This day in history. Read about what happened today. A short and interesting account of historical events and facts about this day as well as any other day of the year. Find historical birthdays, deaths, tragedies, war events, disasters and sports events.

This year in history
In the year 1851

	January 19th	Argentine writer, Esteban Echeverria, died at the age of 78. He is considered as one of the most influential Latin American authors of the 19th century.
	February 1st	British author, Mary Shelley, died at the age of 53. She was the author of the classic novel, Frankenstein.
	March 11th	The first ever performance of Verdi's opera, Rigoletto, took place at La Fenice in Venice.
	August 12th	American inventor, Isaac Singer, was granted a patent for his sewing machine. His name is synonymous with sewing machines to this day.
	August 22nd	The first America's Cup yachting competition was won by the yacht America. It wasn't until 1983 when the Unites States lost the first place to the ship and crew, Australia II from Australia. The 1983 loss signalled the end of the longest winning streak by a country in a competitive sport.

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