World Events Today
- “Jack The Ripper” killed 2 more women today in 1888 in London, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes were the victims
- The British film and television studio Pinewood opened today in 1936, amongst its more famous productions are many of the James Bond and Carry On movies
- Botswana, officially known as the Republic of Botswana, gained independence from the United Kingdom today in 1966
Entertainment Events Today
- According to the best-selling novel by Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked today in 1659, he would remain shipwrecked for 28 years
- The Magic Flute, an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered in Vienna today in 1791, just 2 months before the composer’s premature death
- The animated sitcom The Flintstones, produced by Hanna-Barbera, aired for the first time today in 1960 on the ABC network
Family Events Today
- The English singer-songwriter Marc Bolan, one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement of the 1970s, was born today in 1947 in London
- The American actor James Dean, most famous for his role in Rebel Without a Cause, died in a car crash today in 1955 aged 24
- The Swiss tennis player Martina Hingis, who won 5 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, was born today in 1980
Main Event Today
- The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Neville Chamberlain, returned from his visit with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, today in 1938, he had the Treaty of Munich in his hand and made the famous “Peace for our time” declaration
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Chewing Gum Day