What happened on this day in history: Gangster and bank robber John Dillinger is killed in Chicago, Prince George is born, and more.
1298: William Wallace Is Defeated At The Battle Of Falkirk
King Edward I of England soundly defeats Scottish resistance forces led by William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. Wallace went on the run as Edward pursued him north. The English finally captured the Scottish leader in 1305 and infamously hanged, drawn, and quartered him that year for treason.
1934: John Dillinger Is Killed
Getty ImagesJohn Dillinger posing with his Tommy gun shortly before his death in 1934.
John Dillinger is shot and killed by FBI agents outside a theater in Chicago, Illinois. A bank robber, car thief, and fugitive called “Public Enemy #1” by J. Edgar Hoover, Dillinger and his gang robbed 11 banks and stole some $300,000 in the 1930s. After escaping from prison in March 1934, Dillinger managed to evade the authorities until a brothel madam tipped off the FBI.
1940: The Special Operations Executive Is Formed
Dismayed by the fall of France in 1940, Winston Churchill devises a plan to take the fight directly to the enemy via a new specialized tactical group, the Special Operations Executive.
The Special Operations Executive would go on to executive a number of secretive missions to dismantle German military power and aid the Allied movement in Europe.
1992: Pablo Escobar Escapes Police Custody
Pablo Escobar escapes police custody by breaking out of jail. Escobar was one of the most prolific drug kingpins in the world. Based out of Colombia, Escobar operated one of the largest cocaine distribution organizations in the world. Prior to his imprisonment, Escobar made a deal with the Colombian government to avoid extradition to the United States. As part of this agreement, Escobar was imprisoned at a luxurious private prison. Once Escobar heard that the government was going to move him to a state-owned prison, he fled. Escobar was on the run until his death at the hands of Colombian police in 1993.
2011: Norwegian Domestic Terror Attacks Occur In Oslo And Utøya island
Anders Behring Breivik commits his attack in Oslo and Utøya island in Norway. Breivik was a neo-Nazi who spouted anti-Islamic rhetoric and believed that Europe was being overtaken by a wave of cultural Marxism. He decided to commit acts of domestic terrorism by planting a car bomb near Regjeringskvartalet, the governmental district of Norway, and fatally shooting 67 people who were attending a Norwegian Labour Party summer camp on Utøya island. In total, 77 people lost their lives in the attack, and over 300 people were injured. Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison, the maximum sentence in Norway.
2013: England’s Prince George Is Born
Christopher Neve/FlickrKate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince George on the day after George’s birth.
His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge — or simply Prince George — is born in London, England. The first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, George stands third in the line of royal succession behind his father, William, and grandfather, Prince Charles.
