What Happened Today in History
Historical Events
- 1537 The 1st complete English-language Bible, the "Matthew Bible" is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale
- 1582 Last Julian calendar day in Spain, Portugal and pontifical states. To sync to the Gregorian calendar, 10 days are skipped and the next date is Oct 15.
- 1883 The Orient Express departs on its first official journey from Paris to Istanbul
- 1900 In a final confrontation, around 4,000 Ashantis are defeated by the British in the Gold Coast (Ghana)
- 1957 Soviet Union launches Sputnik I, the 1st artificial Earth satellite into elliptical low Earth orbit
- 1993 Troops and tanks of President Boris Yeltsin shell and occupy the Russian White House in Moscow, the house of government of the Russian Federation
- 2006 WikiLeaks is launched, created by internet activist Julian Assange
- Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
- 1987 "The Last Emperor" directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O'Toole premieres at the Tokyo Film Festival (Best Picture 1988)
Today in Music
- 1974 John Lennon releases "Walls & Bridges" album featuring No. 1 single "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" (featuring Elton John)
Today in Sport
- 1895 1st US Open Men's Golf, Newport GC: Englishman Horace Rawlins wins inaugural event; beats Willie Dunn of Scotland by 2 strokes
Did You Know?
Did You Know?Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mt. Rushmore (works on till 1941)
Today in History in 1927
Rutherford B. Hayes
Damon Runyon
Buster Keaton
Anne Rice
Charlton Heston
Tony La Russa
Susan Sarandon
Sherri TurnerWould You Believe?
End of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the Chinese rebel forces of Zhu Yuanzhang defeat that of his rival, Chen Youliang, one of the largest naval battles in history with 850,000 taking part (approx.)
Today in History in 1363
Famous Weddings
- 1539 English King Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, his 4th wife
- 1767 Prince Willem V marries Prussian princess Wilhelmina
- 1795 "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" poet Samuel Coleridge (22) marries Sarah Fricker in Bristol, England
Famous Divorces
- 2016 Singer Gwen Stefani and musician Gavin Rossdale divorce after 13 years of marriage
Rembrandt van Rijn
Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
Janis Joplin
Secretariat
Võ Nguyên Giáp
Jean-Claude DuvalierThis Month in History
Elvis Comes Fifth in Talent Show
Elvis Presley made his first public appearance as a singer on this day. It did not go well: he came fifth in a local talent show. But he was only ten years old.October 3, 1945Barking Mad! Puppies Slain to Cure Leg Injury
Charles Darwin shocked the world in 1859 with his evolution theory. Today, it's his writings about practices in the 19th Century that will shock many modern readers.October 3, 1833Gregory Conquers Julius Caesar
The calendar invented by Julius Caesar was to endure for 1,600 years, but it was finally discarded when Pope Gregory XIII came up with a more accurate version.October 4, 1582Wedding Day for 'Diamond Eye' Cats
Two ‘lucky’ cats were treated to a $28,000 ‘wedding’ by their grateful owner on this day, with 500 human guests who brought gifts worth an incredible $60,000.October 5, 1996
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