World Events Today
- The Star-Spangled Banner was first published today in 1814, and it would become the national anthem of the United states in 1931
- The British ocean liner the Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to as the QE2, was launched by Queen Elizabeth II today in 1967, it is now a floating hotel in Dubai
- The Shi’a Islamic militant group Hezbollah bombed the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, today in 1984, 24 people were killed
Entertainment Events Today
- The British heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne released his debut studio album Blizzard of Ozz today in 1980
- American sitcom television series The Cosby Show, co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, aired for the first time today in 1984 on the NBC network
- The musical Miss Saigon, based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, premiered in the West End of London today in 1989, it ran until October 1999
Family Events Today
- Sofia Villani Scicolone, better known as the Italian actress Sophia Loren, star of the Golden Age of Hollywood, was born today in 1934 in Rome
- The American novelist George R R Martin, who wrote the Song of Ice and Fire books, was born today in 1948 in New Jersey
- Legendary English football player and manager Brian Clough, OBE, “the greatest manager England never had”, died today in 2004 aged 69
Main Event Today
- During a televised address today in 2001 George Bush, the President of the United States, announced, “Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there, it will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated”
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Fried Rice Day