Today in History for 20th July 2024

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1619 - Gerardus Vossius resigns as Dutch regent States college leader
1943 - US Joint Chiefs of Staff question Admiral Chester Nimitz over the landing on Gilbert Island
1953 - The United Nations Economic and Social Council votes to make UNICEF a permanent agency
1956 - US performs atmospheric nuclear Test at Bikini Island
1976 - Hank Aaron hits 755th and last home run off Angels Dick Drago
2023 - India bans export of non-basmati rice, raising prospect of global price rises (more than half of rice imports for 42 countries come from India)

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1754 - Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French Enlightenment philosopher, born in Paris (d. 1836)
1822 - Gregor Mendel, Austrian monk and geneticist (discoverer of laws of heredity), born in Heinzendorf, Austria (d. 1884)
1893 - Richard Billinger, Austrian poet and writer (From Where I Came), born in Sankt Marienkirchen, Austria (d. 1965)
1956 - Charlie Magri, Tunisian British world champ flyweight boxer (1983), born in Tunis, Tunisia
1978 - Tamsyn Lewis, Australian athlete
1980 - Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian supermodel (Victoria's Secret), born in Horizontina, Brazil

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1573 - Lancelot van Brederode, Dutch general of the "water beggars" rebellion, beheaded by the Spanish
1898 - Yuri Karlovich Arnold, Russian composer, dies at 86
1962 - George MacAulay Trevelyan, English royal historian, dies at 86
1985 - Bruno de Finetti, Italian probabilist statistician and actuary, dies at 79
1989 - Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, French commander of the French resistance, dies at 79
2004 - Adi Lady Lala Mara, Fiji chieftainess, wife of Kamisese Mara (b. 1931)

More Famous Deaths »