World Events Today
- The Frenchman Pierre Prier, completed the first non-stop flight from London to Paris today in 1911, the flight took 3 hours and 56 minutes to complete
- The Bristol Blenheim, a British light bomber aircraft used extensively in World War 2, flew for the first time today in 1935
- NASA launched the first Space Shuttle, Columbia, today in 1981, exactly 20 years after it had previously lost the space race to the Soviet Union
Entertainment Events Today
- Bill Haley and His Comets, recorded Rock Around the Clock today in 1954, it was a Number 1 hit in the United States and the United Kingdom
- Disneyland Paris opened today in 1992
- The American golfer Fred Couples won his only major today in 1992, he won the 56th Masters Tournament at Augusta
Family Events Today
- The English football legend Bobby Moore, captain of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team, was born today in 1941 in Essex
- • The US President, Franklin D Roosevelt, died today in 1945 whilst in office
- Joseph Louis Barrow, better known as the American boxing legend Joe Louis, died today in 1981 aged 66, he was World Heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949
Main Event Today
- The American Civil War, fought between the Northern and Southern States of America, primarily as a result of the controversy over the enslavement of black people, started today in 1861 when Confederate cannon opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day