What Happened Today in History
Historical Events
- 1820 Russian Antarctic Expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica
- 1825 US Congress approves Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for the forced relocation of the Eastern Indian tribes via the "Trail of Tears"
- 1888 The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. for "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge"
- 1924 Lenin placed in Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow
- 1944 Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed
- 1945 Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland
- 1973 US & North Vietnam's William Rogers & Nguyen Duy Trinh sign cease-fire, ending longest US war and military draft
- Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
- 1970 Movie rating system modifies "M" rating to "PG"
Today in Music
- 1956 RCA records releases Elvis Presly single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million-seller (written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden)
Today in Sport
- 1894 1st college basketball game, University of Chicago beats Chicago YMCA 19-11
Did You Know?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
Lewis Carroll
Edward Smith
Wilhelm II
Jerome Kern
Would You Believe?
Peruvian ambassador Ricardo Rivera-Schreiber warns American Ambassador of Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor
Today in History in 1941
Famous Weddings
- 1186 Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, weds Constance of Sicily
- 1937 Musician Nat King Cole (17) weds dancer Nadine Robinson in Ypsilanti, Michigan
- 1996 "ER" TV actress Yvette Freeman (39) weds musical director Lawny Hartley (49) in Dunleith, Delaware
Famous Divorces
- 1997 "Wall Street" actor Charlie Sheen (31) divorces model Donna Peele after nearly 5 months of marriage
Nerva
Samuel Hood
Giuseppe Verdi
Nellie Bly
André the Giant
SuhartoThis Month in History
'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.January 26, 1998Crippled Kaiser Had Grip of Iron
German Emperor 'Kaiser Bill,' was born on this day, strong-willed and determined to overcome the deformity that afflicted him from birth.January 27, 1859Riot Leader Accuses a Queen
How did Lord George Gordon, an aristocrat who led the Gordon Riots in London, lose a libel case on this day to French Queen Marie Antoinette?January 28, 1788Secret Behind Mona Lisa's Smile
The smile has beguiled art lovers for nearly 600 years and made the Mona Lisa the world's most famous work of art. But was her smile due to a medical condition?January 29, 1987
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