In 1719 The first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis takes place in New England. In 1792 France's King Louis XVI goes on trial accused of treason. (Convicted and condemned, Louis was sent to the guillotine.) In 1816 Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state. In 1872 America's first black governor takes office as Pickney Benton Stewart Pinchback becomes acting governor of Louisiana. In 1892 The first public basketball game is played in Springfield, MA. In 1928 Police in Buenos Aires prevent an attempt to kill President-elect Herbert Hoover. In 1936 King Edward VIII of England abdicates the throne in order to marry 2-time American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson. In 1937 Italy withdraws from the League of Nations. In 1941 Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. In 1946 The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established. In 1950 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that people can not be forced to testify against themselves in criminal case...

In 1475 Pope Leo X (1513-21) In 1781 Physicist/inventor, Sir David Brewster (Kaleidoscope) In 1803 Composer, Hector Berlioz In 1830 King Kamehameha V of Hawaii (1863-1872) In 1843 Physician, Robert Koch (discovered TB bacillis) (Nobel-1905) In 1854 Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Charles Gardner "Old Hoss" Radbourn In 1863 American astronomer, Annie Jump Cannon In 1874 Inventor, James Kraft (pasteurizing process for cheese) In 1882 Fiorello La Guardia, mayor of New York City (1933-45) In 1882 German physicist, Max Born (quantum mechanics) (Nobel-1954) In 1889 Businessman, Walter Knott (Knotts Berry Farm) In 1904 Cartoonist, Marjorie Buell (Little Lulu) [d: 5-30-93] In 1905 Actor, Gilbert Roland (Cisco Kid) [d: 5-15-94] In 1918 Author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Cancer Ward) (Nobel-1970) [d: 8-3-08] In 1919 Actress, Marie Windsor [d: 12-10-00] In 1923 Actress, Betsy Blair (Marcus Welby MD, Scarlett) [d: 5-13-09] In 1924 College football player, Felix 'Doc' Blanchard (Heisman, 194...

The Crown: Did Prince Philip Really Have an Obsession with the Moon Landing? In The Crown, Prince Philip's deep interest in the astronauts and their successful moon mission came as he questioned his Christian faith. Like much of the world, the royal family sat agog at their TV screens or listening to the radio for news of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. But was Prince Philip as moved by the event as he's portrayed to be in season 3 of The Crown? Queen Elizabeth (played by Olivia Colman in The Crown) has had a lifelong fascination with space travel, and her husband Philip was always keen on innovation and science. In fact, back in 1962, when the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan came to the palace for his weekly audience with the Queen, he found her engrossed in BBC commentary of John Glenn's first circling of the Earth, historian Robert Lacey reports. "After a perfunctory greeting, Elizabeth turned her attention back to the radio," he writes in The Cro...

The Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer Makes Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard Spirit Hunting Heroes. Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters is officially back in action...sort of. In January, news of a new film in the Ghostbusters legacy was dropped by writer and director Jason Reitman. The Hollywood filmmaker, who has also directed Juno and Up In the Air, explained that this film would not be a reboot, but will next chapter in the original franchise," he shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. With the new trailer's arrival, he's made good on his promise. The latest film Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things. The film will follow Finn and his sister Phoebe played by McKenna Grace as they adjust to their new lives in a small town after their forced to relocate due to their mom's financial issues. The pair soon learn that this town and the creepy farm house their grandfather left them is full of secrets. Paul plays Mr. Grooberson, a ...

Kanye West might've been somewhat absent from his first opera in L.A. -- but he seems ready to make up for that tenfold with a silver bullet solution ... oh, mother of God. We mean that literally!!! Ye's down at Art Basel in Miami right now, ready to premiere his new opera, dubbed "Mary." You might've heard of her -- she was Jesus's virgin mom ... a big deal in Christianity and elsewhere. Looks like Kanye dedicated a whole production to her. It also appears he and others involved in the opera are actually going to be on stage and involved in the goings-on of the story ... completely covered in silver, head to toe. Based on a quote Ye included in his description of the opera, it's a safe bet this is basically gonna portray the Nativity story ... in which Mary miraculously became pregnant and gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, welcoming royal visitors from distant lands for the occasion. As for what the silver outfits might mean ... it's anyone's gues...