What Happened Today in History
Historical Events
- 1520 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan begins crossing the Pacific Ocean
- 1814 The Times of London first printed by automatic, steam powered presses built by German inventors Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer - makes newspapers available to a mass audience
- 1893 Women vote in a national election for the first time, in the New Zealand general election
- 1919 American-born Lady Nancy Astor elected as the 1st female member of the British House of Commons
- 1967 1st radio pulsars detected by British postgraduate Jocelyn Bell Burnell and her supervisor Antony Hewish at Cambridge University
- Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
- 1975 "As the World Turns" and "The Edge of Night", the final two American soap operas that had resisted going to pre-taped broadcasts, air their last live episodes.
Today in Music
- 1925 Grand Ole Opry premieres as WSM Barn Dance on WSM radio Nashville, Tennessee
Today in Sport
- 1895 America's 1st auto race organised by the "Chicago Times-Herald" - Chicago to Evanston and back; 6 cars, 55 miles, Frank Duryea wins averaging 7 MPH
Did You Know?
In Haverhill, Massachusetts, scrap-metal dealer Louis B. Mayer opens his first movie theater
Today in History in 1907
Famous Birthdays
John Bunyan
1628 - 1688
William Blake
1757 - 1827
Friedrich Engels
1820 - 1895
John Wesley Hyatt
1837 - 1920
Henry Bacon
1866 - 1924
Brooks Atkinson
1894 - 1984
Celebrity Birthdays
Berry Gordy
93rd Birthday
Ed Harris
72nd Birthday
Dave Righetti
64th Birthday
Alfonso Cuarón
61st Birthday
Jon Stewart
60th Birthday
Karen Gillan
35th Birthday
Would You Believe?
Captain Cyril Turner (RAF) gives 1st skywriting exhibition (NYC) Turner spelled out "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200." 47,000 called
Today in History in 1922
Famous Weddings
- 1582 Playwright and poet William Shakespeare (18) marries Anne Hathaway (26) (date of the marriage license)
- 1936 Australian paleo-anthropologist Raymond Dart (43) weds South African librarian Marjorie Gordon Frew
- 1938 Chinese politician Mao Zedong (44) weds Jiang Qing (24) in a small private ceremony
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
James Naismith
Enrico Fermi
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Enid Blyton
Jeffrey DahmerThis Month in History
Horatio Nelson: From Frail Boy to National Hero
A 12-year-old boy stepped into a world where many men feared to tread on this day: the harsh and brutal British Navy. He was legend-to-be Horatio Nelson.November 27, 1770
Lomu – The Unstoppable Gentle Giant
Jonah Lomu was a phenomenon in Rugby Union – a man-mountain who inspired fear and respect in equal measure among his opponents.November 28, 2015
Wrong Address for Shakespeare Tourist Attraction
Millions of tourists around the world still have souvenirs of the house where William Shakespeare’s mother was born and grew up. Sadly, it’s the wrong house.November 29, 2000
Humble Beginnings of Churchill, the Political Giant
Winston Churchill, Britain’s legendary wartime Prime Minister was born on this day. Surprisingly the great statesman arrived in this world in a very unusual way.November 30, 1874
Greatest Generation
Silent Generation
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Millennial
Generation Z