Today in History
Historical Events
Guinea-Bissau gains independence. Guinea-Bissau declared its independence from Portugal. The declaration was recognized almost a year later on September 10, 1974.
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.
Honda Motor Company is founded by Soichiro Honda. The automobile manufacturer is also the world's largest producer of motorcycles.
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.
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
1981
Australian race car driver

Jim Henson
1936
American puppeteer, director, producer, founded The Company

F. Scott Fitzgerald
1896
American author

John Marshall
1755
American jurist, 4th Chief Justice of the United States

Alaungpaya
1714
Burmese king
Famous Deaths
Died on this day

Dr. Seuss
1991
American author, poet, illustrator

Pedro I of Brazil
1834

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
1621
Polish military commander

Isabeau of Bavaria
1435

Manuel I Komnenos
1180
Byzantine Emperor