London (Academy Award for Best Picture, 1952)

LJB Nominated

1964 LBJ nominated at Democratic convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey

  • 1966 KLOC (now KCSO) channel 42 in Charlotte, North Carolina (PBS) begins broadcasting
  • 1967 Dean Chance pitches a 2-1 no-hitter, & Twins sweep Cleveland

Team Manger

1972 Leo Durocher replaces Harry Walker as manager of Houston Astros

  • 1973 University of Texas (Arlington) is first accredited school to offer belly dancing
  • 1980 John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada

Baseball History

1985 Baltimore Oriole Eddie Murray knocks in 9 RBIs in a game vs California Angels

Baseball Record

1987 Paul Molitor goes 0-for-4 ends hitting streak at 39 consecutive games

  • 1990 2 murdered college students found in Gainesville, Florida
  • 1992 Hurricane Andrew makes landfall in Louisiana as Category 3 storm after causing deaths and severe damage in Florida

Welfare Reform

1996 US President Bill Clinton signs welfare reform into law, representing a major shift in welfare policy

American Dominate 200m

2004 An American 1-2-3 in the 200m medals at the Athens Olympics; Shawn Crawford gold in 19.79 ahead of Bernard Williams & Justin Gatlin

US Women Win Football Gold

2004 Lindsay Tarpley and Abby Wambach score as the US beats Brazil 2-1, maintaining an undefeated record to win the women's football gold medal at the Athens Olympics

The Ray Charles Station

2005 US Postal Service christens a Los Angeles facility as "The Ray Charles Station"

  • 2015 WDBJ TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward are fatally shot live on TV by an ex-colleague in Moneta, Virginia

KSI vs Logan Paul

2018 Boxing match between YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul ends in a draw in Manchester, England

  • 2018 Gamer at a Madden NFL 19 gaming tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, loses then returns to shoot two dead and wound nine
  • 2019 Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay state of Oklahoma $572 million in 1st trial against opioid manufacturer

Milwaukee Bucks Forfeit

2020 Milwaukee Bucks forfeit their NBA playoff game after the shooting of Jacob Blake, leading to the NBA postponing more games


American History Timeline

Famous Birthdays

  • 1694 Elisha Williams, American rector of Yale College, born in Hatfield, Massachusetts, (d. 1755)
  • 1808 Benjamin Grubb Humphreys, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Claiborne County, Mississippi (d. 1882)
  • 1811 Danville Leadbetter, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Leeds, Maine (d. 1866)
  • 1820 James Harlan, American politician (Rep-Iowa), US Secretary of Interior (1865-66), born in Clark County, Illinois (d. 1899)
  • 1833 Charles Jackson Paine, American railroad executive, soldier, and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1916)
  • 1835 Theodore Washington Brevard, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Tuskegee, Alabama (d. 1882)
  • 1862 Herbert Booth, English officer of the Salvation army and son of William and Catherine Booth who resigned from the army, born in Penzance, Cornwall (d. 1926)
  • 1874 Zona Gale, American novelist and playwright, 1st woman to win Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1921), born in Portage, Wisconsin (d. 1938)
  • 1879 Joe Jeannette, American boxer (world coloured champion 1909), born in West Hoboken, New Jersey (d. 1958)
  • 1909 Frank Gasparro, American chief engraver of the US Mint (1965-81), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2001)
  • 1909 Jim Davis, American actor (Dallas), born in Edgerton, Missouri (d. 1981)
  • 1919 Ronny Graham [Stringer], American composer, lyricist, screenwriter (M*A*S*H (TV series), and actor (Chico & the Man; Mel Brooks films), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
  • 1920 Brant Parker, American cartoonist (co-creator of "The Wizard of Id"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2007)
  • 1921 Naomi Parker Fraley, American who inspired "Rosie the Riveter" poster, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2018)
  • 1922 Irving R. Levine, American journalist (NBC News), born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (d. 2009)
  • 1924 Alex Kellner, American MLB player, born in Tucson, Arizona (d. 1996)
  • 1925 Jack Hirshleifer, American economist, educator, and author, born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 2005)
  • 1928 Yvette Vickers [Vedder], American actress (Attack of 50 Foot Woman; Attack of the Giant Leeches), and Playboy playmate (July 1959), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. c. 2010)
  • 1932 Joe H. Engle, American USAF Major General, test pilot (X-15), and NASA astronaut (STS-2; STS-51-I), born in Chapman, Kansas
  • 1939 Fred Milano, American doo-wop singer (Dion & The Belmonts), born in The Bronx, New York City (d. 2012)
  • 1940 Don LaFontaine, American voice actor known as "the King of movie trailers", born in Duluth, Minnesota (d. 2008)
  • 1942 John E. Blaha, American USAF/astronaut (STS 29, 33, 43, 58, 79/81), born in San Antonio, Texas
  • 1942 Vic Dana [Samuel Mendola], American singer and dancer ("Red Roses For A Blue Lady"), born in Buffalo, New York
  • 1945 Melvin Watt, American politician (Rep-D-North Carolina 1993-2014), born in Steele Creek, North Carolina
  • 1945 Tom Ridge, American politician, (1st US Secretary of Homeland Security, Rep-R-Pennsylvania), born in Munhall, Pennsylvania
  • 1946 Mark Snow [Martin Fulterman], American television and film composer (The X-Files theme), born in New York City
  • 1946 Valerie Simpson, American singer, songwriter and producer (Ashford & Simpson - "Solid"), born in The Bronx, New York City
  • 1947 Candy Moore, American actress (Lunch Wagon, Tomboy & Champ), born in Maplewood, New Jersey
  • 1949 Bob Cowsill, American musician (The Cowsills - "Hair"; "We Can Fly"), born in Newport, Rhode Island
  • 1949 John Baldwin, American light middleweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1968), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • 1950 Benjamin Hendrickson, American stage and screen actor (As The World Turns, 1985-2006 - "Hal Munson"), born in Huntington, New York (d. 2006)
  • 1951 Robert Torricelli, American politician (Rep-D-New Jersey, 1983-97, Senator-New Jersey 1997-2003), born in Paterson, New Jersey
  • 1952 Michael Jeter, American Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor (The Fisher King; Evening Shade; Assassins), born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee (d. 2003)
  • 1952 Will Shortz, American crossword editor (New York Times), born in Crawfordsville, Indiana
  • 1959 Kathryn P Hire, American Lt Commander USN/astronaut (sk: STS 90), born in Mobile, Alabama
  • 1960 Ola Ray, American model, Playboy playmate (Jun, 1980) and actress (girlfriend in Thriller music video), born in St Louis, Missouri
  • 1962 Bob Mionske, American cyclist and attorney, born in Evanston and Illinois
  • 1969 Elaine Irwin, American model (Almay Cosmetics, Ralph Lauren) and former wife of John Mellencamp, born in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania
  • 1974 Eric D. Snider, American humor columnist / movie reviewer, born in Lake Elsinore, California
  • 1976 Carey Tally, American soccer midfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Memphis, Tennessee
  • 1978 Amanda Schull, American actress (12 Monkeys), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • 1980 Chris Pine, American actor (Star Trek), born in Los Angeles, California
  • 1985 Brian Kelley, American country musician (Florida Georgia Line), born in Ormond Beach, Florida
  • 1986 Cassie [Ventura], American singer (Me & U) and actress, born in New London, Connecticut
  • 1988 Evan Ross [Naess], American actor (96 Minutes), and singer, born in Greenwich, Connecticut
  • 1989 James Harden, American basketball guard (NBA MVP 2018; NBA All-Star 2013–19; Houston Rockets), born in Los Angeles, California
  • 1993 Keke Palmer, American actress (True Jackson, VP), born in Harvey, Illinois

Famous Weddings

Henry Hill

1965 American mobster and later FBI informant Henry Hill (22) weds Karen Friedman in North Carolina; separate in 1989, divorce in 2002

Famous Divorces


Famous Deaths

  • 1863 John Bz. Floyd, American Governor (Virginia), Secretary of War (1857-60) and Confederate general, dies of failing health at 57
  • 1865 Marcellus Monroe Crocker, US attorney/Union brigadier general, dies at 35
  • 1871 Charles Scribner, American magazine and book publisher, dies of typhoid fever at 50
  • 1908 Tony Pastor, American vaudeville performer, dies at 71
  • 1915 John Bunny American film comedian, dies at 51
  • 1930 Leonidas "Lon" Chaney, American actor nicknamed "the man of a 1000 faces" (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera), dies after long illness at 47
  • 1946 Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1887)
  • 1950 Ransom Eli Olds, American auto (Oldsmobile) & truck (REO) manufacturer, dies at 86
  • 1955 Sol White, American Baseball HOF executive (Philadelphia Giants 4 x consecutive black C'ships 1904–1907), dies at 87
  • 1956 Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American Marxist activist who helped establish the American Communist Party, dies at 75
  • 1963 Larry Keating, American radio announcer and quiz master, and actor (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, 1953-58 - "Harry"; Mr. Ed - "Roger"), dies of leukemia at 64
  • 1966 Art Baker, American TV host (You Asked For It), dies at 68
  • 1968 Kay Francis, American actress (Charley's Aunt, False Madonna), dies of cancer at 63
  • 1975 (James) Cullen Landis, American silent and sound screen actor (Soul of the Beast; Peacock Feathers), and director, dies at 79
  • 1976 Warner Anderson, American actor (The Bubble, Destination Moon, Peyton Place), dies at 65
  • 1977 H. A. Rey, American author of popular constellation book, dies at 78
  • 1978 Charles Trowbridge Haubiel, American composer, pianist and lecturer (Tre Ritratti Characteristici), dies at 86
  • 1980 Jimmy Forrest, American jazz saxophonist (Night Train), dies at 60
  • 1980 Miliza Korjus, Polish-American actress (Great Waltz), dies at 71
  • 1980 Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908)
  • 1981 Lee Hays, American folk singer (The Weavers), songwriter ("Wasn't That a Time?"; "If I Had a Hammer"; "Kisses Sweeter than Wine"), and civil rights activist, dies at 67dies of a heart attack at 67
  • 1981 Roger Nash Baldwin, American founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, dies at 97
  • 1981 Walter "Foots" Thomas, American saxophonist, flutist, and arranger (Cab Calloway Orchestra), dies from cancer at 74
  • 1983 Mike Kellin [Myron Kellin], American actor (Pipe Dream, American Buffalo), dies of cancer at 61
  • 1986 Jennifer Levin, American murder victim, strangled by Robert Chambers in New York City's Central Park aged 18
  • 1986 Ted Knight [Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka], American actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Ted Baxter"; Too Close for Comfort), dies of colorectal cancer at 62
  • 1989 Irving Stone, American writer (Love is Eternal, Lust for Life), dies at 86
  • 1992 Arthur Leigh Allen, American elementary school teacher and suspected Zodiac serial killer, dies at 58
  • 1993 Rockin Dopsie Sr. [Alton Jay Rubin], American zydeco singer, and accordion player, dies of a heart attack at 61
  • 1995 Evelyn Wood, American speed reading guru, dies at 86
  • 1995 Ronnie White, American singer (The Miracles - "Shop Around"), dies of leukemia at 57
  • 1998 Frederick Reines, American physicist, (1995 Nobel Prize for Physics for co-discovering the Neutrino), dies at 80
  • 2000 [Douglas] Allen Woody, American bassist (The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule), dies at 44
  • 2003 Jim Wacker, American football coach (Southwest Texas State), dies of cancer at 66
  • 2003 Wayne Andre, American jazz and session trombonist, dies at 72
  • 2003 Wilma Burgess, American country-pop singer (Baby; Misty Blue), dies of a heart attack at 64
  • 2004 Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter (Gloria), dies of a brain aneurysm at 52 [1]
  • 2005 Robert Denning, American interior designer, dies at 78
  • 2007 Edward Brandt Jr., American physician and public health official, dies at 74
  • 2009 Dominick Dunne, American writer and producer (Panic in Needle Park), dies at 83
  • 2009 Ellie Greenwich, American singer-songwriter ("Da-Doo Ron Ron"; "Leader of the Pack"), dies of a heart attack at 68
  • 2013 Ruth S. White, American electronic music composer (Flowers Of Evil), dies at 87
  • 2020 Dan Yochum, American football offensive lineman (CFL All-Star 1975, 76, 77, 78; Grey Cup 1974, 77; Montreal Alouettes; CFHOF), dies at 70
  • 2020 Joe Ruby, American animator (co-creator of Scooby-Doo), dies at 87
  • 2021 Kenny Malone, American Nashville-based session drummer (Dolly Parton; Dobie Gray: Waylon Jennings), dies of COVID-19 at 83
  • 2022 Mable John, American blues, R&B, and gospel vocalist (Tamla-Motown; Ray Charles; "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"), and minister, dies at 91
  • 2023 John Kezdy, American punk-rock guitarist and singer (The Effigies), and later prosecuting attorney, dies from injuries sustained in a bicycle crash at 64
  • 2023 Tony Roberts, American College Football HOF broadcaster (play-by-play announcer Notre Dame Fighting Irish football 1980-2006), dies at 94

Get Our Daily Email

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sLrToaCsnJGue6S7zGirqJyRrnyiucSroJyZnmK1qr%2FTqKmyZqCdvQ%3D%3D

 Share!