May 2, 1864 — Giacomo Meyerbeer dies
Born in 1791 in Germany, Giacomo Meyerbeer was one of the foremost exponents of the musical and theatrical form known...
October 9, 2020
Art & Culture
August 30, 1865 — Tchaikovsky’s Characteristic Dances is first performed in Pavlovsk
Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky when he was only 24, “Characteristic Dances” was the first of his pieces to be...
September 24, 2020
March 24, 1874 — Harry Houdini born
Born Ehrich Weisz in Budapest, Hungary, his family emigrated to America when he was four, and lived in Appleton, Wisconsin,...
September 6, 2020
January 3, 1881 — Anna McNeill Whistler dies
Known to history as “Whistler’s Mother”, after the painting she was the subject of, Anna Matilda (née McNeill) Whistler was...
July 24, 2020
February 13, 1883 — Richard Wagner dies
One of the greatest of the German composers, Wilhelm Richard Wagner is best known for his Ring Cycle, or Der...
July 14, 2020
May 11, 1888 — Irving Berlin born
Born Israel Isidore Baline, the composer better known as Irving Berlin was 101 years old when he died. His family...
June 29, 2020
October 15, 1888 — The “From Hell” letter is mailed
More than a century after the fact, debate regarding nearly every particular of the Jack the Ripper slayings still rages....
June 19, 2020
April 11, 1890 — Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, dies
Joseph Merrick (often incorrectly called John) was one of the most notoriously deformed human beings ever to live. Among other...
June 9, 2020
March 11, 1895 — Shemp Howard of the Thee Stooges is born
Born Samuel Horwitz, Shemp Howard and his brother, Moe Howard, were two of the original Three Stooges, one of the...
April 4, 2020
June 2, 1896 — Gugliemo Marconi applies to patent the radio
Although there has been considerable controversy over the years regarding who actually invented radio – controversy not helped by Marconi...
March 9, 2020
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