World Events Today
- Robert Walpole, known to history as the Earl of Orford, became the first Prime Minister of Great Britain today in 1721
- Joseph Stalin, was appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union today in 1922
- Theodore John Kaczynski, better known as the “Unabomber”, was arrested today in 1996, at the time it had been the most expensive investigation in FBI history
Entertainment Events Today
- Oxford beat Cambridge today in 1954, to win the 100th Annual Boat Race on the River Thames
- The original Planet of the Apes movie, starring Charlton Heston, was released today in 1968
- The Brotherhood of Man, representing the United Kingdom, won the 21st Eurovision Song Contest today in 1976, they sang Save Your Kisses for Me
Family Events Today
- The American outlaw Jesse James died today in 1882 aged 34, he was shot and killed by fellow gang member Robert Ford, who was promised a reward and amnesty
- The American actor Marlon Brando Junior, who starred in many movies, including the Godfather and Last Tango in Paris, was born today in 1924 in Nebraska
- The American actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, star of the Beverly Hills Cop movies, was born today in 1961 in New York
Main Event Today
- A Motorola employee, Martin Cooper, made the first mobile telephone call today in 1973
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Find a Rainbow Day