Today in Histroy

1660 English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England
1835 1st installment of Hans Christian Andersen “Fairy Tales” published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki
1902 Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors
1945 V-E Day: World War II ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender
1980 World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated
2007 A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed with Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) as First Minister and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) as Deputy First Minister

Today in Film & TV

1958 “Dracula” film starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous vampire, directed by Terence Fisher is the first Hammer Horror film released

Today in Music

1979 The Cure release their debut album “Three Imaginary Boys” (Boys Don’t Cry in US, Australia)

Today in Sports

1984 The Soviet Union announces it will not participate in Los Angeles Summer Olympics in retaliation for the American boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics