1896 Gold first discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, Canada by George Carmack
1930 I British Empire Games open in Hamilton, Canada
1945 Puyi, the last Chinese Emperor and ruler of Manchukuo is captured by Soviet troops
1946 Direct Action Day: Widespread riots erupt in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus over whether Pakistan should be a separate state, killing over 4,000 and leaving 100,000 homeless
2012 Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador
Historical Events Today Events in 2023
Today in Film & TV
1930 The first color sound cartoon “Fiddlesticks” by Ub Iwerks (ex Walt Disney studio) is released
Today in Music
1974 American punk rock band “The Ramones” concert debut at CBGB’s in New York City
Today in Sport
1743 Champion of England titleholder Jack Broughton publishes ‘Rules of the Ring’ – earliest boxing code
2008 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sets new world record of 9.69 seconds to win the coveted 100m gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
MORE FACTS…
1989 A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.
1972 Morocco King Hassan II’s B727 shot during failed coup attempt by General Mohamed Oufkir. Reportedly, King Hassan grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots “Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!”, fooling pilots to break off attack
Famous Weddings
1290 Charles of Valois, son of King Philip III of France weds Margaret of Anjou, daughter of King Charles II of Naples
1477 Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, weds Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Duchy of Burgundy in Ghent, Belgium
1846 Italian “The Barber of Seville” opera composer Gioachino Rossini (54) marries 2nd wife, French model Olympe Pélissier (47) in Paris, France
