World Events Today
- France declared war on Russia during the Crimean War today in 1854, Britain followed suit the following day
- The Frenchman Henri Fabre flew the first successful powered seaplane today in 1910
- Operation Chariot, a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire started today in 1942, the successful mission largely disabled the dock until the end of World War 2
Entertainment Events Today
- The first World Weightlifting Championship was held today in 1891, it was won by the Englishman Edward Lawrence
- The British pirate radio station Radio Caroline, after test transmissions the previous day, began regular broadcasting today in 1964
- The American track and field athlete, four-time gold medal winner, Jesse Owens, was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, by President George H W Bush today in 1990
Family Events Today
- The legendary English broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson, was born today in 1935 in Yorkshire
- The English footballer Steve Bull, who scored over 300 goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers, was born today in 1965 in Staffordshire
- Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known as the American singer-songwriter Lada Gaga, was born today in 1986 in New York
Main Event Today
- The European Parliament voted today in 2019, to ban single-use plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers by 2021
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Something on a Stick Day