50 years ago today, the United Kingdom held its first country-wide referendum on membership of the European Economic Community (EEC). Over two-thirds of voters supported continued membership.
85 years ago today, to rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivered, only to the House of Commons, his famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech.
85 years ago today, the Dunkirk evacuation ended: the British Armed Forces completed evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France.
115 years ago today, Paulette Goddard, an American actress and socialite, was born. Her career spanned six decades, from the 1920s to the early 1970s.
100 years ago today, Tony Curtis, an American actor, was born. His career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films.
1,570 years ago today, the sack of Rome began. It was carried out by the Vandals, led by their king Gaiseric. It lasted two weeks and resulted in a Vandal victory.
70 years ago today, the Baikonur Cosmodrome was founded, originally a test center for the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the R-7 Semyorka.
90 years ago today, Norman Foster, an English architect, was born. Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture.
95 years ago today, Clint Eastwood, an American actor and film director, was born. He rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy.
50 years ago today, the European Space Agency, a 23-member international organization, was established in the context of European integration. It is devoted to space exploration.
195 years ago today, Louise Michel, a teacher and prominent figure during the Paris Commune, was born. Following her penal transportation to New Caledonia she began to embrace anarchism.
40 years ago today, thirty-nine association football fans died and hundreds were injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapsed.
80 years ago today, John Fogerty, an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, was born. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom, he founded the swamp rock band CCR.
120 years ago today, the Battle of Tsushima began. It was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War and a devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy.
50 years ago today, Jamie Oliver, an English celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, was born. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine.
195 years ago today, the House of Representatives passed the Indian Removal Act by a vote of 101 to 97. Two days later, it was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson.
60 years ago today, Jeux sans frontières ("Games Without Frontiers"), an international television competition, was broadcast for the first time. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union.
90 years ago today, Jesse Owens, an American track and field athlete, battled through a lower back injury and set five world records and tied a sixth in a span of 45 minutes from 3:15–4 p.m.
20 years ago today, the album Demon Days by the virtual band Gorillaz created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett was released in the United States, after it was already released in Japan and the UK.
170 years ago today, Lady Florence Dixie, a Scottish writer, war correspondent, and feminist, was born.
