Today in History

Historical Events

1996

Civil war ends in Guatemala. The 36-year long civil war fought between several leftist groups representing the indigenous people and poor and the government came to an end after Comandante Rolando Morán of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity and president Álvaro Arzú signed a peace treaty under the supervision of the UN. Morán and Arzú received the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in bringing peace to the country.

1937

Ireland established. A new constitution, established by a national referendum, changed the name of the Irish Free state to Ireland. The Irish Free State was a part of the British Commonwealth and was established in 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty singed in 1921.

1916

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is published. The first novel of Irish writer, James Joyce, the book follows the life of Stephen Dedalus, who many believe was the author's alter ego. It first came out as a series in the literary magazine, The Egoist and was then published by American publisher B. W. Huebsch. James Joyce is best known for his book Ulysses, which is about a single day in the life of advertising agent, Leopold Bloom. In honor of the book, fans of the author celebrate an unofficial holiday, Bloomsday on June 16.

1911

Mongolian Independence. The landlocked North East Asian country declared its independence from the Qing Dynasty, after the Mongolian Revolution of 1911. The country had been under the Qing rule for about 200 years.

1890

Wounded Knee Massacre. On this day, the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry tried to disarm the members of the Lakota tribe who were camped at the Wounded Knee Creek. During their attempt, a shot was fired and the cavalry massacred over 150 members of the tribe including women and children. Many historians believe that the number of people massacred was much higher. Wounded Knee is near present day Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the state of South Dakota.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Jude Law

Jude Law

1972

English actor, director, producer

Stanley Williams

Stanley Williams

1953

American gang leader, co-founded the Crips

Cheikh Anta Diop

Cheikh Anta Diop

1923

Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist

William Ewart Gladstone

William Ewart Gladstone

1809

English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

1808

American politician, 17th President of the United States

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Akmal Shaikh

Akmal Shaikh

2009

Pakistani/English businessman, drug trafficker

Harold Macmillan

Harold Macmillan

1986

English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Wilhelm Maybach

Wilhelm Maybach

1929

German businessman, founded Maybach

Grigori Rasputin

Grigori Rasputin

1916

Russian monk

Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket

1170

English archbishop