World Events Today
- During the American Revolutionary War, Great Britain defeated George Washington’s army at the Battle of Fort Washington today in 1776
- The Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone was the first European to view the Victoria Falls today in 1855
- After serving his sentence for tax evasion, the American gangster Al Capone was released on parole today in 1939
Entertainment Events Today
- The musical The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, today in 1959
- Paul McCartney released the single Wonderful Christmastime today in 1979, it failed to make it to the Christmas Number 1 spot
- The 16 year old Lionel Messi made his first team debut for Barcelona today in 2003, he came on as substitute in a friendly match against Portuguese team Porto
Family Events Today
- Tiberius, the second Roman emperor, who reigned from AD 14 to 37, was born today in 42 BC
- The American actor Clark Gable, also referred to as the King of Hollywood, died today in 1960, in Los Angeles, of a heart attack
- Franklin Roy Bruno, better known as the British professional boxer Frank Bruno, MBE, was born today in 1961, in Wandsworth, London
Main Event Today
- Space Shuttle Columbia returned from what was the first official operational shuttle mission today in 1982, it had travelled 2 million miles and made 81 orbits of the Earth, over a period of 5 days
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Button Day