Today in History
- 1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill Giuliano de' Medici in Florence
- 1920 Harlow Shapley and Heber D. Curtis hold the "Great Debate" on the nature of nebulae, galaxies, and the size of the universe at the US National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
- 1945 Marshal Philippe Pétain, leader of France's Vichy collaborationist regime during World War II, is arrested for treason
- 1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas
- 1986 The world's worst nuclear disaster occurs when the fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union explodes, resulting in 31 deaths and radioactive contamination spreading to much of Western Europe
- 2005 Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troops from Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of the country
Today in Film & TV
- 1954 "Seven Samurai", Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, is released
Today in Music
- 1965 Charles Ives' 4th Symphony premieres at Carnegie Hall, New York, 11 years after the composer's death
Today in Sport
- 1941 A tradition begins with the first organ at a baseball stadium (Chicago Cubs)
Did You Know?
US Congressman Daniel E. Sickles is acquitted in the murder of Philip Barton Key on grounds of "temporary insanity," the first time this defense is used successfully in the US
Famous Birthdays
Marcus Aurelius
121 AD - 180
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
1711 - 1780
Frederick Law Olmsted
1822 - 1903
Rudolf Hess
1894 - 1987
Hack Wilson
1900 - 1948
I. M. Pei
1917 - 2019
Celebrity Birthdays
Nino Benvenuti
1938 - 2025
Carol Burnett
93rd Birthday
Jet Li
63rd Birthday
Melania Trump
56th Birthday
John Isner
41st Birthday
Aaron Judge
34th Birthday
Fun Fact About Today
Patty Berg scores 64, the best competitive round of golf by a woman
Famous Weddings
- 1709 Frisian Stadtholder and Prince of Orange John William Friso (21) weds Dutch Countess Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel (21), until his death in 1702
- 1764 Parents of English novelist Jane Austen, cleric George Austen and Cassandra Leigh marry
- 1923 English prince Albert Duke of York (George VI) (27) marries Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (22) at Westminster Abbey
Famous Divorces
- 1994 American actor Patrick Dempsey (28) divorces American talent manager and actress Rochelle "Rocky" Parker (56) after nearly 7 years of marriage
- 2004 Model-actress Deborah Falconer (38) divorces actor Robert Downey Jr (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 12 years of marriage
Year of the Snake
Year of the Horse
Year of the Goat/Sheep
Year of the Monkey
Year of the Rooster
Year of the Dog