today in history

What year was it? These songs were being played: 'Magic' (Olivia Newton-John) 'Sailing' (Christopher Cross) '(Just Like) Starting Over' (John Lennon) These events were current: Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from the CBS Evening News. 'Dallas' is the top-rated TV show. The average admission price for a movie ticket is $2.69.

What year was it? These songs were what people were listening to: 'Good Lovin' (The Young Rascals) 'Paperback Writer' (The Beatles) 'The Sounds Of Silence' (Simon & Garfunkel) These events were in the news: 'Yesterday', the most recorded song in the history of pop music, is released by Paul McCartney in the first solo by a Beatle. The record label, however, still reads "Beatles&qu

What Year Was It? These songs were on the radio: 'Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)' (Looking Glass) 'Let’s Stay Together' (Al Green) 'I’ll Take You There' (The Staple Singers) Events of the Year: 'Sanford & Son' premieres on NBC. “Ms” magazine hits newsstands. Pong, the first commercial computer game, is created by Atari.

What Year Was It? These songs were being played on the radio: 'I Will Survive' (Gloria Gaynor) 'Tragedy' (Bee Gees) 'What A Fool Believes' (Doobie Brothers) These events were making headlines: Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore to win the World Series. 'The Dukes of Hazzard' premieres on CBS. Emerson, Lake & Palmer disband after 10 years together.

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1890 – Murderer William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair (More info) 1926 – Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1861 – To help pay for the Civil War, the US government levies its first income tax (More info) 1884 – The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid in New York Harbor (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1776 – The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence takes place (More info) 1790 – The first census is completed, showing a US population of 3,929,214 people (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1903 – Ford Motor Company ships its first car (More info) 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon — now Sri Lanka — is elected as Prime Minister, thus becoming the world’s first elected female head of government (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1762 – Catherine II becomes tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III (More info) 1898 – Spain surrenders to the United States at Santiago, Cuba, ending the Spanish-American War (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1790 – The District of Columbia is established as the capital of the United States (More info) 1969 – The first manned space mission to land on the Moon, Apollo 11, launches (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1799 – The Rosetta Stone is found (More info) 1870 – Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1789 – The storming and destruction of Bastille marks the beginning of the French Revolution (More info) 1798 – The Sedition Act becomes law, making it a federal crime to write, publish or utter false or malicious statements about the U.S. government (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1863 – In New York City, opponents of the draft begin three days of rioting which will be later regarded as the worst in U.S. history (More info) 1923 – The Hollywood sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Los Angeles; it originally reads Hollywoodland but the four last letters are dropped after a 1949 renova

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1850 – Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the U.S., dies of cholera after only 16 months in office (More info) 1868 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing African-Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1776 – The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence happens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after which the Liberty Bell is rung (More info) 1777 – Vermont becomes the first colony to abolish slavery (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1865 – The Salvation Army is founded in London (More info) 1937 – The luncheon meat SPAM is introduced by the Hormel Foods Corporation (More info)

1633 – The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo to recant his view that the Sun is the center of the Universe (More info) 1944 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill into law (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor (More info) 1928 – Amelia Earhart embarks on the first trans-Atlantic flight by a woman (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1858 – Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln declares “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (More info) 1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1898 – China agrees to lease Hong Kong to Britain for 99 years (More info) 1934 – Donald Duck makes his debut in ‘The Wise Little Hen’ (More info)