Today in History
Historical Events
The Indo-Pakistani War comes to an end after a UN-mandated ceasefire. Also known as the Second Kashmiri War, the war was fought between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Nixon Makes his Checkers Speech. The televised speech was made by then-Vice Presidential candidate Richard Nixon as a response to accusations of corruption and use of campaign funds for private expenses. The speech received its name due to the mention of Checkers, a dog he had received as a gift for his children. In the speech, he emphasized that he intended to keep Checkers.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Founded. The Middle Eastern country was created by merging the kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd by Ibn Saud, the king of the House of Saud. The day is celebrated as Saudi National Day in the Kingdom.
Phantom of the Opera makes its Literary Debut. The novel about a disfigured musical genius was written by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a series in the French newspaper, Le Gaulois. The novel was later adapted as a popular musical and as a film.
Nintendo is Founded. The Japanese gaming company was created by entrepreneur Fusajiro Yamauchi as a card company called Nintendo Koppai, which was based in Kyoto. The company originally produced and sold playing cards called Hanafuda. The release of Donkey Kong, an arcade game in 1981, brought Nintendo to the forefront of electronic and video games industry.
Famous Births
Born on this day

Bruce Springsteen
1949
American singer-songwriter, guitarist

Ray Charles
1930
American singer-songwriter, pianist, actor

John Coltrane
1926
American saxophonist, composer

Kublai Khan
1215
Mongolian Emperor
Famous Deaths
Died on this day

Robert Bloch
1994
American author

Tibor Sekelj
1988
Hungarian explorer, author

Pablo Neruda
1973
Chilean poet, Nobel Prize laureate

Pio of Pietrelcina
1968
Italian priest, saint

Sigmund Freud
1939
Austrian neurologist