World Events Today
- The cornerstone for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty was laid today in 1884
- The Battle of Liège, the first battle of World War I, started today in 1914
- With the help of evidence from the “supergrass” Christopher Black, 22 members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the IRA, were sentenced to more than 4,000 years in prison today in 1983
Entertainment Events Today
- Harry Houdini remained in a sealed casket, submerged in a swimming pool, for one and a half hours today in 1926
- The British comic strip character Andy Capp, created by the cartoonist Reg Smythe, appeared for the first time today in 1957
- The 31st Summer Olympic Games opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, today in 2016
Family Events Today
- The American astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, was born today in 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- Norma Jeane Mortenson, best known as the movie sex symbol Marilyn Monroe, died of an overdose today in 1962 aged 36
- Richard Walter Jenkins Junior, better known as the Welsh actor Richard Burton, who was twice married to Elizabeth Taylor, died today in 1984 aged 58
Main Event Today
- The legendary leader of Scottish independence, William Wallace, was captured and turned over to the English today in 1305
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Underwear Day