Today in History

Historical Events

1973

Military coup in Greece. President George Papadopoulos was ousted by the army, just a week after student-led protests at the Athens Polytechnic were violently put down by the government.

1960

Assassination of the Mirabal Sisters. The 3 Dominican sisters, Patria, Minerva, Antonia Mirabal, were activists that were opposed to the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. On this day, they were brutally killed and their deaths staged to look like accidents. In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

1952

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap opens at London’s West End. The longest running show in history, the play began as a radio play called Three Blind Mice. It is based on the death of Dennis O'Neill, who died while in foster care.

1950

“Storm of the century” hits eastern US. Also known as the Appalachian Storm, the storm reached blizzard conditions and dumped nearly 60 inches of snow in the Appalachian area. It brought unseasonal temperatures to the region and caused widespread damage to property. About 150 people were thought to have been killed as a result of it.

1936

Nazi Germany and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. The treaty was directed towards the Soviet Union and stipulated that in case of Soviet aggression towards either country, the other would consider it as an act of aggression towards it as well. The pact was later signed by other countries including Italy, Romania, Spain, and Turkey.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Imran Khan

Imran Khan

1952

Pakistani cricketer, politician

Augusto Pinochet

Augusto Pinochet

1915

Chilean general, politician, 30th President of Chile

Joe Di

Joe Di

1914

MaggioAmerican baseball player

Karl Benz

Karl Benz

1844

German engineer, businessman, founded Mercedes-Benz

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

1835

Scottish/American businessman, founded the Carnegie Steel Company

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

George Best

George Best

2005

Irish/English footballer

Hastings Banda

Hastings Banda

1997

Malawian politician, 1st President of Malawi

U Thant

U Thant

1974

Burmese diplomat, 3rd United Nations Secretary General

Nick Drake

Nick Drake

1974

English singer-songwriter, musician

Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Kenesaw Mountain Landis

1944

American judge