History: What Happened Today?

1. In 1691, Yorktown, Virginia was founded.
2. In 1829, Chang and Eng, a pair of conjoined twins from Siam, arrived in Boston to be exhibited to the Western world. This is how the term "Siamese twins" became the common phrase for conjoined twins.
3. In 1858, a telegraph was sent by Queen Victoria of England to U.S. President James Buchanan over recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.
4. In 1898, Edwin Prescott patents the roller coaster.
5. In 1904, New York City begins building Grand Central Station.
6. In 1948, Baseball Hall of Famer, Babe Ruth died at age 53.
7. In 1954, Time Inc. begins publishing Sports Illustrated.
8. In 1965, the AFL awards its first expanion franchise to Miami, creating the Miami Dolphins.
9. In 1977, Elvis Presley died at age 42 at his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee.
10. In 2008, Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly for his seventh gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, which tied the 1972 record of American swimmer Mark Spitz.
11. Famous Birthdays: Sarah Porter (American educator), Jules Laforgue (French Poet), T. E. Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" (English archaeologist, author and military strategist), Madonna (singer), Steve Carell (actor), Donovan Leitch (singer)

For famous birthdays and other daily events in history, visit our Daily Dose Activities.

Click Here for Yesterday in History: August 15

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: August 17

For more history resources on Internet 4 Classrooms, visit our Social Studies and History index. For Pre K-8th Grade Level History and Social Studies Resources, visit our Grade Level Index.