History
On this day in 1927: Sacco and Vanzetti executions spark global protests
On 23 August 1927, Italian anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Massachusetts after a controversial trial that...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1968: Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia
On 21 August 1968, forces from the Soviet Union and four Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the reform...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1991: Latvia declares independence from the Soviet Union
Latvia has formally declared its independence from the Soviet Union, marking a pivotal moment in the Baltic state’s pursuit of...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1940: Leon Trotsky was assassinated by a Stalinist agent in Mexico.
Leon Trotsky remains one of the most influential and controversial figures of the 20th century, remembered as a driving force...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1934: Some 90 percent of German voters approved a referendum that made Adolf Hitler “Führer und Reichskanzler”
An overwhelming majority of German voters in 1934 approved a referendum that officially merged the offices of President and Chancellor,...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1969: The Woodstock Music and Art Fair ended
On 18 August 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair officially came to a close in Bethel, New York, after...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1945: English author George Orwell published Animal Farm
When George Orwell published Animal Farm in 1945, he delivered a sharp and enduring critique of political power, totalitarianism and...
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On this day in 2018: Aretha Franklin died – video
Aretha Franklin, often hailed as the ‘Queen of Soul’, remains one of the most influential and powerful voices in music...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 2021: The Taliban regained control of Kabul, Afghanistan
The rapid fall of KabulIn August 2021, the Taliban regained control of Kabul, marking a dramatic end to two decades...
Read moreDetailsOn this day in 1457: The Mainz Psalter becomes the first printed book in Europe
The Mainz Psalter, completed on 14 August 1457 in Mainz, Germany, became the first book printed in Europe to feature...
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