World Events Today
- The French highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier, became the first known person to be executed by guillotine today in 1792
- Construction of the Suez Canal, the artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, started today in 1859
- Operation Eagle Claw, a United States Armed Forces operation to end the hostage crisis at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, ended in failure today in 1980
Entertainment Events Today
- Robinson Crusoe, the castaway novel by Daniel Defoe, was published today in 1719
- La Marseillaise, which would become the French National Anthem, was heard for the first time today in 1792
- Chuck Cooper, became the first African American professional basketball player drafted by a NBA team, the Boston Celtics, today in 1950
Family Events Today
- Gladys Presley, the mother of the American Rock and Roll legend Elvis Presley, was born today in 1912 in Mississippi
- The American actor and filmmaker Al Pacino, one of the few to have received the Triple Crown of Acting, was born today in 1940 in New York
- The American actress Renée Zellweger, best known for her role in the Bridget Jones movies, was born today in 1969 in Texas
Main Event Today
- Known as Elbe Day, today in 1945, is the day American and Soviet Union troops met at the Elbe River near Torgau in Germany, it marked an important step towards the end of World War II
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Hug a Plumber Day