Today in History

Today in History

70 The Temple of Jerusalem burns after a nine-month Roman siege.

1526 Ottoman Suleiman the Magnificent crushes a Hungarian army under Lewis II at the Battle of Mohacs.

1533 In Peru, the Inca chief Atahualpa is executed by orders of Francisco Pizarro, although the chief had already paid his ransom.

1776 General George Washington retreats during the night from Long Island to New York City.

1793 Slavery is abolished in Santo Domingo.

1862 Union General John Pope‘s army is defeated by a smaller Confederate force at the Second Battle of Bull Run.

1882 Australia defeats England in cricket for the first time. The following day a obituary appears in the Sporting Times addressed to the British team.

1942 The American Red Cross announces that Japan has refused to allow safe conduct for the passage of ships with supplies for American prisoners of war.

1945 U.S. airborne troops are landed in transport planes at Atsugi airfield, southwest of Tokyo, beginning the occupation of Japan.

1949 USSR explodes its first atomic bomb, “First Lightning.”

1950 International Olympic Committee votes to allow West Germany and Japan to compete in 1952 games.

1952 In the largest bombing raid of the Korean War,

1,403 planes of the Far East Air Force bomb Pyongyang, North Korea.

1957 US Congress passes Civil Rights Act of 1957 after Strom Thurmond (Sen-D-SC) ends 24-hour filibuster, the longest in Senate history, against the bill.

1960 US U-2 spy plane spots SAM (surface-to-air) missile launch pads in Cuba.

1964 Mickey Mantle ties Babe Ruth’s career strikeout record (1,330).

1965 Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper Jr. and Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr complete 120 Earth orbits in Gemini

5, marking the first time the US set an international duration record for a manned space mission.

1966 The Beatles give their last public concert (Candlestick Park, San Francisco).

1968 Democrats nominate Hubert H Humphrey for president at their Chicago convention.

1977 Lou Brock (St Louis Cardinals) breaks Ty Cobb’s 49-year-old career stolen bases record at 893.

1986 Morocco’s King Hassan II signs unity treaty with Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, strengthening political and economic ties and creating a mutual defense pact.

1991 USSR’s parliament suspends Communist Party activities in the wake of a failed coup.

1992 Thousands of Germans demonstrate against a wave of racist attacks aimed at immigrants.

1995 NATO launches Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb forces.

2003 A terrorist bomb kills Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the Shia Muslim leader in Iraq, and nearly 100 worshipers as they leave a mosque in Najaf where the ayatollah had called for Iraqi unity.

2005 Rains from Hurricane Katrina cause a levee breech at the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, causing severe flooding.

2012 The Egyptian Army’s Operation Eagle results in the deaths of 11 suspected terrorists and the arrest of another 23.

Born

1632 John Locke, philosopher of liberalism whose ideas influenced the American founding fathers, famous for his treatise An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

1809 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, essayist and father of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

1898 Preston Sturges, screenwriter, film director and playwright.

1915 Ingrid Bergman, Oscar winning actress famous whose films include Casablanca and Anastasia.

1920 Charlie “Bird” Parker, self-taught jazz saxophonist, pioneer of the new “cool” movement.

1923 Richard Attenborough, actor, (The Great Escape, Jurassic Park) Academy Award–winning director and producer (Gandhi)

1924 Dinah Washington, singer known in the 50s as “Queen of the Harlem Blues.”.

1927 Marion Williams, gospel singer.

1931 Lise Payette, Quebec politician, writer and columnist.

1933 Jehan Sadat, First Lady of Egypt (1970–1981); widow of Anwar Sadat.

1935 William Friedkin, director, producer, writer (The Exorcist, The French Connection).

1936 John McCain, Republican US presidential nominee (2008) .

1938 Elliott Gould, actor (M*A*S*H, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice).

1940 James Brady, press secretary who was severely wounded during John Hinckley Jr.’s attempt to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan.

1941 Robin Leach, TV host (Life Styles of the Rich and Famous).

1943 Richard Halligan, vocalist with band Blood Sweat & Tears.

1952 Karen Hesse, Newbery Medal–winning author of children’s literature (Out of the Dust).

1958 Michael Jackson, pop singer, entertainer.

History