History: What Happened Today?

1. In 1791, Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovers Alaska.
2. In 1913, French pilot Adolphe Pegoud becomes the first pilot to parachute from an aircraft.
3. In 1930, Philo Farnsworth patented a television.
4. In 1960, the USSR recovers 2 dogs, the first living organisms to return to earth from space.
5. In 1977, the U.S. launched Voyager 2, an unmanned spacecraft carrying a copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.
6. Famous Birthdays: Benjamin Harrison (23rd President), Demi Lovato (actress), Robert Plant (rock singer), Eliel Saarinen (Finnish architect)

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

Click Here for Yesterday in History: August 19

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: August 21

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.