He made men cry in "Brief Encounter" — the quintessential British romantic film where passion simmered beneath stiff upper lips. Howard wasn't just another actor; he was the raw, weathered face of mid-century British cinema, who could communicate volumes with a single glance. From naval officer to tortured lover, he transformed characters from potential clichés into breathing human beings. And he did it without ever seeming to try too hard.
January 7, 1988
38 years ago
What Else Happened on January 7
Caesar heard the Senate's ultimatum and grinned. Twelve years of political maneuvering had led to this moment. The tribunes Mark Antony and Quintus Cassius race…
The Byzantine palace looked more like a street brawl. Nikephoritzes, the tax collector everyone despised, was about to learn how much people hated him. Crowds s…
He was 26 and stepping into a kingdom shaped by his father's careful political maneuvering. Alfonso IV would become known as the Brave, but not for battlefield …
French forces under the Duke of Guise seized Calais, ending over two centuries of English rule on the continent. This swift victory stripped England of its fina…
He wasn't born royal. Boris Godunov clawed his way from court advisor to absolute monarch through a web of cunning and calculated moves. And when Tsar Feodor I …
The entire settlement went up like kindling. Just nine years after its founding, Jamestown—the first permanent English colony in North America—burned to the gro…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.