Today in History

Historical Events

2008

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologizes to Indigenous Australians for the “stolen generations”. Between 10 and 30 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Islander children were removed from their families until the 1960s.

2004

The universe's largest known diamond is discovered. BPM 37093 is a white dwarf star about 50 light-years from Earth and was nicknamed “Lucy” after The Beatles' song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.

2000

The last “Peanuts” comic strip is published. The 17,897th-and-last installment was published in newspapers around the world on the day following the death of its creator, Charles M. Schulz.

1991

Two “smart bombs” kill at least 408 civilians in Baghdad. The Amiriyah shelter bombing was one of the worst cases of civilian killings during “Operation Desert Storm”.

1945

The German city of Dresden is destroyed by a bombing raid. According to estimates, up to 25,000 people were killed in the raids that lasted 3 days.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams

1974

English singer-songwriter, producer, actor

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

1950

English singer-songwriter, producer

Richard Blumenthal

Richard Blumenthal

1946

American politician

Lord Randolph Churchill

Lord Randolph Churchill

1849

English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

1835

Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings

2002

American singer-songwriter, musician

Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner

1883

German composer, director

Ruđer BoškovićCroatian physicist, astronomer, mathematician

Ruđer BoškovićCroatian physicist, astronomer, mathematician

1787

Cotton Mather

Cotton Mather

1728

American minister

Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia

Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia

1662