Today in 1611, navigator Henry Hudson was set adrift in Hudson Bay by mutineers on his ship Discovery. He, his son and a small group of supporters, were never seen again.
Today in 1633, Galileo Galilei was forced to recant his Copernican views that the Earth orbits the Sun by the Pope (and p.s…the Vatican didn't admit it was wrong on Oct 31, 1992!)
Today in 1847, the doughnut was invented.
Today in 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court voted that Henry Miller’s book, “Tropic of Cancer,” could not be banned.
Today in 1965, the film "What's New, Pussycat?" premiered. The comedy, starring Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers, later earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Today in 1966, Mike Nichols' film, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, arrived in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1969, Judy Garland died of a drug overdose in London at the age of 47.
Today in 1970, President Nixon signed a measure lowering the voting age to 18. It was formally certified as the 26th amendment to the Constitution the following July 5th, 1971.
Today in 1977, John Mitchell became the first U.S. attorney general to go to prison. He began his 19-month sentence for his part in covering up the Watergate scandal.
Today in 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that evidence illegally obtained by authorities could be used at revocation hearings for a convicted criminal's parole.
Today in 1999, the Supreme Court ruled the Americans with Disabilities Act does not extend to people with poor eyesight or other correctable conditions.
Today in 2000, Independent Counsel Robert Ray ended his investigation of the 1993 firings in the White House travel office, issuing no indictments but saying he'd found "substantial evidence" that First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton played a role in the dismissals. The controversy, sometimes referred to as Travelgate, was the first major ethics controversy of the Clinton administration. It began in May 1993, when seven employees of the White House Travel Office were fired – allegedly over financial improprieties at the hands of President Bill and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
Today in 2015, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds in wake of killings in a Charleston church.
Today in 2015, JAMA Internal Medical Journal announced that the number of obese Americans is greater than those just “overweight.”
Today in 2018, funnyman John Oliver was seriously blocked on Chinese social media after parody of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Today in 2018, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was asked to leave Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington, Virginia over her support of Trump's policies, igniting debate.