Vienteocho de Noviembre, Argentina— a town that named itself after the date it was officially founded.

by James D. Irwin

On this day in history…

1582— William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway receive their marriage license. She is the only person in history to have said ‘I love Shakespeare’ and actually mean it.

1814— The Times starts using the steam-powered printing press. This leads to the mass availability of newspapers and, ultimately, the phone hacking scandal.

1912— Albania declares independence from the Ottoman Empire, immediately regrets decision when they realise they have nothing to put their feet up on.

1972— The last executions in Paris, not to be confused with The Last Tango in Paris which, whilst torturous, is not fatal.

Anne Hathaway first met Shakespeare when she broke into his stately manor.

These people celebrate their birthdays today…

1757— William Blake, auto-didatic poet whose feet, in ancient times, walked upon England’s mountains green.

1820— Friedrich Engels, the oft-overlooked co-author of The Communist Manifesto despite having a comically over-sized moustache and a beard twice the size of Karl Marx’s.

The beard was a sound idea in theory, but is actually quite impractical in practice.

1958— Kriss Akabusi, former British athelete whose only record breaking appearances came as host of Record Breakers.

1961— Martin Clunes, disgraced car insurance salesman.

1962— Jon Stewart, star of The Faculty and Death to Smoochy.

1984— Mary-Elizabeth Winstead, actress/daughter of John McClane.

And sadly no longer with us…

2010— Leslie Nielsen, dead and loving it…