Discover What Happened Today in History
A truck bomb detonated in the underground parking garage of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people and injuring over a thousand. The attack was carried out by terrorists aiming to topple the towers and was a precursor to the 9/11 attacks.
Scottish physicist Robert Watson-Watt and his assistant Arnold Wilkins successfully demonstrated a radio detection system to British military officials, using reflected radio waves to detect an aircraft. This practical demonstration is considered the birth of radar technology.
After ten months in exile, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the island of Elba with a small force, landing in southern France to begin his march to Paris. This event triggered the 'Hundred Days' period that culminated in his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional act establishing the Grand Canyon in Arizona as a United States National Park. This act provided federal protection for the immense and iconic geological wonder, preserving it for future generations.
Britain's oldest merchant bank, Barings Bank, collapsed after reporting losses of £827 million caused by the unauthorized speculative trading of a single derivatives trader, Nick Leeson, in Singapore. It was one of the most dramatic financial disasters caused by rogue trading.