Today in History
Historical Events
The first prisoners arrive in Guantanamo Bay. Following reports of torture, Amnesty International called the situation at the US detention camp a “human rights scandal”.
The first Rock in Rio music festival is held. A whopping 1.5 million people attended, making it the world's largest music festival.
A massive landslide kills 4,000 in Peru. Nine villages in the Río Santa Valley were engulfed by a 12-meter wall of rock and ice.
Amelia Earhart flies solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. She was the first person to achieve this feat. Her journey took her from Honolulu to Oakland, California.
Insulin is used for the first time to treat diabetes. 14-year-old Leonard Thompson was the first person to receive the medication to combat his Type 1 diabetes.
Famous Births
Born on this day
Siti Nurhaliza
1979
Malaysian singer-songwriter, producer
Rahul Dravid
1973
Indian cricketer
Mary J. Blige
1971
American singer-songwriter, producer, actress
Jean Chrétien
1934
Canadian politician, 20th Prime Minister of Canada
Alexander Hamilton
1755
Nevisian/American economist, politician, philosopher, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury
Famous Deaths
Died on this day
Ariel Sharon
2014
Israeli general, politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel
Nguyen Khanh
2013
Vietnamese general, politician, 3rd President of South Vietnam
Aaron Swartz
2013
American computer programmer, activist
Edmund Hillary
2008
New Zealand mountaineer, explorer
Emanuel Lasker
1941
German chess player