Today in History

Historical Events

2001

The Russian space station Mir plunges into the sea. The legendary station was disposed of in a controlled crash after 15 years in space.

1980

Archbishop Óscar Romero calls on members of the El Salvador armed forces to stop killing their fellow Salvadorians. A death squad assassinated the archbishop only one day after his famous sermon.

1956

Pakistan becomes the world's first Islamic republic. The Dominion of Pakistan also included the area of modern-day Bangladesh or East Pakistan, which seceded in 1971.

1933

The Enabling Act of 1933 grants Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers in Germany. With the Ermächtigungsgesetz, Hitler was awarded the legal right to issue laws even if in breach of the German constitution.

1888

The Football League meets for the first time. The league featuring teams from England and Wales was the world's oldest Association Football league. In 1992, its top 22 teams formed the Premier League.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn

1968

English singer-songwriter, producer, actor

Wernher von Braun

Wernher von Braun

1912

German physicist, engineer

Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa

1910

Japanese director, screenwriter, producer

Amalie Emmy Noether

Amalie Emmy Noether

1882

German mathematician

Pierre-Simon Laplace

Pierre-Simon Laplace

1749

French mathematician, astronomer

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew

2015

Chinese/Singaporean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

2011

English/American actress

Friedrich Hayek

Friedrich Hayek

1992

Austrian/English economist, philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate

Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh

1931

Indian activist

Paul I of Russia

Paul I of Russia

1801