Today in History for 16th April 2024
Historical Events
1949 – Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: 3-peat for Toronto Maple Leafs as they beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 for a 4 game series sweep
1972 – Two British soldiers are shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry
1987 – British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor appears at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court in London charged with gross indecency
2003 – Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union
2018 – Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album “Damn”
2020 – 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in 4 weeks (5.2 million in the last week), wiping out 9 1/2 years of job gains
Famous Birthdays
1927 – Peter Mark Richman, American actor (Andrew-Dynasty), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1948 – Robert Kirby, British music arranger (Nick Drake), born in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire (d. 2009)
1963 – Hu Na, Chinese tennis star, born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China
1979 – Sixto Peralta, Argentine footballer, born in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
1984 – Claire Foy, English actress (The Crown), born in Stockport, England
1994 – Midori Francis, American actress (Dash and Lily), born in Lakewood, New Jersey)
Famous Deaths
1090 – Sikelgaita, Lombard princess, wife of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, who often went into battle, armed, dies at about 50
1915 – Nelson W. Aldrich, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, dies at 73
1981 – Eric Hollies, English cricket spin bowler (13 Tests, 44 wickets; dismissed Donald Bradman for 0 in his final Test innings), dies at 68
1991 – David Lean, English film director (Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Ryan’s Daughter), dies of pneumonia at 83
2010 – Daryl Gates, LAPD Chief, dies at 83
2023 – Eddie Colquhoun, Scottish soccer centre back (11 caps; Sheffield United 363 games), dies at 78