World Events Today
- The 2nd Opium War, with the British and French Empires against the Qing dynasty of China, started today in 1856, it was just 14 years after the end of the 1st Opium War
- The general election in the United Kingdom was won by the ruling Conservative Party today in 1959, the party was led by Harold Macmillan
- The BT Tower in London was officially opened today in 1965, it was, at the time, the tallest building in the United Kingdom
Entertainment Events Today
- The silent comedy short movie The Second Hundred Years, starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy before their first official appearance as the duo Laurel and Hardy, was released today in 1927
- The United States patent application for the microwave cooking process was filed today in 1945
- The German racing driver Michael Schumacher won the Japanese Grand Prix today in 2000 to win the Drivers’ Championship for that year, he would also win the next 4 Drivers’ Championships
Family Events Today
- Susan Alexandra Weaver, better known as the American actress Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien movies, was born today in 1949 in New York City
- The American actor Matt Damon, one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, was born today in 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts
- Peter Gene Hernandez, better known as the American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, whose hits include Billionaire and The Lazy Song, was born today in 1985 in Honolulu
Main Event Today
- The Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara was captured in Bolivia today in 1967, the following day he was killed on orders of the Bolivian president
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Pierogi Day