Today in History November 20 Dali’s Mustache – Photo by Philippe Halsman 1194 – Palermo is conquered by Emperor Henry VI. 1272 – Edward I proclaimed King of England 1637 – Peter Minuit and first Swedish immigrants to Delaware sail from Sweden 1789 – New Jersey is first state to ratify Bill of Rights 1795 […]

Today in History November 19 President Abraham Lincoln “… and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” 1095 – At the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II calls for a Crusade to the Holy Land. 1493 – Christopher Columbus goes ashore on an island called […]

Today in History November 14 1889 – New York World reporter Nellie Bly aka Elizabeth Cochran, began her attempt to surpass fictitious journey of Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg by traveling around world in less than 80 days She succeeded, finishing the trip in 72 days and 6 hours 1380 – King Charles VI of France […]

Today in History November 13 1789 – Ben Franklin writes “Nothing . . . certain but death and taxes” 1002 – English king Ethelred II launches massacre of Danish settlers 1775 – American Revolutionary forces capture Montreal 1789 – Ben Franklin writes “Nothing . . . certain but death & taxes” 1841 – James Braid […]

Today in History November 12 Henry Bowers, Titus Oates, Edgar Evans, Robert Falcon Scott, and Edward Wilson at the South Pole on Jan. 18, 1912. 954 – The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom. 1793 – Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first Mayor of Paris, […]

Today in History November 7 1910: Pilot Philip Parmalee, ready for take off in a Wright Model B. 1492 – The Ensisheim meteorite, the oldest meteorite with a known date of impact, strikes the Earth around noon in a wheat field outside the village of Ensisheim, Alsace, France. 1665 – The London Gazette, the oldest […]

Today in History November 6 The Edsel 447 – A powerful earthquake destroys large portions of the Walls of Constantinople, including 57 towers. 1217 – The Charter of the Forest is sealed at St Paul’s Cathedral, London by King Henry III, acting under the regency of William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke which re-establishes for […]

Today in History November 5 Raymond Loewy designed several streamlined steam locomotives for the Pennsylvania Railroad, including the experimental S1 seen here. When built in 1938 it was the largest locomotive ever constructed with a rigid frame, and though fast and powerful no more were built due to some operating flaws.  “The Big Engine” was […]

Today in History October 30 Orson Welles 758 – Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates. 1831 – Nat Turner is arrested for leading the bloodiest slave rebellion in United States history. 1925 – John Logie Baird creates Britain’s first television transmitter. 1938 – Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells’s […]

Today in History October 29 Sandy arrives on West Street                         photo: Alison Simko 539 BC –Cyrus the Great (founder of Persian Empire) entered the capital of Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to their land. 312 – Constantine the Great enters Rome […]

Today in History October 28 Elvis receiving the polio vaccine on national TV 312 – Constantine I defeats Maxentius, becoming the sole Roman emperor in the West. 969 – The Byzantine Empire recovers Antioch from Arab rule. 1492 – Christopher Columbus lands in Cuba on his first voyage to the New World. 1726 – The […]

Today in History October 22 The derailment occurred at 4pm on October 22, 1895 when the Granville – Paris Express overran the buffer stop at its Gare Montparnasse terminus. Click here to hear how it happened 794 – Emperor Kanmu relocates the Japanese capital to Heian-kyō (now Kyoto). 1707 – Four British naval vessels run […]

Today in History October 21 Jack Kerouac 1097 – First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of Antioch. 1520 – Ferdinand Magellan discovers a strait now known as Strait of Magellan. 1600 – Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the leaders of rival Japanese clans […]

Today in History October 18 A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Charles Babbage is best remembered for originating the concept of a programmable computer. 320 – Pappus of Alexandria, Greek philosopher, observes an eclipse of the Sun and writes a commentary on The Great Astronomer (Almagest). 1009 – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, […]

Today in History October 16 Oscar Wilde 690 – Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire. 1590 – Prince Gesualdo of Venosa murders his wife and her lover. 1780 – American Revolutionary War: The British-led Royalton raid is the last Native American raid […]

TODAY IN HISTORY October 10 Alberto Giacometti 680 – Muhammad’s grandson Husayn ibn Ali is decapitated by Caliph Yazid I’s troops. 1760 – In a treaty with the Dutch colonial authorities, the Ndyuka people of Suriname – descended from escaped slaves – gain territorial autonomy. 1780 – The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000-30,000 in […]

TODAY IN HISTORY October 8 London’s Mayor Sadiq Kahn 314 – Constantine I defeats Roman Emperor Licinius, who loses his European territories. 1829 – Stephenson’s Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials. 1862 – American Civil War: The Confederate invasion of Kentucky is halted at the Battle of Perryville. 1871 – The Great Chicago Fire and the […]

TODAY IN HISTORY October 7 Russian President Vladimir Putin sunbathes during his vacation in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia. 3761 BC – The epoch reference date epoch (origin) of the modern Hebrew calendar. 1691 – The charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay is issued. 1763 – King George III issues the Royal […]

DAY IN HISTORY October 1 Photo postcard of rubble of the Los Angeles Times Building after the 1910 bombing. 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. 1588 – Coronation of Shah Abbas I of Persia. 1791 – First session of the French Legislative Assembly. 1814 – […]

DAY IN HISTORY September 30  Germans watching supply planes at Tempelhof. 1399 – Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1791 – The first performance of The Magic Flute, the last opera by Mozart to make its debut, took place at Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. 1882 – Thomas Edison’s first commercial hydroelectric power […]