300 years ago today, after a suicide attempt, Jonathan Wild, an English thief-taker and a major figure in London's criminal underworld, was hanged at Tyburn before a massive crowd.
75 years ago today, Bernie Taupin, an English lyricist and visual artist, was born. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John.
100 years ago today, the opera Doktor Faust, unfinished when composer Ferruccio Busoni died, was premiered in Dresden.
135 years ago today, Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician, was born. He served as the founder and first president of the DRV from 1945 until his death in 1969.
100 years ago today, Malcolm X, an African American revolutionary, Muslim minister and human rights activist, was born. He was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement.
100 years ago today, Pol Pot, a Cambodian politician, revolutionary and dictator, was born. He ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until his overthrow in 1979.
115 years ago today, Pauline Viardot, a French dramatic mezzo-soprano, composer and pedagogue of Spanish descent, died.
45 years ago today, students in Gwangju, South Korea began demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.
