What Happened Today in History
Historical Events
- 1291 After 100 years of Crusader control, Acre is the last Crusader stronghold reconquered and destroyed by the Mamluks under Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil
- 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate
- 1896 Khodynka Tragedy: A mass panic on Khodynka Field, Moscow, during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, results in the deaths of 1,389 people
- 1974 India becomes the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb
- 2009 Sri Lankan Civil War: The LTTE are defeated by the Sri Lankan government, ending almost 26 years of fighting between the two sides.
- Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
- 1927 Grauman's Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood, California
Today in Music
- 1999 "Millennium" 3rd studio album by the Backstreet Boys is released - one of the best-selling albums of all time, over 30 million copies sold
Today in Sport
- 1990 Edmonton right wing Jari Kurri sets record for scoring in a Stanley Cup Finals game with 3 goals and 2 assists in 7-2 win at Boston Garden
Nicholas II
Bertrand Russell
Frank Capra
John Paul II
Brooks Robinson
Reggie Jackson
Yun Fat Chow
Jari Kurri
Yannick Noah
Tina FeyFamous Weddings
- 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henri of Anjou, handing the future King Henry II of England most of France, allowing future kings of England to claim France for centuries thereafter
- 1514 Francis, Duke of Valois, later Francis I, King of France, marries Claude, Duchess of Brittany
- 1964 Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (19) weds Margrit Volkmar
Famous Divorces
- 1989 Lisa Strawberry files for divorce from husband and MLB player Darryl Strawberry (they eventually divorce 1993)
John Bellingham
Jeannette Rankin
Elizabeth MontgomeryThis Month in History
Theodore Roosevelt, the Cowboy President
President Theodore Roosevelt began a camping trip on this day with naturalist, writer and conservationist John Muir. The trip had a profound effect on RooseveltMay 17, 1903The Quiet Passing of Halley’s Comet
Halley’s Comet has been skirting Earth over and over again for centuries and did so again on this day. Happily, the disasters predicted by some failed to happenMay 18, 1910Ogden Nash, The Perceptive Poet
Ogden Nash, the American poet famous for his short, whimsical verse, died on this day. He was noted for his wit and understanding of the human condition.May 19, 1971My Fair Lady's Special Day
This was a day to remember for Eliza Doolittle, the 'My Fair Lady' of the stage and film musical that won and broke hearts.May 20, 1956
Greatest Generation
Silent Generation
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Millennial
Generation Z