June 8
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Featured Event
Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC (L55-16.3.10); Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1959, the United States Postal Service sent mail by a guided missile. Just before noon, a Regulus I missile, holding two small blue-and-red metal containers of mail, was launched from the USS Barbero submarine. The delivery was a success—the mail reached a Florida naval station in 22 minutes—but somewhat unsurprisingly, mail-by-missile never caught on. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
© Arnold Newman
I know we can’t have a great architecture while it is only for the landlord.
Born this day in 1867 was architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Prairie style became the basis of 20th-century residential design in the U.S. and who was known as the most abundantly creative genius of American architecture.
Famous Birthdays
More on June 8
© Heathcliff O'Malley/Shutterstock.com
2018
American chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain, who helped popularize “foodie” culture in the early 21st century through his books and television programs, died by suicide at the age of 61. [Take our foodie quiz.]
© Digital Vision/Getty Images
2009
The United Nations hosted its first World Oceans Day, which sought to celebrate oceans while also raising awareness of the threats that they and their marine ecosystems faced. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about oceans.]
© Patrick Tuohy/Shutterstock.com
2002
Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams to win her first French Open tennis title. [Sort fact from fiction in our tennis quiz.]
Damian Dovarganes/AP Images
1977
American producer and rapper Kanye West—who parlayed his production success into a career as a popular critically acclaimed solo artist—was born. [Test your knowledge of hip-hop.]
© BananaStock/Jupiterimages
1966
The National Football League and the American Football League announced a merger, which became effective in 1970. [Take our quiz about American football.]
Brad Barket/Getty Images
1955
British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, who was generally credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web, was born. [How much do you know about computers and technology?]
BBC Copyright
1949
British author George Orwell published his dystopian classic Nineteen Eighty-four, a warning against totalitarianism that introduced such concepts as Big Brother and the Thought Police. [Take our quiz about the authors of classic literature.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1937
American Medical Association (AMA) officially recognized birth control at the organization’s annual assembly. The participants approved resolutions that called for the AMA to “investigate the various forms of contraception with a view to disseminating authoritative information” and “promote the teaching of proper methods of birth control in the medical schools.” [Learn more about the people, places, and events that shaped the 1930s.]
Print Collector/Heritage-Images/age fotostock
1916
Biophysicist Francis Crick, who along with James Dewey Watson and Maurice Wilkins received the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their determination of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), was born in Northampton, England. [How much do you know about the Nobel Prize?]
From Kings and Queens I Have Known, by Hélène Vacaresco, 29014
1867
© massimo lama/Dreamstime.com
1504
Michelangelo’s statue of David was believed to have been installed on this day in the cathedral of Florence; commissioned in 1501, it is considered the prime statement of the Renaissance ideal of perfect humanity. [How much do you know about Italian Renaissance art?]
© Photos.com/Thinkstock
1191
At the time of the Third Crusade, Richard I joined the Crusaders in Acre, having conquered Cyprus on his way there. [How much do you know about the Crusades?]
© Mawardibahar/Dreamstime.com
632
Muhammad, the founder of the religion of Islam and of the Muslim community, died in Medina. [Test your knowledge of Islam.]