Today in History

Historical Events

1979

Mob burns down US embassy in Pakistan. The mob was allegedly incensed by a rumor that the United States was involved in an attack on a mosque in the holy city of Mecca.

1964

Verrazano Narrows Bridge opens in NYC. The suspension bridge connects Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City and at the time of its opening, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge, until the Humber Bridge in the UK opened in 1981.

1962

War between China and India ends. The month long war began over a border dispute between the two countries and ended with a unilateral ceasefire by the Chinese.

1941

Tweety Bird makes its debut. The fictional cartoon canary also just called Tweety made his first appearance in A Tale of Two Kitties, a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon. Tweety was created by animator Bob Clampett who worked on Loony Tunes cartoons.

1920

Bloody Sunday in Ireland. A key event in the Irish War of Independence, which was a conflict between the British government and Irish revolutionaries in Ireland, Bloody Sunday began with the killings of 14 people by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) under the leadership of Michael Collins. Two other violent incidents against civilian and IRA members during the day added to the death count, which was over 30 by the end of the day.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Ken Griffey, Jr.American baseball player

Ken Griffey, Jr.American baseball player

1969

Björk

Björk

1965

Icelandic singer-songwriter, producer, actress

Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn

1945

American actress

Pope Benedict XV

Pope Benedict XV

1854

Voltaire

Voltaire

1694

French philosopher

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Ajmal Kasab

Ajmal Kasab

2012

Pakistani terrorist

Abdus Salam

Abdus Salam

1996

Pakistani physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

C. V. Raman

C. V. Raman

1970

Indian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

Max Baer

Max Baer

1959

American boxer, actor

Garret Hobart

Garret Hobart

1899

American lawyer, politician, 24th Vice President of the United States