Today in History for May 1897

Months in 1897: January February March April June July August September October November December

Historical Events

Events 1 - 16 of 16

4th - 23rd Kentucky Derby: Buttons Garner aboard Typhoon II wins in 2:12.5
4th - Fire in Paris bazaar at Rue Jean Goujon kills 200
8th - 22nd Preakness: T Thorpe aboard Paul Kauvar wins in 1:51¼
11th - Wash Senator catcher Charlie Farrell throws out 8 attempted stealers
12th - 1800-1900 year old fossil of "girl of Yde" found in Drente Neth
12th - Battle at Thessalie: Turkish army beats Greece
14th - Great-Britain signs treaty with Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia
15th - The Greek army retreats with heavy losses in the Greco-Turkish War.
18th - Irish Music Festival 1st held (Dublin)
18th - American baseball NY Giant William (Bill) Joyce sets record of 4 triples in 1 game
18th - Paul Dukas "L'Apprenti Sorcier Pruimtabak on the Market," premieres
18th - Dracula, a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker is published.
19th - Oscar Wilde is released from Reading Gaol.
21st - Yerkes Observatory 40" (1m) refractor used for 1st time
22nd - The Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames was officially opened
29th - 31st Belmont: J Scherrer aboard Scottish Cheiftain wins in 2:23.25

Famous Birthdays

Birthdays 1 - 24 of 24

2nd - J. Fred Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
3rd - V K Krishna Menon, India, minister of defense
6th - Paul Alverdes, German writer (Pfeiferstube)
7th - Kitty McKane, England, tennis (Oly-gold/2 silver/2 bronze-1920, 24)
10th - Dalton Parry Conyngham, cricketer (one Test South Africa v England 1923)
10th - Ewart Levy
10th - Einar Gerhardsen, Prime minister of Norway (d. 1987)
11th - Izak W van der Merwe, [Boerneef], S Afr writer (Tweetalige Woordeboek)
11th - Robert E. Gross, American businessman (d. 1961)
14th - Sidney Bechet, US, jazz clarinetist/saxophonist/band leader
14th - Ed Ricketts, American marine biologist (d. 1948)
16th - Walther Geiser, composer
17th - Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
18th - Frank Capra, Ital, director (Its a Wonderful Life, Arsenic & Old Lace)
18th - Jack Raine, London England, actor (Quartet)
19th - Frank Luke, American World War I pilot (d. 1918)
20th - Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish anarchist (d. 1983)
22nd - Robert Neumann, Austrian/British author (Waters of Babylon)
25th - Alan Kippax, cricketer (22 Tests for Australia 1924-34, brilliant bat)
27th - John Douglas Cockroft, English physicist (Radar, Nobel 1951)
28th - Henry Kendall, London, actor (Amazing Quest, Shadow, Rich & Strange)
29th - Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Brno Austria, movie composer (Violanta)
29th - Ignace Lilien, composer
31st - Margalo Gillmore, London, actress (Skirts Ahoy, High Society)

Famous Deaths

Deaths 1 - 7 of 7

2nd - William Cleaver Francis Robinson, composer, dies at 63
10th - William Thomas Best, composer, dies at 70
10th - Andrés Bonifacio, Filipino revolutionary leader (b. 1863)
12th - Ulrika "Minna" Cant-Johnstown, Finnish playwright, dies at 53
12th - Willem Roelofs, painter/lithographer, dies
21st - Karol Mikuli, composer, dies at 77
23rd - Aleko Konstantinov, Bulgarian writer (To Chicago & Back), dies at 34