What Happened Today in History
Historical Events
- 1 1st Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus
- 800 Pope Leo III crowns Charles the Great (Charlemagne), Roman Emperor
- 1066 William the Conqueror is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England
- 1741 Astronomer Anders Celsius introduces Centigrade temperature scale
- 1868 Despite bitter opposition, US President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all persons involved in Southern rebellion (Civil War)
- 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev formally resigns as President of USSR in a televised speech
- Historical Events Today Events in 2022
Today in Film & TV
- 1962 "To Kill a Mockingbird", a film adaptation of the novel by Harper Lee, directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Gregory Peck, is released (Gregory Peck - Best Actor Academy Awards 1963)
Today in Music
- 1896 "Stars & Stripes Forever" written by John Philip Sousa
Today in Sport
- 1862 40,000 watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina
Did You Know?
Legendary "Christmas Truce" takes place on the battlefields of WWI between British and German troops. Instead of fighting, soldiers exchange gifts and play football
Today in History in 1914
Famous Birthdays
Isaac Newton
1642 - 1727
Mohammed Ali Jinnah
1876 - 1948
Humphrey Bogart
1899 - 1957
Anwar Sadat
1918 - 1981
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
68th Birthday
Justin Trudeau
51st Birthday
Celebrity Birthdays
Jimmy Buffett
76th Birthday
Barbara Mandrell
74th Birthday
Sissy Spacek
73rd Birthday
Rickey Henderson
64th Birthday
Dido
51st Birthday
Adut Akech
23rd Birthday
Would You Believe?
Japanese scientist achieve -271.8°C, coldest temperature ever recorded
Today in History in 1989
Famous Weddings
- 1871 Inventor Thomas Edison (24) marries 1st wife Mary Stilwell (16)
- 1871 Writer Ambrose Bierce (29) weds Mary Ellen Day
- 1949 British actor Cary Grant (45) weds actress Betsy Drake (26)
Famous Divorces
- 1945 Actor John Wayne (38) divorces Josephine Saenz (37) after 12 years of marriage
Samuel de Champlain
Charlie Chaplin
Billy Martin
Nicolae Ceausescu
Dean Martin
George MichaelThis Month in History
Enter King John – England's Worst-Ever Monarch
Most historians have difficulty finding a good word to say about King John who was born on this day and by general agreement ranks as England’s worst monarch.December 24, 1167
The Day They Banned Christmas
Gearing up for a day of Christmas festivities, would-be US revellers in Boston faced bad news on this day. All such celebrations had been declared illegal.December 24, 1659
The Day Murdoch Spoilt the Queen's Christmas
Queen Elizabeth II made the first live Christmas Day broadcast of her reign on December 25, 1952. Forty years later a pre-recorded message would be leaked.December 25, 1952
Will There Be a Yacht In Boxing Day Sale?
Black Friday triggers a global online hunt for bargains. But nothing, it seems, compares with the excitement of joining the crush at a physical Boxing Day sale.December 26, 1836
Greatest Generation
Silent Generation
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Millennial
Generation Z