History: What Happened Today?

1. In 1888, the world's first beauty contest was held in Belgium with an 18-year old West Indian woman winning.
2. In 1909, the Indianapolis Speedway holds its first automobile race.
3. In 1950, ABC begins the first Saturday morning kid shows: Animal Clinic and Acrobat Ranch.
4. In 1969, Sputnik 5 carries two dogs and three mice into orbit, which were later recovered alive.
5. In 2004, Internet search engine Google went public.
6. Famous Birthdays: Bill Clinton (Former U.S. President), Tipper Gore (Former First Lady), Coco Chanel (fashion designer), Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek creator), Ogden Nash (American Poet), Ginger Baker (rock musician), Fred Thompson (actor, former US senator R-Tenn)

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

Click Here for Yesterday in History: August 18

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: August 20

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.