World Events Today
- Lech Wałęsa won the presidential election in Poland today in 1990, to become the first freely-elected head of state in 63 years
- The frontman of the rock band The Doors, Jim Morrison, was arrested whilst performing live on stage today in 1967, the charges of inciting a riot, indecency and public obscenity, were later dropped
- The United States, supported by the United Nations, launched Operation Restore Hope today in 1992, to provide much needed support to the people of Somalia
Entertainment Events Today
- The poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, by Alfred Tennyson, was published today in 1854, he had finished it just one week before
- The long running British soap opera Coronation Street, aired for the first time today in 1960 on ITV
- Tomorrow Never Dies, the eighteenth James Bond movie, starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, was released today in 1997
Family Events Today
- Issur Danielovitch, better known as the American actor Kirk Douglas, whose most famous role was, arguably, Spartacus, was born today in 1916 in New York
- The Northern Ireland international footballer, captain of the Tottenham Hotspur double winning team of 1960-61, Danny Blanchflower, died today in 1993 aged 67
- The British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, most famous as the presenter of The Sky at Night on BBC, died today in 2012 aged 89
Main Event Today
- A commission of eminent scientists stated that smallpox had been eradicated across the globe today in 1979, this claim was later endorsed by the World Health Assembly
National Day Today
- Today, it’s National Pastry Day