Today in History
Significant Events
- 1281 During Kublai Khan's Second Invasion of Japan his invading Chinese fleet of 3,500 vessels disappears in a typhoon near Japan
- 1842 Second Seminole War declared over by Colonel Worth; Indians go on to be removed from Florida to Oklahoma
- 1945 V-J Day, Japan surrenders unconditionally to end WW II (also August 15 depending on time zone)
- 1947 Pakistan gains independence from Great Britain
- 1969 British Army deploys on the streets of Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of Operation Banner
- 1980 17,000 workers go on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, marking the beginning of the Solidarity movement
Today in Film & TV
- 1938 BBC's 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague)
Today in Music
Today in Sport
- 1987 Oakland's Mark McGwire sets rookie HR record at 39, en route to 49
Did You Know?
Construction of Cologne Cathedral completed after it began in 1248 - largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe
On this day in 1880
Famous Birthdays
Doc Holliday
(1851 - 1887)
John Logie Baird
(1888 - 1946)
Danielle Steel
71st Birthday
Tomorrow's Famous Birthdays
Napoléon Bonaparte
(1769 - 1821)
Ben Affleck
Turns 45
Jennifer Lawrence
Turns 27
Would You Believe?
The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21.
On this day in 1901
Famous Weddings
- 1756 Frontiersman Daniel Boone (21) weds Rebecca Bryan (17) in Yadkin River, North Carolina
- 1939 "A Star Is Born" actress Janet Gaynor (32) weds MGM costume designer Adrian (36)
- 1952 UK Prime Minister Anthony Eden (55) weds UK prime minister's niece Clarissa Spencer-Churchill (32) in a civil ceremony at Caxton Hall, London
- 1956 Writer Iris Murdoch (37) marries academic John Bayley (31)
- 1964 World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali (22) weds cocktail waitress Sonja Roi
Famous Divorces
- 2012 "Basketball Wives" TV personality Evelyn Lozada divorces NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson (34) due to irretrievably broken marriage only 41 days after getting married
David Farragut
William Randolph Hearst
Hugo Eckener
Macbeth
Will Rogers
Sheikh Mujibur RahmanThis Month in History
Ship Of Gold Sails Into Oblivion
A frigate with more than 150 souls on board, as well as nearly three tons of gold, sailed out of Melbourne on this day – never to be seen again.
August 12, 1853
America's Last Public Hanging
The last man to be publicly hanged in the United States met his fate on this day in history. It was a squalid affair watched by about 10,000 people.
August 14, 1936
First Faltering Steps of Jane Eyre
With hope, pride – and some subterfuge – Charlotte Brontë sent her hefty manuscript of Jane Eyre to publishers in London on this day, then crossed her fingers.
August 15, 1847
A Kiss For Adolf Hitler
A woman spectator leaned over and kissed Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympic Games on this day. Hitler pretended to be amused, but his guards were to suffer.
August 15, 1936
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