On This Day In History
December 30th
1460 Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield (Northern England), Duke of York killed and his forces soundly defeated by forces for King Henry VI
1703 Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die
1906 The All India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India Empire, later laid down the foundations of Pakistan
1922 Creation of the USSR formally proclaimed in Moscow from the Bolshoi Theatre, Soviet Union organized as a federation of Russian SFSR, Ukrainian SSR, Belorussian SSR and Transcaucasian SSR
1924 Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society
1950 Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia become Independent states within the French Union
Did You Know?
Abraham Mills’ Mills Committee declares baseball was invented in 1839 by future American Civil War general Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York; widely disproven, now known as ‘the Doubleday myth’
Today in History in 1907
Would You Believe?
Dinner party held inside life-sized model of an Iguanodon (ornithopod dinosaur), created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in South London
Today in History in 1853
December 31st
406 80,000 Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine at Mainz, beginning invasion of Gallia
1744 English astronomer James Bradley announces discovery of Earth’s nutation motion (wobble)
1775 Battle of Quebec: American Continental Army led by Richard Montgomery is defeated trying to take the British stronghold of Quebec City in the American Revolutionary War, General Montgomery is killed and Benedict Arnold is injured
1861 22,990mm of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam in India in 1861, a world record
1958 Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista tells his Cabinet he is fleeing the country
Did You Know?
First New Year’s Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City
Today in History in 1904
Would You Believe?
This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively.
Today in History in 1994
January 1st
45 BC The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time
630 Prophet Muhammad sets out with an army 10,000 strong to conquer Mecca
1758 The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establish the “starting point” for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature by Carolus Linnaeus 10th edition of Systema Naturae
1863 Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln to free slaves in US confederate states
1892 Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station – it would go on to be the gateway to the US for more than 12 million people
1896 German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays
1958 European Economic Community, better known as the European Common Market starts operation
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The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line becomes the world’s first scheduled airline, covering the 18 mile distance 23 minutes. Service ceased after three months.
Today in History in 1914
Would You Believe?
Paris merchant Jean Marius obtains 5-year royal privilege for his invention of a folding umbrella – first in Europe
Today in History in 1710
January 2nd
366 The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire
1492 Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders his city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, ending both the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula
1570 Tsar Ivan the Terrible‘s march to Novgorod begins
1905 American anarcho-syndicalist union known as the Industrial Workers of the World forms
1942 World War II: the 28 nations at war with Axis powers pledge to make no separate peace deals
1947 Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East Bengal
Did You Know?
Willis Carrier receives a US patent for the world’s first air conditioner
Today in History in 1906
Would You Believe?
Record 19.2 feet alligator shot in Louisiana by American businessman Edward Avery McIlhenny
Today in History in 1890
January 3rd
1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine
1521 Martin Luther is Excommunicated by Pope Leo X from the Roman Catholic Church for failing to recant parts of his Ninety-five Theses which started the Protestant Reformation
1777 General George Washington‘s revolutionary army defeats British forces at Battle of Princeton, New Jersey
1925 Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title “Il Duce” (the Leader)
1977 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs incorporate Apple Computer, Inc
1985 Israel government confirms resettlement of 10,000 Ethiopian Jews
Did You Know?
Previously unknown ancient Beringians group of people unearthed in Alaska, earliest known Native Americans at 11,500 years old
Today in History in 2018
Would You Believe?
1st clamshell flip mobile phone, the Motorola StarTAC, goes on sale. Eventually 60 million are sold.
Today in History in 1996
January 4th
1847 Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government
1865 New York Stock Exchange opens its 1st permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad St, near Wall Street in New York City
1959 USSR’s Luna 1 (Mechta) becomes the 1st spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravity
1961 Longest recorded strike ends as the Danish barbers’ assistants end a 33 year strike
2007 The 110th United States Congress convenes and elects Nancy Pelosi as the 1st female Speaker of the House
2021 1st Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines given to the general public with 82 year old Brian Pinker in the UK first to be jabbed [1]
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Four wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton in New York
Today in History in 1863
Would You Believe?
Topsy the elephant is electrocuted by her owners at Luna Park, Coney Island and filmed by Edison Manufacturing movie company
Today in History in 1903
January 5th
1477 Battle of Nancy: Swiss Confederacy led by René II decisively defeats the Duchy of Burgundy, 7,000+ killed including the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold
1781 British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, Virginia
1919 German Workers’ Party forms, precursor to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi)
1930 Mao Zedong writes the essay “A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire” to criticize cadres not creating rural revolutionary base areas
1949 US President Harry Truman labels his administration the “Fair Deal”
Did You Know?
FCC hears the 1st transmission of FM radio with clear, static-free signal
Today in History in 1940
Would You Believe?
First batsman to ever score 1000 runs in a single innings in cricket – 15 year-old Mumbai schoolboy Pranav Dhanawade is 1009 not out
Today in History in 2016