Todays History

A Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, burns himself with gasoline in Saigon to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.

The Battle of Dong Xoai begins during the Vietnam War

The Ghost Train Fire at Luna Park Sydney kills 7 people.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is published.

The Siege of Jerusalem begins as part of the first the First Crusade

A near-Earth asteroid estimated at 10 meters diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya.

United States Secretary of State George Marshall calls for economic aid to war-torn Europe. This becomes known as the Marshal Plan.

A natural gas explosion near Ufa, Russia, kills 575 as two trains passing each other throw sparks near a leaky pipeline.

The Battle of Dunkirk is over with a German victory and with Allied forces in full retreat.

The Portland Rum Riot take place in Portland, Maine.