HistoryPod | 'On This Day' History Podcast and Videos

Podcast

19th August 1989: The Pan-European Picnic opens the Cold War border between Hungary and Austria

The Cold War border between Austria and Hungary was opened for a short period of time for the Pan-European picnic.Read more

Podcast

18th August 1940: “The Hardest Day” of the Battle of Britain during the Second World War

“The Hardest Day” saw the Luftwaffe lose more than 60 aircraft, while the RAF lost around 30 fighters together with experienced pilots whose replacement was increasingly difficult.Read more

Podcast

17th August 1836: Parliament passes the 1836 Marriage Act, allowing non-Anglican ceremonies

Parliament passed the Marriage Act that legalised civil marriages and introduced their formal registration.Read more

Podcast

16th August 1858: Queen Victoria sends the first transatlantic telegram

Queen Victoria sent the first telegram using the newly-installed transatlantic telegraph cable to US President James Buchanan.Read more

Podcast

15th August 1969: Woodstock Music and Art Fair opens on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm near Bethel in New York

Officially promoted as “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music,” Woodstock remains one of the defining moments in the history of modern popular music.Read more

Podcast

14th August 1941: Roosevelt and Churchill issue the Atlantic Charter

The Atlantic Charter was issued by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.Read more

Podcast

13th August 1876: The premiere of Wagner’s complete Ring cycle takes place in Germany

The first complete performance of Wagner’s Ring cycle took place in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth.Read more

20th August 1940: Leon Trotsky attacked with an ice axe in Mexico

21st August 1945: The Demon Core fatally irradiates physicist Harry Daghlian during an experiment at Los Alamos Laboratory