Today in History

Historical Events

1965

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.

1952

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.

1932

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.

1909

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.

1889

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

Bruce Springsteen

1949

American singer-songwriter, guitarist

Ray Charles

Ray Charles

1930

American singer-songwriter, pianist, actor

John Coltrane

John Coltrane

1926

American saxophonist, composer

Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan

1215

Mongolian Emperor

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Robert Bloch

Robert Bloch

1994

American author

Tibor Sekelj

Tibor Sekelj

1988

Hungarian explorer, author

Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda

1973

Chilean poet, Nobel Prize laureate

Pio of Pietrelcina

Pio of Pietrelcina

1968

Italian priest, saint

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud

1939

Austrian neurologist