This Day in History

In 1985, Columbia’s Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted twice causing large-scale destruction. In 1002, English King Aethelred’s order to kill Danish settlers resulted in what became known as the St. Brice’s Day Massacre. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated after a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam veterans. In 1974, Ronald DeFeo shot and killed his entire family at home in Am...

In 1892, William ‘Pudge’ Heffelfinger became the first professional football player. In 1970, Tropical Cyclone Bhola hit East Pakistan becoming the deadliest natural disaster in human history. In 1859, Jules Léotard became the first flying trapeze artist. In 1799, astronomer Andrew Ellicott became the first North American to write about a meteor shower. In 2025, the Philadelphia mint pressed the f...

In 1918, the armistice was signed, officially ending World War I. In 1920, Britain buried an unknown soldier at Westminster Abbey and France buried an unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe. In 1921, an American unknown soldier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1865, Mary Edwards Walker became the first woman to be granted the U.S. Medal of Honor for her work as a surgeon during the US...

In 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior. All 29 men on board died. In 1928, Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne delivered his 'Win one for the Gipper' speech. In 1957, golfer Charlie Sifford became the first black golfer to win a professional golf tournament. In 1969, Sesame Street debuted on television. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1967, the first issue of Rolling Stone was published. In 1989, East German officials opened the Berlin Wall to allow East Germans to cross over to West Berlin. In 1990, he US federal government seized all of country singer Willie Nelson's assets for failing to pay taxes. In 1965, the Great Northeast Blackout plunged 8 states and portions of Ontario into darkness. Learn more about your ad choice...

In 1895, physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays. In 1923, Adolf Hitler attempted to overthrow the Weimar Republic in what became known as the 'Beer Hall Putsch.' In 1971,  Led Zeppelin released their fourth album commonly called Runes, Led Zeppelin IV, or simply 'the fourth one.' In 1975, Daniel ‘Rudy’ Reutiger made his appearance for Notre Dame that would later be immortalized in the fi...

In 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed. In 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had HIV and retired from the NBA. In 1966, John Lennon had a chance encounter with Yoko Ono. In 2000, the US Presidential race turned into a long waiting game and introduced the term ‘hanging chad’ into our national lexicon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1869, Rutgers and the school that would become known as Princeton played what is recognized as the first collegiate football game. In 1906, US President Theodore Roosevelt became the first president to make an official diplomatic tour outside of the continental United States. In 1995, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell stunned the city of Cleveland when he announced he had reached an agreement t...

In 1605, the Gunpowder Plot was discovered. In 1998, the journal Nature published a report that DNA testing had confirmed that a member of Thomas Jefferson’s family had fathered a child with Sally Hemings. In 1994, George Foreman won the heavyweight title at age 45. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony voted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1922, the steps to the burial room for King Tutankhamun were uncovered by a team of Egyptian excavators led by British archaeologist Howard Carter. In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated following a peace rally in Tel Aviv. In 1979, the US Iranian Hostage Crisis began when 66 American men and women were taken hostage in Tehran. In 1960, primatologist Jane Goodall witness...

In 1957, Laika became the first living creature In 1962, a meeting in a New York hotel bar set in motion what would become Fantasy Football. In 1948, the Chicago Tribune misprinted 'Dewey defeats Truman' in their morning edition. In 2024, music producer Quincy Jones died at the age of 91. In 1993, inventor Leon Theremin died at the age of 97. (Theremin musician: Carolina Eyck) https://www.youtube....

In 1988, the first computer worm was released into a computer system at M.I.T. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill, creating a federal holiday recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1963, the term 'Beatlemania!' was introduced into the lexicon after a Daily Mail headline blared it. In 1972, Carly Simon released 'You're So Vain.' In 2016, the Chicago Cubs broke their 108-year championshi...

In 1938, War Admiral and Seabiscuit faced off against each other in 'The Matchrace of the Century.' In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty came into effect, formally establishing the European Union. In 1800, the second US President John Adams and First Lady Abigail became the first residents of the White House. In 1950, two members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party attempted to assassinate President H...

Happy Halloween! We start with a brief history of Samhain. In 1517, priest and scholar Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper containing 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. In 1926, escape artist and illusionist Harry Houdini died. In 1950, Earl "Big Cat" Lloyd became the first black player to play in the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...

In 1961, the Soviet Union dropped Tsar Bomba and its detonation was the largest in human history. In 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought in Kinshasa, Zaire in the 'Rumble in the Jungle.' In 1938, Orson Welles scared a lot of folks with his radio dramatization of H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1929, Black Tuesday saw 16 million shares sold and a 12% plummet in market value. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch made landfall in Honduras. There were 11,374 fatalities in Central America. In 1998, 77-year old John Glenn was launched back into space. In 1969, a message was sent over ARPANET from UCLA to Stanford. In 1974, musician Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. In 1983, Pink Floyd’...

In 1726, Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' was published. In 2023, actor Matthew Perry died. In 1919, the Volstead Act was passed to provide enforcement for the 18th amendment. In 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated. In 1965, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was completed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1961, it was the first successful test of a Saturn rocket. In 1795, Pinckney’s Treaty was signed, giving Americans access to the Mississippi River. In 1873, Joseph Glidden received a patent for 'barbed wire.' In 1904, the New York subway opened. In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1825, the Erie Canal opened. In 1984, the first cross species heart transplant on an infant was performed. In 1881, the Earp brothers faced off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. In 1970, Muhammad Ali returned to the boxing ring after his 3 ½ year exile. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1415, the English, led by Henry V, defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt. In 1854, the charge of the Light Brigade led to significant loss of life by the British in the Crimean War. In 1983, the US invaded the tiny Caribbean island nation of Grenada. In 1920, King Alexander of Greece died from wounds suffered during a monkey attacked him. In 1964, Minnesota Viking Jim Marshall became t...

In 1901, Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. In 1945, the United Nations was formally established. In 2003, the Concorde made its final flight. In 1962, the Manchurian Candidate debuted in theaters. In 1884, it was the first inter-league championship played in professional baseball. It would not be known as the World Series until 1903. Learn...

In 42 B.C., Octavian and Marc Antony defeated Brutus in the Second Battle of Philippi, avenging the assassination of Julius Caesar 2.5 years prior. In 1983, the military barracks housing US Marines and French Paratroopers in Beirut were bombed. In 1850, suffragettes held the National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Mass. In 2015, Adele released her single, 'Hello.' In 1993, Toronto's Joe C...

In 1910, American physician Hawley Harvey Crippen was found guilty in the murder of his wife Cora. In 1791, André-Jacques Garnerin became the first parachutist in history. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act into law. In 2012, Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

In 1966, a landslide of coal waste crashed into the Welsh village of Aberfan. In 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded when a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin discharged during rehearsal for a scene in the movie 'Rust.' In 1797, the USS Constitution, aka 'Old Ironsides,' was launched into Boston Harbor. In 1976, Julius Erving became a Philadelphia 76er....

In 1977, the plane carrying the band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in Mississippi, killing six including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. In 2011, Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi was captured and killed by rebel forces. In 1973, the Sydney Opera House opened. In 1962, Bobby Pickett's 'Monster Mash' hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1968, high jumper Dick Fosbury won the gold medal and set a new Olympic...