Today in History in 1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to reach India by sea; and in 1506 explorer Christopher Columbus dies in poverty in Spain at age 55.
Our on this day in history archives contain over 200,000 events, birthdays and deaths from 6,000 years of history. Here is a roundup of a few of them:
Historical Events
1498 - Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India - first European to reach India by sea
1609 - Shakespeare's Sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
1873 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent first blue jeans with copper rivets
1922 - Babe Ruth & Bob Meusel, suspended on October 16, 1921, by Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, return to the NY lineup & go hitless
1926 - Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies
1927 - At 7:40 AM, pilot Charles Lindbergh takes off from NY to cross Atlantic for Paris
1932 - Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland 1st woman fly solo across Atlantic
1954 - Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of Nationalist China
2015 - David Letterman, after 33 years, hosts the "Late Show with David Letterman" for the last time
Famous Birthdays
1908 - Jimmy Stewart [James], Indiana Pennsylvania, American actor (Mr Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life)
1944 - Joe Cocker, English rock vocalist (With a Little Help from My Friends), born in Sheffield England, (d. 2014)
1946 - Cher [Cherilyn Sarkisian], El Centro, California, American singer and actress (I Got You Babe, Jack Lalane, Mask)
1959 - Bronson Pinchot, actor (Perfect Strangers, Beverly Hills Cop), born in NYC, New York
Famous Weddings
1968 - "The Who" guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend (23) weds Karen Astley in England
1995 - "Eagles" singer Don Henley (47) weds model Sharon Summerall (33) in Malibu
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