451 Roman General Flavius Aetius defeats Attila the Hun at The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (Chalons-sur-Marne), halting Hun invasion of Roman Gaul
1519 Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the 1st successful circumnavigation of the globe (Magellan killed on route)
1854 Battle of the Alma: first major battle of Crimean War. British and French alliance defeat the Russians
1990 Both East and West Germany ratify reunification
2001 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, US President George W. Bush declares a “war on terror”
2019 Students from 185 countries stage the world’s largest-ever protest on climate change culminating in Manhattan rally led by Greta Thunberg
Today in Film & TV
1984 “Cosby Show” premieres on NBC-TV
Today in Music
1969 Virtual band Archies’ single “Sugar Sugar” hits #1
Today in Sport
1973 Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match
Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know?
Maryland passes 1st anti-amalgamation law to stop intermarriage of English women & black men on this day in 1664
Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe?
Capture of Rome by Italian army, Pope Pius IX surrenders to King Victor Emmanuel which unifies Italy and ends 1,116 year reign of Papal States on this day in 1870
