On This Day In History: anniversaries, birthdays, major events, and time capsules. This day's facts in the arts, politics, and sciences., This page lists events from Britain's past that occurred 'on this day.' (Find out what happened today, in this summary of a history of the British Isles.), Today in History is everything that happened on this day in history—in the areas of politics, war, science, music, sport, art, entertainment, and more., Daily updates of key historical events and dates., 1784 – Élisabeth Thible became the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon, covering a distance of 4 km (2.5 mi) and reaching an estimated altitude of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). 1944 – World War II: A United States Navy task group captured German submarine U-505(pictured)., Today in history – which major historical events happened on today's date? Who was born on this date, who died? In which year did the birth or death occur?.