Today in History
Significant Events
- 451 Roman General Flavius Aetius defeats Attila the Hun at The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (Chalons-sur-Marne), halting Hun invasion of Roman Gaul
- 622 Islamic Prophet Muhammed/Abu Bakr arrives in Jathrib (Medina)
- 1519 Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the 1st successful circumnavigation of the globe (Magellan killed on route)
- 1854 Battle of the Alma: first major battle of Crimean War. British and French alliance defeat the Russians
- 1990 Both East and West Germany ratify reunification
- 2001 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror".
Today in Film & TV
- 1984 "Cosby Show" premieres on NBC-TV
Today in Music
- 1969 Virtual band Archies' single "Sugar Sugar" hits #1
Today in Sport
- 1973 Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match
Did You Know?
Maryland passes 1st anti-amalgamation law to stop intermarriage of English women & black men
On this day in 1664
Famous Birthdays
Upton Sinclair
(1878 - 1968)
Red Auerbach
(1917 - 2006)
Sophia Loren
84th Birthday
Tomorrow's Famous Birthdays
Kwame Nkrumah
(1909 - 1972)
Bill Murray
Turns 67
Faith Hill
Turns 50
Would You Believe?
Capture of Rome by Italian army, Pope Pius IX surrenders to King Victor Emmanuel which unifies Italy and ends 1,116 year reign of Papal States
On this day in 1870
Famous Weddings
- 1997 "CHiPs" actor Erik Estrada (48) weds Nanette Mirkovich
- 2002 "The Matrix" actor Laurence Fishburne (41) weds actress Gina Torres (33) at The Cloisters museum in New York City
- 2002 "The Monkees" lead vocalist Micky Dolenz (57) weds Donna Quinter in Calabasas, California
- 2003 "Will & Grace" actress Megan Mullally (44) weds actor Nick Offerman (32) in Los Angeles
- 2012 Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's daughter Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah (32) weds Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini (29) at the Throne Hall of Istana Nurul Iman palace in Brunei
Famous Divorces
- 1951 Actor Jackie Coogan (36) divorces Ann McCormack after 5 years of marriage
- 1983 Actor James Woods (36) divorces costume designer Kathryn Morrison after 3 years of marriage
Jacob Grimm
Eduard Wirths
Virgil
Flavius Aetius
Charles VThis Month in History
Arc Lamps Light the Way to World-Beating Display
"Artificial sunshine" came to a Northern England holiday resort in 1879, dazzling the visitors and showing the world the possibilities of outside electricity.
September 18, 1879
The Story of the First Country to Grant Women the Vote
In the late 19th century the women's suffrage movement was widespread in Europe, America, Britain and its colonies. But who was first to grant women the vote?
September 19, 1893
A Sheep's Coat at Sunrise, A Man's Coat at Sunset
Is it possible to produce a wearable man’s coat from wool shorn from a sheep the same day? They did it in 1811 and again – in record time – 180 years later.
September 21, 1991
Airship Bomb Crew Meet their Match in Policeman
They dropped their bombs and planned to escape, but the German airship crew hadn’t reckoned on the tenacity of a lone British policeman on his bike.
September 24, 1916
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