Today in History

Historical Events

2001

War in Afghanistan begins. American and British troops began air strikes against Al Qaeda and Taliban targets after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin-Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and other Al Qaeda operatives, to the United States. Nicknamed Operation Enduring Freedom, the military strikes were part of the so-called Global War on Terror.

1996

Fox News broadcasts for the first time. The 24-hour news channel with the slogan Fair and Balanced was created by Australian-American businessman and media tycoon, Rupert Murdoch. Today, it is one of the most watched news channels in the United States.

1959

People on Earth Get the First Glimpse of the Dark Side of the Moon. Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 took pictures of the far side of the Moon. The images sent by the probe covered about 70% of the far side of Earth’s natural satellite and they were instrumental in helping astronomers make the first atlas of the dark side of the Moon. The far or dark side of the Moon is the side of the Moon that cannot be seen from Earth because of the way the Moon orbits around the Earth and rotate on its own axis. Due to lunar libration, people on Earth can see about 59% of the Moon over time.

1944

Auschwitz-Birkenau Sonderkommando Revolt. The short-lived rebellion was staged by prisoners who worked at a crematorium after they learned that the Nazis planned to execute most of the squad. The revolt was quickly put down, and over 450 people were killed.

1919

KLM is formed. The official airline of the Netherlands, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. or KLM, is the oldest airline that still operates under its original name. The first flight of the airline took place on May 17, 1920 between London and Amsterdam in a leased airplane.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe

1982

English footballer

Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton

1967

American singer-songwriter, producer, actress

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

1952

Russian politician, 4th President of Russia

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

1931

South African archbishop, activist, Nobel Prize laureate

Niels Bohr

Niels Bohr

1885

Danish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano

Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano

2012

Mexican drug lord

Emma Darwin

Emma Darwin

1896

English wife of Charles Darwin

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

1849

American author, poet

George Mason

George Mason

1792

American politician

Guru Gobind Singh

Guru Gobind Singh

1708

Indian guru