Today in History
Historical Events
The British Special Air Service (SAS) terminate the Iranian Embassy siege in London. Six gunmen had held 26 people hostage for six days, demanding the release of Iranian Arab prisoners. Two of the hostages were killed.
West Germany gains full sovereignty after World War II. The Federal Republic of Germany had been established in 1949. Its provisional capital was Bonn. After the 1990 reunification of East and West Germany, Berlin was declared the country's capital.
The Council of Europe is founded. The organization was the first to work for European integration. It has 47 member countries and is a completely separate entity from the European Union (EU).
The first Three Stooges film is released. The comedy trio soon became famous, especially in the U.S., for their short films featuring slapstick humor.
Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern major league baseball. A game is considered perfect when none of the opposing players reach the first base. Young's team, the Boston Americans, won 3-0 over the Philadelphia Athletics.
Famous Births
Born on this day

Adele
1988
English singer-songwriter, musician

Michael Palin
1943
English actor, screenwriter

John Batterson Stetson
1830
American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company

Karl Marx
1818
German philosopher

Søren Kierkegaard
1813
Danish philosopher, author
Famous Deaths
Died on this day

Greg Quill
2013
Australian/Canadian singer-songwriter, journalist

Gino Bartali
2000
Italian cyclist

Mikhail Botvinnik
1995
Russian chess player

Ludwig Erhard
1977
German politician, 2nd Chancellor of West Germany

Napoleon
1821
Corsican/French military officer, political leader