Today in History

Historical Events

1973

Guinea-Bissau gains independence. Guinea-Bissau declared its independence from Portugal. The declaration was recognized almost a year later on September 10, 1974.

1957

Camp Nou, a stadium that seats over 99,000 opens its doors for football fans. Situated in Barcelona, Spain, it is the largest stadium in Europe and the 11th largest in the world.

1948

Honda Motor Company is founded by Soichiro Honda. The automobile manufacturer is also the world's largest producer of motorcycles.

1869

Black Friday in the United States. A group of speculators headed by James Fisk and Jay Gould started hoarding gold, which led to high gold prices. The US Treasury under the orders of President Ulysses S. Grant sold a large amount of gold leading to a plummet in gold prices within the span of minutes.

1789

US Congress Adopts the Judiciary Act of 1789. The act was passed by the first Congress of the United States. It created the US federal judiciary including the Supreme Court.

Famous Births

Born on this day

Ryan Briscoe

Ryan Briscoe

1981

Australian race car driver

Jim Henson

Jim Henson

1936

American puppeteer, director, producer, founded The Company

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald

1896

American author

John Marshall

John Marshall

1755

American jurist, 4th Chief Justice of the United States

Alaungpaya

Alaungpaya

1714

Burmese king

Famous Deaths

Died on this day

Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss

1991

American author, poet, illustrator

Pedro I of Brazil

Pedro I of Brazil

1834

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz

1621

Polish military commander

Isabeau of Bavaria

Isabeau of Bavaria

1435

Manuel I Komnenos

Manuel I Komnenos

1180

Byzantine Emperor