Today in History

Historical Events

1980

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.

1955

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.

1949

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).

1934

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.

1904

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

Adele

1988

English singer-songwriter, musician

Michael Palin

Michael Palin

1943

English actor, screenwriter

John Batterson Stetson

John Batterson Stetson

1830

American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company

Karl Marx

Karl Marx

1818

German philosopher

Søren Kierkegaard

Søren Kierkegaard

1813

Danish philosopher, author

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Greg Quill

Greg Quill

2013

Australian/Canadian singer-songwriter, journalist

Gino Bartali

Gino Bartali

2000

Italian cyclist

Mikhail Botvinnik

Mikhail Botvinnik

1995

Russian chess player

Ludwig Erhard

Ludwig Erhard

1977

German politician, 2nd Chancellor of West Germany

Napoleon

Napoleon

1821

Corsican/French military officer, political leader