World Events Today
- Mark David Chapman, the man who fatally shot the British musician and former member of the Beatles, John Lennon, was sentenced to 20 years to life today in 1981
- Brian Keenan, a writer from Northern Ireland, was released today in 1990, he had spent over 4 years as a hostage of Islamic Jihad in Beirut, Lebanon
- Ukraine restored its independence from the Soviet Union today in 1991
Entertainment Events Today
- The English footballer Jimmy Greaves scored on his top-flight debut today in 1957, he was aged just 17 when he scored for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur
- The musical comedy movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, which featured the punk rock group the Ramones, was released today in 1979
- Allegations of Michael Jackson sexually assaulting Jordy Chandler broke today in 1993, a financial settlement of 23 million US dollars was reached in January 1994
Family Events Today
- The English actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry, part of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, was born today in 1957 in London
- The English actor Rupert Grint, who rose to fame as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, was born today in 1988 in Essex
- The English actor and filmmaker Richard Attenborough, whose work included producing and directing the movie Gandhi, died today in 2014 aged 90
Main Event Today
- Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted today in 79 AD, many cities were destroyed including the later rediscovered Pompeii and Herculaneum
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Waffle Day