Today In The Past
Events
451 – Germans & Romans beat Atiila the Hun at Catalarinische Fields
1214 – The University of Oxford receives its charter.
1633 – Charter for Maryland is given to Lord Cecil Baltimore
1756 – 146 Brit soldiers imprisoned in India-Black Hole of Calcutta-most die
1787 – Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the United States.
1819 – 320 ton Savannah becomes 1st steamship to cross any ocean (Atlantic)
1837 – Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne following death of uncle King William IV Ruled for 63 years ending in 1901
1840 – Samuel Morse patents his telegraph
1863 – West Virginia admitted as 35th US state
1867 – Pres Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska
1910 – “Krazy Kat” comic strip by George Herriman debuts in NY Journal
1919 – Treaty of Versailles: Germany ends incorporation of Austria
1936 – Jesse Owens of US sets 100 meter record at 10.2
1944 – Congress charters Central Intelligence Agency
1950 – Joe Dimaggio’s 2,000th hit, Yanks beat Indians 8-2
1969 – 150,000 attend Newport ’69, Jimi Hendrix gets $120,000 to appear
1995 – Space probe Ulysses begins 2nd passage behind the Sun
Births
236 BC – Scipio Africanus, Roman statesman and general of the Second Punic War (d. 183 BC)
1894 – George Delacorte, NYC, philanthropist/publisher (Dell Books)
1905 – Lillian Hellman, American playwright (d. 1984)
1909 – Errol Flynn, Hobart Tasmania, actor (Captain Blood, Robin Hood)
1924 – Audie Murphy, Kingston Tx, most decorated American WW II hero/actor (Destry, Joe Butterfly)
1924 – Chet Atkins, Luttrell Tenn, guitarist (Me & My Guitar)
1942 – Brian Wilson, Inglewood California, vocalist (Beachboys-In My Room)
1967 – Nicole Kidman, Honolulu Hawaii, actress (Dead Calm, Far & Away)
Deaths
451 – Theodorid, King of the Visigoths
1947 – Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, gangster, shot dead in Beverly Hills Cal
1972 – Howard Johnson, US restaurant/hotel founder, dies at 75
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