Today in History
Significant Events
- 1576 Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France) abjures Catholicism at Tours
- 1885 News of the fall of Khartoum reaches London
- 1885 King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal colonial possession
- 1969 US population reaches 200 million
Today in Film & TV
- 1936 "Modern Times", silent film directed by, written by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is released
Today in Music
- 1887 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Otello" premieres at La Scala in Italy, Verdi's first new opera for over 15 years
Today in Sport
- 1972 Bob Douglas is 1st African American elected to Basketball Hall of Fame
Did You Know?
The Royal Greenwich Observatory begin broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal or the "BBC pips".
On this day in 1924
Famous Birthdays
- Robert Peel
(1788 - 1850) - Hank Aaron
85th Birthday - Neymar
27th Birthday
Tomorrow's Famous Birthdays
- Babe Ruth
(1895 - 1948) - Ronald Reagan
(1911 - 2004) - Bob Marley
(1945 - 1981)
Would You Believe?
Largest Jell-O made (9,246 gallons of watermelon-flavor) in Brisbane
On this day in 1981
Famous Weddings
- 1826 Future US President Millard Fillmore (26) weds Abigail Powers (27)
- 1971 Actress Judi Dench (36) weds actor Michael Williams (35) at St Mary's Catholic Church in Hampstead, London
- 1990 Actor Rowan Atkinson (35) weds Sunetra Sastry in New York
This Month in History
River of Dreams Delivers a Writer of Genius
Forced to find a new job when the American Civil War struck the Mississippi river, Samuel Longhorne Clemens turned to writing and Mark Twain was born.
February 2, 1863I'm Not Gay Insists 'Fruit-Flavoured, Mincing' Liberace
Entertainer Liberace died on this day, going to his grave insisting he was not gay. But his death from AIDS told a different story . . .
February 4, 1987Soccer Star Dodges TV Trap
How did a 'This Is Your Life' surprise for footballer Danny Blanchflower backfire so badly and end with the Tottenham Hotspur star storming off the set?
February 6, 19612,000-year-old Glass Treasure Shattered by a Drunk
One of the British Museum's treasured pieces of Roman antiquity was shattered on this day by a drunken visitor.
February 7, 1845