This Day in History

Mon, 30 Jun 2025

The Great Blondin Crosses Niagara Falls on Tightrope (1859)

Best known as "The Great Blondin," Jean François Gravelet was a French tightrope walker and acrobat famous for making multiple crossings of Niagara Falls on a tightrope on several occasions. Balancing 160 feet (48 m) above the water on a 1,100-foot (335-m) tightrope, Blondin dazzled crowds by using a different theatrical variation each time he crossed, performing the feat blindfolded, in a sack, pushing a wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying a man on his back, and sitting down to do what? Discuss

Sun, 29 Jun 2025

Algerian Leader Muhammad Boudiaf Assassinated (1992)

Boudiaf was an Algerian political leader and a founder of the National Liberation Front, which directed the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962) against France. Boudiaf was captured in 1956 and imprisoned. He was freed after Algeria gained independence, but his opposition to the new regime led to a 27-year exile. In 1992, he was invited back to head the government and deal with rising religious influence in politics. Months later, he was assassinated by a bodyguard while doing what?

Sat, 28 Jun 2025

Stonewall Riots Begin (1969)

In 1969, gay rights in the US were virtually nonexistent, and discrimination was routine. On June 28, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular Mob-run gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, and began arresting patrons for cross-dressing. A crowd gathered outside, taunting police and throwing debris. The police responded with violence. Protest rallies and more riots followed, marking the awakening of the US gay rights movement. How long after the riots were the first Gay Pride marches held?