Did you know that it was on this day in 1314 King Håkon V Magnusson moves the capital of Norway from Bergen to Oslo? Or that it was on this day in 1803 that Lewis and Clark start their expedition to the west by leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 11 in the morning? And on this day in 1895 German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his Navigable Balloon, in 1897 Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector and in 1920 the first radio news program is broadcast by 8MK in Detroit, Michigan. Also on this day in 1980, after two weeks of nationwide strikes, the Polish government was forced to sign the Gdańsk Agreement, allowing for the creation of the trade union Solidarity, in 1994 the Provisional Irish Republican Army declares a ceasefire and in 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris.
Some birthdays to remember on this day are William Saroyan, American novelist (1908-1981), Richard Gere, American actor (1949), Anita Moen, Norwegian cross-country skier (1967), Queen Rania of Jordan (1970) and Ted Ligety, American alpine skier (1984).
If you need a reason to raise a glass of bubbly on this day, why not raise it in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), to celebrate Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland), Day of Our Language or Limba Noastra (Moldova) or Independence Day for Malaysia from the United Kingdom in 1957, for Trinidad and Tobago from the United Kingdom in 1962 or for Kyrgyzstan from the Soviet Union in 1991?
For more information on historic events on this day, go here.
A Glass of Bubbly 