Today in History for December 1908

Months in 1908: January February March April May June July August September October November

Historical Events

Events 1 - 10 of 10

2nd - Child Emperor Pu Yi ascends the Chinese throne at the age of two
3rd - Edward Elgar's 1st Symphony in A, premieres
4th - Haiti's president-General Alexis Nord flees from military coup
5th - 1st football uniform numerals used (University of Pittsburgh)
11th - Frederick Delius' "In a Summer Garden," premieres
16th - 1st credit union in US forms (Manchester NH)
26th - Jack Johnson TKOs Tommy Burns in 14 for heavyweight boxing title, becomes 1st black heavyweight champion
28th - Earthquake strikes Messina, Italy (nearly 80,000 died)
29th - Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville, Wisc
30th - Stanley Cup: Mont Wanderers outscore Edmonton, 13-10 in 2 game set

Famous Birthdays

Birthdays 1 - 43 of 43

1st - Georgios Kasassoglou, Greek musician (d. 1984)
2nd - Robert F Simon, Mansfield Oh, actor (Man who shot Liberty Valance)
2nd - Rufe Davis, OK, actor (Cocoanut Grove, Trail Blazers, Gangs of Sonora)
3rd - Halsey Stevens, Scott NY, composer (Triskelion)
3rd - Nigel M Balchin, [Mark Spade], English author (Business for Pleasure)
3rd - Edward Underdown, English actor (d. 1989)
4th - A D Hershey, US, biologist, worked with bacteriophages (Nobel 1969)
6th - Pierre Graber, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 2003)
7th - Jacques Gans, Dutch author/journalist
7th - John H Doeg, tennis champ (US Open-1930)
8th - John Volpe, (Gov-Mass)/US Secretary of Treasury (1969-73)
10th - Arnold A van Ruler, Dutch theologist
10th - Olivier Messiaen, Avignon France, composer (L'Ame en Bourgeon)
11th - Elliott Cook Carter Jr, NYC, composer (Tom & Lily), (d. 2012)
13th - Victor Babin, composer
14th - Laurence Naismith, Surrey England, actor (Judge Fulton-Persuaders)
14th - Morey Amsterdam, American comedian and actor (d. 1996)
14th - Claude Davey, Welsh rugby union footballer
14th - Mária Szepes, Hungarian authoress (d. 2007)
16th - Remedios Varo, Anglès Spain, Spain-Mexican Surrealist artist
17th - Willard Frank Libby, inventor (carbon-14 "atomic clock" (Nobel 1960))
17th - William Brocklesby Wordsworth, composer
18th - Celia Johnson, England, actress (Happy Breed, Brief encounter)
20th - Giulio Cesare Brero, composer
20th - Norman Hackforth, broadcaster
20th - Dennis Morgan, American actor (d. 1994)
21st - Pat Weaver, LA California, TV Executive (started Today show)
22nd - Marius F Duintjer, Dutch architect
22nd - Max Bill, Swiss painter/sculptor/politician (Ruban Sans Fin)
23rd - Yousuf Karsh, portrait photographer (Life Magazine)
25th - Frank Ferguson, California, actor (Wagons West, Dynamite, My Gal Sal)
25th - Helen Twelvetrees, actress (State's Attorney, Painted Desert)
25th - Jan Seidel, composer
25th - Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)
25th - Jo-Jo Moore, baseball player (d. 2001)
25th - Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American automotive engineer (d. 1996)
26th - Ralph Hill, US, 5K runner (Olympic-1932)
27th - Louis JHCA de Bourbon, Dutch writer/poet (Black Banners)
28th - Lew Ayres, Minn, actor (All Quiet on Western Front, Dr Kildare)
29th - Claire Dodd, AR, actress (Ex-Lady, In the Navy)
29th - Gerben Sonderman, Dutch test pilot (Fokker)
31st - Marko Rothmuller, composer
31st - Simon Wiesenthal, Polish/Austrian nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center)

Famous Deaths

Deaths 1 - 5 of 5

22nd - Marie Jungius, Dutch teacher/fairy tale writer, dies at 44
23rd - Eduard Wachmann, composer, dies at 72
23rd - Francois A Gevaert, Belg/Dutch composer (Diable au Moulin), dies at 68
24th - Francois-Auguste Gevaert, Belgian musicologist/composer, dies at 80
30th - Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian lawyer, journalist and senator (b. 1844)