Today in History
Important Events
- 379 Theodosius installed as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
- 1812 Peninsular War: After a ten day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo
- 1883 The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey
- 1966 Indira Gandhi elected India's 4th Prime Minister
- 2013 Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
Today in Film & TV
- 1955 "The Millionaire" TV program premieres on CBS
Today in Music
- 1853 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premieres in Rome
Today in Sport
- 2013 Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all seven of his Tour de France victories
Did You Know?
Coopers Inc. sells the world's first men's briefs in Chicago, calls it the "Jockey"
On this day in 1935
Robert E. Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
Janis Joplin
Joy Adamson
Federico Fellini
Buzz AldrinWould You Believe?
World's largest crowd gathering - the Hindu Kumbh Mela in India attracts a then record 15 million people
On this day in 1977
Famous Weddings
- 1872 Physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (26) weds Anna Bertha Ludwig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands
- 1884 Painter Thomas Eakins (39) weds painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony
- 1957 Golfer Gary Player (21) weds Bobby Verwey's sister Vivienne Verwey
Famous Divorces
- 1977 Director Martin Scorsese (34) divorces Julia Cameron (28) after 1 year of marriage
Hedy Lamarr
Wilson Pickett
Stan Musial
George V
Johnny Weissmuller
Audrey HepburnThis Month in History
Theodora: An Emperor’s Anchor and Women’s Champion
Once a child prostitute, Theodora went on to become a Roman Empress who put the backbone into her indecisive husband and championed women’s rights.
January 17, 532 ADWar Victim Goes to Bottom of the Pile
One of the first to die in World War I fell not in the trenches of France but in a leafy lane in rural England. So should he be ranked alongside battle heroes?
January 19, 1915‘My Name is Jimmy Carter and I’m Running for President’
Jimmy Carter is a one-term President but a man who worked tirelessly through a long life to help others and to end conflicts. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
January 20, 1977The Pain Behind Cleopatra's Needle
First-time visitors to London could be surprised when they see an Egyptian obelisk standing beside the River Thames. It was welcomed to the city on this day.
January 21, 1878
Australia
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
New Zealand
Philippines
Russia
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States