Discover What Happened Today in History
In response to Germany's invasion of neutral Belgium, the United Kingdom declared war on the German Empire, formally entering World War I. This action fulfilled Britain's treaty obligations to protect Belgian neutrality and dramatically expanded the scale of the conflict.
Tradition holds that Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon perfected the method for making sparkling wine in the Champagne region of France on this date. While the exact details are debated, this event is symbolically celebrated as the birth of champagne as we know it.
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander launched from Cape Canaveral, beginning its journey to the Martian arctic. The robotic spacecraft successfully landed in May 2008 and confirmed the presence of water ice just below the planet's surface.
After over two years in hiding, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Gestapo in their secret annex in Amsterdam. They were arrested and deported to concentration camps, where Anne later died, though her diary survived to become a profound historical document.
American gymnast Mary Lou Retton scored a perfect 10 on the vault at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This performance secured her the all-around gold medal, making her the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around gymnastics title.