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