1914: Dylan Thomas born
Author and poet Dylan Thomas is born in Swansea, Wales on 27th October 1914. Thomas established himself in 1934 with Eighteen Poems, a collection of emotionally and sexually charged pieces. His writing was celebrated for its forceful sound and rhythm, and the poet was acclaimed for readings of his own work. In 1953, he was on a reading tour of the United States when he died of an alcohol overdose in New York City. His most famous work, Under Milk Wood, which evokes the lives of the inhabitants of a
Welsh seaside town, was published posthumously.
2002
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is elected President of
Brazil. 1998
Gerhard Schröder becomes Chancellor of
Germany. 1995
An unusually large avalanche buries homes and kills 20 people in Flateyri,
Iceland. 1994
The U.S. Justice Department announces that the U.S. prison population has topped one million for the first time in the countries history.
1978
In England, Barry Williams kills four people in two separate shooting incidents on the same day in the West Midlands.
1971
The Republic of Congo changes its name to the Republic of Zaire.
1968
The
Vietnam War: 6,000 anti-war protesters confront the police outside the U.S. Embassy in London, England.
1954
Film star Marilyn Monroe and Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio get divorced.
1936
In England, American Wallis Simpson, the future Duchess of Windsor, is granted a
divorce, from her husband leaving her free to marry King
Edward VIII. 1918
The First World War: Erich Ludendorff, the
quartermaster general of the
German army, resigns.
1904
In America, New York officially opens the first
section of its subway.
1795
Treaty of Madrid is signed between the United States and
Spain which defines the borders of the U.S. and its Spanish colonies.
1659
William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, two Quakers who came from England in 1656 to escape religious persecution, are executed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America for their religious beliefs.
1644
The English Civil War: Parliament forces achieve a tactical victory over the
Royalist army at the Second Battle of Newbury in Berkshire.
1957
Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Glenn Hoddle.Becomes the England manager during the 1990s but forced to resign for remarks about people with physical disabilities.1939
British comedy
actor John Cleese. Becomes a founder-member of the hit
BBC TV comedy programme 'Monty Python's Flying Cricus' and co-writer and star of the classic comedy series 'Fawlty Towers'.
1932
Manchester United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper
Harry Gregg. One of the 'Busby Babes' - the young team brought together by United manager Sir Matt Busby. Is one of the survivors of the Munich air crash which kills several of the Manchester United football team on their way back from a European match in Germany in 1957.
1901
German actress Marlene Dietrich.1858
American politician
Theodore Roosevelt - the 26th President of the United States. Becomes president on the assassination of
William McKinley in 1901 and re-elected 1904. Is responsible for encouraging the building of the
Panama Canal and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for aiding negotiations to end the Russo-Japanese War. Is a keen hunter - gives his name to children's toy, the 'Teddy'
bear. Dies in 1919.
1782
Italian composer and violinist Niccolo Paganini born in Genoa. 1728
Captain
James Cook, English naval officer and navigator, is born in Marton, Yorkshire. His voyages on board his ship 'Endeavour' lead to the discovery of
Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands.
