What Happened on June 21

Historical Events

1849 – Battle at Waghausel: Prussian troops beat Baden rebels
1853 – Envelope-folding machine patented by Russell Hawes in Worcester, Massachusetts
1879 – Frank Winfield Woolworth opens his 1st successful “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” on North Queen Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1919 – The German Navy, feeling betrayed by the terms of the Versailles Treaty, scuttles most of its ships interned at Great Britain’s Scapa Flow Naval base in the Orkney Islands
1933 – 1st Great Lakes-to-Gulf of Mexico barge trip completed, New Orleans
1998 – US Open Men’s Golf, Olympic Club, SF: Lee Janzen recovers from 7 stroke deficit to win his second Open title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Payne Stewart

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Famous Birthdays

1640 – Abraham Mignon, Dutch still life painter, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1679)
1944 – Corinna Tsopel, Greek actress (Man Called Horse) and Miss Universe 1964, born in Athens, Greece
1946 – Brenda Holloway, American singer and songwriter (“When I’m Gone”), born in Atascadero, California
1946 – Kate Hoey, Northern Irish MP (Labour), born in Mallusk, Northern Ireland
1947 – Dana Rohrabacher, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in Coronado, California
1953 – Michael Bowen, American actor, born in Houston, Texas

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Famous Deaths

1582 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1534)
1900 – Polibo Fumagalli, Italian composer, dies at 69
1932 – (Marshall) “Major” Taylor, American track cyclist (first African-American world champion; 1899 World Track C’ships), dies from a heart attack at 53
1972 – Seth Bingham, American organist and composer (Six Pieces for Organ), dies at 90
1981 – Gunnar Ek, Swedish composer, dies on his 81st birthday
2020 – Ahmed Radhi, Iraqi soccer striker (121 caps; 62 goals; Al-Rasheed; Asian Footballer of the Year 1988), dies of COVID-19 at 56

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