Today’s Important Historical Events
1588 The Battle of Gravelines – Spanish Armada damaged and scattered by the English fleet
1609 Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York setting the stage for French-Iroquois conflicts for the next 150 years
1848 Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt – an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule put down by police
1905 US Secretary of War William Howard Taft makes secret agreement with Japanese Prime Minister Katsura agreeing to Japanese free rein in Korea in return for non-interference with the US in the Philippines
1921 Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party
1949 Moscow ends the blockade of West Berlin
Today’s Historical Events
362 Emperor Julianus of Constantinople’s “School Edict” prohibited Christian teachers from using pagan literature which were standard texts for classical education at the time
626 Avars under khagan Bajan begin siege of Constantinople (fails, preserving the eastern Roman empire)
904 Thessalonica is sacked by Saracen pirates led by renegade Leo of Tripoli
1014 Battle of Strumitsa-valley: Byzantine destroys Bulgarian armies
1030 Battle of Stiklestad – Norwegian King Olaf II killed trying to reclaim the throne. One of the most famous Norwegian battles
1179 Lando Sittino proclaimed (anti-)pope Innocent III
1221 Emperor Go-Horikawa aged only 10 years old ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan
1279 Five emissaries dispatched by Kublai Khan from the Mongol Yuan dynasty are beheaded by Japan
Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV
1928 Test footage first created for Walt Disney‘s “Steamboat Willie” with Mickey Mouse
1954 Publication of “Fellowship of the Ring” 1st volume of “Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien by George Allen and Unwin in London
1956 WCKT (now WSVN) TV channel 7 in Miami, Florida (IND) begins broadcasting
1957 Jack Paar‘s “The Tonight show” premieres on NBC
1965 Beatles movie “Help” premieres, Queen Elizabeth attends
1983 “Friday Night Videos” premieres on NBC TV
1988 South African government bans anti-apartheid film “Cry Freedom”
1992 Ray Sharkey, actor (Wiseguys), arrested for narcotic possession
Today’s Historical Events in Music
1961 Bob Dylan is injured in car accident
1966 Bob Dylan hurt in motorcycle accident near Woodstock, New York
1973 Led Zeppelin has more than $200,000 in cash stolen from a safety-deposit box at the New York Hilton
1980 David Bowie stars in dramatic stage play “The Elephant Man” at the Auditorium Theater in Denver, Colorado
1987 Ben & Jerry’s and Jerry Garcia agree on new flavor: Cherry Garcia
1992 “Chinese Coffee” closes at Circle in the Square Theater, NYC, after 18 performances
1994 American minister and anti-abortionist Paul Jennings Hill murders Dr. John Britton and Britton’s bodyguard, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Barrett, outside of an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida
2019 Record for longest run at the top of US singles chart made by country rap single “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X remixed with Billy Ray Cyrus, No. 1 for 17 weeks
Today’s Historical Events in Sports
1751 1st international world title prize fight: Jack Stack of England, beats challenger M. Petit of France in 29 mins in England
1874 Major Walter Copton Wingfield patents a portable tennis court
1899 Southern California Golf Association forms
1906 4th Tour de France won by René Pottier of France
1908 St Louis Browns’ future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell strikes out 16 Philadelphia A’s in 5-4 win against his previous team at Sportsman’s Park II, St. Louis
1911 Boston Red Sox Joe Wood no-hits St Louis Browns, 5-0
1915 Pirate Honus Wagner at 41, hits a grand slam HR
1921 Cleveland’s 125th anniversary celebration: Cy Young, 54, pitches 2 inn