Today, in 1950, Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw dies at the age of 94.
In 1876, he relocated to London, where he continued to write but struggled financially. In 1895, he was hired as a theatrical critic for the Saturday Review and began composing his own plays. His play Pygmalion was eventually adapted into two films, the first of which received an Oscar for the script he created. During his career, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw created more than 60 plays and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. Shaw died in 1950, at the age of 94, while writing on a new play.
Related On This Day
Today, the Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2 in 1957, with space dog Laika, a mostly-Siberian husky, onboard, becoming the first animal in orbit.
Today, The Times of India, the world's most widely read English-language daily broadsheet newspaper, was launched in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce Today.
Today, at the age of 62, Ngô nh Dim, President and autocratic leader of South Vietnam, was killed in a coup.
Today, in Pune, India, Nizari Imam Aga Khan III marries his first cousin Shahzadi Begum in 1896.
Today, Amar Bose, an American entrepreneur and professor, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1929.
Kendall Jenner, an American model and television personality, was born in Los Angeles, California in 1995.
Chevrolet officially joins the automotive market in 1911, competing with the Ford Model T.
Today, in Springfield, Illinois, American socialite Mary Todd marries Illinois Congressman and lawyer Abraham Lincoln in 1842.
Today, in 1755, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, who is said to have said "let them eat cake," was born in Vienna, Austria.
Today is 1933. Amartya Sen is an Indian economist and Nobel laureate who was born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India.
David Lawrence Schwimmer, an American actor, comedian, director, and producer, was born on November 2, 1966.
Today, Aga Khan III, a Shia Imam who was a founder of the All-India Muslim League and subsequently President of the League of Nations, was born in Karachi, British India, in 1877.
Shakuntala Devi, an Indian writer and mental calculator known as the "Human Computer," was born today in Bangalore, Mysore, British India, in 1929.
Today, Shah Rukh Khan, an Indian actor, producer, and television personality, was born in New Delhi, India in 1965.