World Events Today
- Eswatini, officially known as the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known as Swaziland, was granted its independence from the United Kingdom today in 1968
- After being renamed Petrograd in 1914 and then Leningrad in 1924, Saint Petersburg was restored to its original name again today in 1991
- After she was fatally injured in a car crash in Paris a week previously, the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, was held at Westminster Abbey in London today in 1997, an estimated 2.5 billion people watched the event on television
Entertainment Events Today
- W G Grace, widely considered one of the greatest English cricketers of all time, made his Test debut today in 1880, he scored 152 in his first innings against Australia at The Oval
- Madonna with Vogue and Sinéad O’Connor with Nothing Compares 2 U, both won 2 awards at the MTV Video Music Awards today in 1990
- The 2nd novel in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, New Moon, was published today in 2006
Family Events Today
- The American businessman, investor, and politician, Joseph Patrick Kennedy Senior, father of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Edward M Kennedy, was born today in 1888 in Boston
- The Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI died today in 2007 aged 71
- The American actor Burt Reynolds, who starred in many movies, including Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run, died today in 2018 aged 82
Main Event Today
- Following the Battle of Worcester, the future King Charles II of England hid in “the Royal Oak” in Boscobel Wood, today in 1651
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Read A Book Day