Today in History for 20th May 2023

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1926 - Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies
1930 - 1st airplane catapulted from a dirigible, Charles Nicholson, pilot
1956 - Atomic fusion (thermonuclear) bomb dropped from plane at Bikini Atoll
1986 - Christy Fichtner, 23, (Texas), crowned 35th Miss USA
1994 - Bobcat Goldthwait charged with misdemeanors for fire on The Tonight Show
2018 - President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela wins a second term in an election marked by boycotts and accusations of vote rigging

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1754 - Hans Gram, Danish-born American composer (d. 1804)
1895 - R. J. [Reginald Joseph] Mitchell, English airplane designer (Supermarine Spitfire), born in Butt Lane, England (d. 1937)
1937 - Dave Hill, American golfer (13 PGA Tour titles), born in Jackson, Michigan (d. 2011)
1965 - Bruno Marie-Rose, French runner (world record 200 m indoor)
1966 - Mindy Cohn, American actress (The Facts of Life - "Natalie"), born in Los Angeles, California
1981 - Rachel Platten, American singer-songwriter (“Fight Song”), born in New York City

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1597 - Dutch commander Matthijs Heldt, dies in battle
1751 - Domingo Miguel Bernaube Terradellas, Spanish composer, dies at 38
1875 - Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece, German born consort of King Otto of Greece, dies at 58
1910 - Jean-Baptiste Theodore Weckerlin, French composer, dies at 88
1932 - Bipin Chandra Pal, Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, dies at 73
1994 - Vivien John, English painter and daughter of Augustus John, dies at 79

More Famous Deaths »