Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill into law (1944), and Paraguay's president Fernando Lugo removed by impeachment (2012). Born on this day: Meryl Streep, Erich Maria Remarque and Dan Brown. Died: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and George Carlin.
29 events, 69 births and 54 deaths on this date.
Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, giving returning Second World War veterans help with university tuition, home loans and job-seeking. It became one of the most influential pieces of social legislation in American history, reshaping who went to college and who bought a house.
Leon Perskie · CC BY 2.0Congress removed Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, from the Paraguayan presidency through impeachment. His vice president, Federico Franco, took over as head of state.
Fatahillah, leading Islamic forces, drove the Portuguese out of the port of Sunda Kelapa. The victory is seen as the founding moment of what later became Jakarta.
Hearing that American forces planned a strike on Beaver Dams, Laura Secord walked about 30 kilometres on foot to alert Lieutenant James FitzGibbon. Her walk is part of the story of the War of 1812 in what is now Ontario.
Two British officials, Charles Rand and Charles Ayerst, were shot in Pune by nationalists angered by plague measures. The three men responsible were later caught and hanged, and the killings fed fears of revolutionary violence in British India.
Disney's animated romance follows a pampered cocker spaniel, Lady, who falls for a homeless mutt called Tramp. It was the first animated Disney film shot in the widescreen CinemaScope process and the studio's first animated release through its Buena Vista label.
For the full day, download Chunks today. Every date, the stories behind them, and a new day each morning. Free to start.
Meryl Streep is an American actress often called one of the finest of her generation, known for her precise technique, command of accents and wide range across stage and screen. She has been nominated for an Oscar more times than any other performer.
Ministry of culture, sports and Tourism- Lee Jeong-woo · CC BY-SA 4.0
German novelist remembered for All Quiet on the Western Front, a 1928 war novel drawn from his own service in the First World War. Its anti-war stance drew condemnation from the Nazi propaganda minister, and he later settled in the United States.
Unknown author Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
He is an American novelist whose Robert Langdon books mix treasure hunts, codes and art into thrillers set over a single day. By 2012 his books had appeared in 57 languages and shifted more than 200 million copies.
Photographer Philip Scalia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Judy Garland was the American singer and actress best remembered as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and for her powerful contralto voice. Her later years were marked by well-documented struggles with addiction and health, and she died at 47.
Eric Carpenter (1909-1976) for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . · Public domain
Fred Astaire was an American dancer whose partnership with Ginger Rogers in ten Hollywood musicals made him a legend of screen dance. His trademark style also shaped the American Smooth style of ballroom dancing.
Studio publicity still · Public domain
Carlin was a stand-up comedian who turned sharp social criticism into routines that reached far beyond the comedy club. His "seven dirty words" bit ended up at the centre of a Supreme Court case over censorship on broadcast radio.
Little David Records · Public domain
Download on iOS
Download on Android