Today in History

1649

England’s King Charles I was executed for high treason.

1945

During World War II, a Soviet submarine torpedoed the German ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea, killing over 9,000, most of them war refugees; roughly 1,000 people survived.

1948

Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, 78, was shot and killed in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.

1968

The Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese towns and cities.

1969

The Beatles staged an unannounced concert atop Apple headquarters in London that would be their last public performance.

1972

13 Catholic civil rights marchers were shot and killed by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

Today’s birthdays

Actor Gene Hackman is 95. Musician Phil Collins is 74. Comedian Brett Butler (“Grace Under Fire”) is 67. Singer Jody Watley is 66. Actor Christian Bale is 51. Actor Olivia Colman is 51. Actor Wilmer Valderrama (“That ‘70s Show”) is 45. Rapper-musician Kid Cudi is 41.

2017

President Donald Trump fired Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates after she publicly questioned the constitutionality of his controversial refugee and immigration ban and refused to defend it in court.

2020: Health officials reported the first known case in which the new coronavirus was spread from one person to another in the United States.

Actor Vanessa Redgrave is 88. Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is 84. Actor Charles S. Dutton (“Roc”) is 74. Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange is 70. Actor Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is 69.