Today in History
- 1513 Spaniard Juan Ponce de León and his expedition first sight Florida
- 1625 Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland ascends the English throne
- 1794 Naval Act of 1794 is signed by President George Washington, authorizing the building of six frigates and establishing a permanent US Navy
- 1914 First successful non-direct blood transfusion is performed by Dr. Albert Hustin in Brussels
- 1958 Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party
- 1977 583 die in aviation's worst ever disaster when two Boeing 747s collide at Tenerife airport in Spain
Today in Film & TV
- 1952 "Singin' in the Rain," a musical comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC
Today in Music
- 1948 Just 11 days after being released from prison, jazz singer Billie Holiday plays in front of a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall, NYC
- 1995 "Back for Good" single released by British boy band Take That, reaches No. 1 in 31 countries
Today in Sport
- 1871 First international rugby union match, Scotland beats England 1-0 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
Did You Know?
The Great Alaska Earthquake (9.2 magnitude) and resulting tsunami kill 139 people in the largest US earthquake and second largest ever recorded
Famous Birthdays
John Ballance
1839 - 1893
Wilhelm Röntgen
1845 - 1923
Vincent d'Indy
1851 - 1931
Henry Royce
1863 - 1933
Carl Barks
1901 - 2000
Eisaku Satō
1901 - 1975
Celebrity Birthdays
Quentin Tarantino
63rd Birthday
Mariah Carey
57th Birthday
Nathan Fillion
55th Birthday
Fergie
51st Birthday
Jessie J
38th Birthday
Lalisa
29th Birthday
Fun Fact About Today
Battle of the Thirty: 30 English and 30 Breton knights and squires square off using swords, maces, lances and daggers - considered one of the most chivalrous battles in history
Famous Weddings
- 1916 American actress Gloria Swanson (17) weds American actor Wallace Beery (30); divorce in 1919
- 1954 Actress Elizabeth Montgomery (20) weds socialite Frederick Gallatin Cammann
- 1958 Writer Gabriel García Márquez (31) weds Mercedes Barcha
Year of the Snake
Year of the Horse
Year of the Goat/Sheep
Year of the Monkey
Year of the Rooster
Year of the Dog