Today in History

Today in History

1152 Frederick Barbarossa is chosen as emperor and unites the two factions, which emerged in Germany after the death of Henry V.

1461 Henry VI is deposed and the Duke of York is proclaimed King Edward IV.

1634 Samuel Cole opens the first tavern in Boston, Massachusetts.

1766 The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, the cause of bitter and violent opposition in the colonies

1789 The first Congress of the United States meets in New York and declares that the Constitution is in effect.

1791 Vermont is admitted as the 14th state. It is the first addition to the original 13 colonies.

1793 George Washington is inaugurated as President for the second time.

1797 Vice-President John Adams, elected President on December 7, to replace George Washington, is sworn in.

1801 Thomas Jefferson becomes the first President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.

1813 The Russians fighting against Napoleon reach Berlin. The French garrison evacuates the city without a fight.

1861 The Confederate States of America adopt the “Stars and Bars” flag.

1877 The Russian Imperial Ballet stages the first performance of “Swan Lake” in Moscow.

1901 William McKinley is inaugurated president for the second time. Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as vice president.

1904 Russian troops begin to retreat toward the Manchurian border as 100,000 Japanese advance in Korea.

1908 The New York board of education bans the act of whipping students in school.

1912 The French council of war unanimously votes a mandatory three-year military service.

1914 Doctor Fillatre of Paris, France successfully separates Siamese twins.

1921 Warren G. Harding is sworn in as America’s

29th President.

1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated to his first term as president in Washington, D.C.

1944 Berlin is bombed by the American forces for the first time.

1952 North Korea accuses the United nations of using germ warfare.

1963 Six people get the death sentence in Paris plotting to kill President Charles de Gaulle.

1970 Fifty-seven people are killed as the French submarine Eurydice sinks in the Mediterranean Sea.

1975 Queen Elizabeth II knights Charlie Chaplin.

1987 President Reagan takes full responsibility for the Iran-Contra affair in a national address.

Born

1394 Prince Henry the Navigator, sponsor of Portuguese voyages of discovery

1678 Antonio Vivaldi, Italian composer and violinist.

1747 Casimir Pulaski, American Revolutionary War general.

1852 Lady (Isabella Augusta) Gregory, Irish playwright, helped found the Abbey Theatre.

1888 Knute Rockne, football player and coach for Notre Dame.

1901 Charles Goren, world expert on the game of bridge.

1904 Ding Ling, Chinese writer and women’s rights activist.

1928 Alan Sillitoe, novelist (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner).

1932 Miriam Makeba, South African singer.

1934 Jane Goodall, British anthropologist, known for her work with African chimpanzees.

History