Today in History
Historical Events
- 31 1st Easter, according to calendar-maker Dionysius Exiguus
- 1436 Florentine Cathedral Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore with then the largest dome in the world by Filippo Brunelleschi with support from Cosimo de' Medici, consecrated by Pope Eugene IV (begun 1296)
- 1807 British Parliament abolishes slave trade throughout the British Empire; penalty of £120 per slave introduced for ship captains
- 1895 Italian troops invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
- 1960 1st guided missile launched from nuclear powered sub (Halibut)
- Historical Events Today Events in 2023
Today in Film & TV
- 1954 RCA manufactures 1st color TV set (12½" screen at $1,000)
Today in Music
- 1939 Billboard Magazine introduces hillbilly (country) music chart
Today in Sport
- 1934 1st Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Horton Smith wins with 20-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole, 1 stroke ahead of Craig Wood
Did You Know?
Swami Vivekananda initiates Margaret Noble (Sister Nivedita) into vow of Brahmacharya, first western woman received into Indian monastic order
Today in History in 1898
Famous Birthdays
Arturo Toscanini
1867 - 1957
Béla Bartok
1881 - 1945
A. J. P. Taylor
1906 - 1990
David Lean
1908 - 1991
Jack Ruby
1911 - 1967
Gloria Steinem
89th Birthday
Celebrity Birthdays
Eileen Ford
1922 - 2014
Aretha Franklin
1942 - 2018
Elton John
76th Birthday
Sarah Jessica Parker
58th Birthday
Wladimir Klitschko
47th Birthday
Casey Neistat
42nd Birthday
Would You Believe?
British Airways flight from London mistakenly flies to Edinburgh, Scotland instead of Düsseldorf, Germany when wrong flight plan submitted
Today in History in 2019
Famous Weddings
- 1734 William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau marries princess Anne of Great Britain, eldest daughter of King George II at St James' Palace
- 1795 2nd Earl of Liverpool Robert Jenkinson (25) weds daughter of the Earl of Bristol Lady Louisa Hervey at Wimbledon
- 1961 Playwright Samuel Beckett (54) weds Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil on a secret civil ceremony in England
Famous Divorces
- 2005 American actress Jennifer Aniston (36) files for divorce from actor and film producer Brad Pitt (41) due to irreconcilable differences after 4 and a half years of marriage
Frederic Mistral
Claude Debussy
Ida B. Wells
Eddie Collins
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Amelia Earhart
Anne Bonny
Coco Chanel
Elizabeth II
Grace Hopper
Harriet Tubman