Today in History
1279 BC Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt (19th Dynasty)
70 Rome captures 1st wall of the city of Jerusalem
1578 Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England, to Frobisher Bay, Canada. Eventually mines fools gold, famously used to pave the streets of London.
1790 US copyright law enacted
1879 Madison Square Garden opens in New York, named after 4th President James Madison
1889 Johnstown Flood; 2,209 die in Penn
1902 Boer War Ends; Treaty of Unity signed, Britain annexes Transvaal
1909 National Conference on the Negro holds its first meeting in United Charities Building, New York (earlier form of the NAACP)
1910 Union of South Africa declares its independence from the United Kingdom
1911 RMS Titanic launched in Belfast
1916 Battle of Jutland: Largest naval battle of World War I between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet which killed 8,645 in an inconclusive battle but strategic British victory. German fleet never puts to sea again in WWI.
1935 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Quetta in Balochistan, British Raj (Pakistan) killing an estimated 50,000 people
1940 Winston Churchill flies to Paris to meet with French Marshal Philippe Pétain who announces he is willing to make a separate peace with Germany
1943 “Archie” comic strip 1st broadcast on radio
1947 Communists seize power in Hungary
1955 US Supreme Court orders school integration “with all deliberate speed”
1970 7.75 Ancash earthquake off coast of Peru kills 66-70,000 and sets off world’s deadliest avalanche
2018 Kim Kardashian West meets US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss prison reform
Music
1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono record “Give Peace a Chance”
1969 Stevie Wonder releases the single “My Cherie Amour” which goes on to become a soul classic
2007 Rihanna releases her breakthrough album “Good Girl Gone Bad”
2014 Psy’s “Gangnam Style” becomes the first video to reach 2 billion views on YouTube
Sports
1948 Tommy Lasorda strikes out 25 Amsterdam Rugmakers (in 15 innings)
1956 Mickey Mantle HR just misses clearing Yankee Stadium’s roof
2008 Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7m/s) 9.72 seconds
2015 Harriette Thompson aged 92 and 65 days becomes the oldest woman to complete a marathon (Suja Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego)
Movies & TV
1968 Movie star James Stewart retires from the US Air Force after 27 years of service
2004 “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, the 3rd film based on the books by J. K. Rowling is released in UK cinemas
2017 Comedienne Kathy Griffin fired from CNN after photo of her holding bloody head resembling Donald Trump by Tyler Shields posted
2019 Former “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson is announced as the new Batman
Birthdays
1819 Walt Whitman, American poet (Leaves of Grass) and volunteer nurse during the Civil War, born in West Hills, New York (d. 1892)
1908 Dominic “Don” Ameche, American actor (Cocoon, Trading Places), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin (d. 1993)
1930 Clint Eastwood, American actor (Dirty Harry)/mayor (Carmel, California), born in San Francisco, California
1941 Johnny Paycheck, Greenfield OH, singer (Take This Job & Shove It)
1943 Joe Namath, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Super Bowl 1969; Super Bowl MVP 1969; Pro Bowl 1972; NY Jets), born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
1943 Sharon Gless, American actress (Chris Cagney-Cagney & Lacey), born in Los Angeles, California
1948 John Bonham, English rock drummer (Led Zeppelin), born in Redditch, England (d. 1980)
1949 Steven Kampmann, actor (Kirk-Newhart), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1949 Tom Berenger, actor (Big Chill, Someone to Watch Over Me), born in Chicago, Illinois
1950 Gregory Harrison, Catalina California, actor (Trapper John, Logan’s Run)
1962 Corey Hart, Canadian vocalist (Sunglasses at Night), born in Montreal, Quebec
1965 Brooke Shields, American model/actress (Blue Lagoon, Suddenly Susan), born in NYC, New York
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