406 80,000 Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine at Mainz, beginning invasion of Gallia.
1744 English astronomer James Bradley announces discovery of Earth’s nutation motion (wobble).
1775 Battle of Quebec in American Revolutionary War; Americans defeated trying to take British stronghold.
1861 22,990mm of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam in India in 1861, a world record.
1871 George Leslie Mackay, first foreign missionary of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, arrives in Taiwan where he will establish over sixty churches, a hospital, and several schools. He will cause controversy by marrying a Taiwanese slave woman, but she will become an indispensable co-evangelist with him.
1887 Australia’s oldest Roman Catholic church, called the Church on the Hill, is ready for worship.
1958 Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista tells his Cabinet he is fleeing the country
1989 Chinese Communist officials meet with evangelist Nora Lam to clear up “misunderstandings” that had earlier blocked her getting a visa to preach in China. She learns that China has approved a cultural exchange program operated by her ministry.
Historical Events Today
Today In Film & TV
1923 BBC begins using Big Ben chime ID
Today In Music
1879 Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “Pirates of Penzance” premieres in NYC.
Today In Sport
1989 Jockey Kent Desormeaux sets record with 598 wins in a year.
Do You Know This Fact About Today? Did You Know?
1904 First New Year’s Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City
Would You Believe This Fact About Today? Would You Believe?
1994 This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively.
