Today in History
Important Events
- 1692 Last people hanged for witchcraft (8) in the US, 20 hanged overall during Salem Witch Trials
- 1792 French First Republic formed by the National Convention, stripping the French king of his powers
- 1862 US President Abraham Lincoln says he will free slaves in all states on Jan 1
- 1965 India and Pakistan cease-fire goes into effect, ending the Indo-Pakistani War
- 1980 Iraq invades Iran in an attempt to control the Shatt al-Arab waterway
- 2011 CERN scientists announce their discovery of neutrinos breaking the speed of light
Today in Film & TV
- 1994 "Friends" TV sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman debuts on NBC, starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer
Today in Music
- 1869 Richard Wagner's opera "Rhine Gold" premieres in Munich
Today in Sport
- 1920 Chicago grand jury convenes to investigate charges that 8 White Sox players conspired to fix the 1919 World Series
Did You Know?
Robert Walpole becomes the first British "Prime Minister" (actually First Lord of the Treasury) to live at 10 Downing Street
On this day in 1735
Anne of Cleves
Charlotte Cooper
Andrea Bocelli
Augustus Caesar
Kublai Khan
Typhoid MaryWould You Believe?
Benjamin Franklin publishes a hoax letter "An Edict by the King of Prussia" in the Public Advertiser, criticising Britain's colonial policies in the American colonies
On this day in 1773
Famous Weddings
- 1794 Physicist Alessandro Volta (49) weds Teresa Peregrini
- 1854 Future railroad magnate Mark Hopkins Jr. marries Mary Sherwood
- 1940 "Adventures of Superman" actor George Reeves (26) weds Ellanora Needles at the Church of Our Savior in San Gabriel, California
Famous Divorces
- 2000 Actress Patsy Kensit (32) divorces Oasis singer Liam Gallagher (28) due to unreasonable behaviour after 3 years of marriage
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
Nathan Hale
Yogi Berra
Sigmund Freud
Pablo NerudaThis Month in History
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, 1893A 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, 1991Airship 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, 1916Turin Shroud: Holy Relic or Fake?
For 600 years controversy has raged over the Turin Shroud, said to be Christ’s burial cloth. But thousands gazed in awe when, on this day, it went on display.
September 25, 1933
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