Today in History

Historical Events

1984

The video game Tetris is published. Russian computer engineer, Alexey Pajitnov, created the puzzle game. With over 100 million copies sold, it is one of the most successful video games in history.

1982

Israeli forces invade Lebanon. The 1982 Lebanon War was triggered by the attack on Israeli ambassador, Shlomo Argov, in London on June 3. Thousands of civilians died during the war, which lasted three years.

1946

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is founded. The NBA, which comprises teams in the United States and Canada, is considered the world's premier men's professional basketball league.

1944

On D-Day, 160,000 Allied soldiers land in Normandy, France. The World War II invasion of Normandy established a new major front against the Germans in the west and helped Soviet forces facing the bulk of German troops in the east. Germany capitulated on May 7, 1945.

1930

Frozen food is sold in retail stores for the first time. 18 stores in Springfield, Massachusetts took part in a trial to test consumer acceptance. Clarence Birdseye, the founder of the Birds Eye Frozen Food Company, is considered to be the father of the modern frozen food industry.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Jason Isaacs

Jason Isaacs

1963

English actor, producer

Sukarno

Sukarno

1901

Indonesian politician, 1st President of Indonesia

Robert Falcon Scott

Robert Falcon Scott

1868

English navy officer, explorer

Karl Ferdinand Braun

Karl Ferdinand Braun

1850

German/American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

Alexander Pushkin

Alexander Pushkin

1799

Russian author, poet

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Esther Williams

Esther Williams

2013

American actress, swimmer

Robert F. Kennedy

Robert F. Kennedy

1968

American politician, 64th United States Attorney General

Carl Jung

Carl Jung

1961

Swiss psychiatrist

John A. Macdonald

John A. Macdonald

1891

Canadian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham

1832

English jurist, philosopher