HISTORY

194 facts cite this source

Technology Energy

A cascading failure left 30 million people in the dark

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

A catastrophic earthquake devastates Haiti

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Space Solar System

A meteorite crashed through a parked car in Peekskill

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

A volcanic mudflow buried the Colombian town of Armero

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History Modern

Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany

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Culture & Arts Literature

Huckleberry Finn reaches American readers — and gets banned

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Geography Countries

Alaska becomes the 49th U.S. state

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Technology Inventions

Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone

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History Modern

Amelia Earhart vanished over the Pacific Ocean

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History War & Conflict

An assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I

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Culture & Arts Literature

Anne Frank got the diary that would move the world

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Space Space Exploration

Apollo 12 made the second crewed Moon landing

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

Apple's '1984' Super Bowl ad debuts the Macintosh

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Barack Obama was elected the first Black U.S. president

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

The Beatles meet America on Ed Sullivan

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Sports Tennis

Billie Jean King won the 'Battle of the Sexes'

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Society & Economy Economics

Black Tuesday crashed Wall Street into the Great Depression

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History War & Conflict

The firebombing of Dresden begins

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History War & Conflict

Britain declared war on Germany, entering World War I

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History Empires & Civilizations

Britain takes control of Hong Kong island

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History Modern

Bush and Gorbachev signed a deal to slash chemical weapons

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Geography Countries

California became the 31st U.S. state

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Sports Combat Sports

Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title

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Technology Transportation

Charles Lindbergh takes off on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight

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History Modern

Che Guevara was captured in the Bolivian highlands

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History Modern

Che Guevara was executed in a Bolivian schoolhouse

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

CNN launched the era of 24-hour cable news

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Food & Drink Beverages

Coca-Cola was first sold in bottles

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History Modern

Columbus set sail on his first voyage

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Sports Records & Statistics

The scoreboard couldn't show Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10

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Technology Engineering

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins

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Technology Engineering

Construction of the Suez Canal officially began

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Society & Economy Crime

Coordinated bombings struck London's transit system

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History Modern

Cuban revolutionaries triumph as Batista flees Havana

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History War & Conflict

Custer's command was wiped out at the Little Bighorn

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Technology Computing & AI

A computer beats the world chess champion

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Culture & Arts Performing Arts

Disneyland opened its gates in California

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Technology Inventions

Edison gave the first public demonstration of his light bulb

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty

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Science Physics

Einstein's relativity paper reached the journal

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Human Body & Mind Medicine & Disease

Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first U.S. woman to earn a medical degree

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Human Body & Mind Medicine & Disease

The first mass polio shots are given

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Society & Economy Business & Markets

Ford Motor Company was incorporated

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Technology Transportation

Ford unveiled the Mustang, launching the 'pony car' era

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Science The Scientific Method

Galileo arrives in Rome to face the Inquisition

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History Modern

Gandhi began the Salt March

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History War & Conflict

Germany signs its unconditional surrender, ending WWII in Europe

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History Modern

Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill, sparking the Gold Rush

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Earth & Climate Geology

Klondike gold claims were staked on Bonanza Creek

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Earth & Climate Geology

The Grand Canyon becomes a national park

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Culture & Arts Music

Handel's Messiah premiered in Dublin

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

Hattie McDaniel becomes the first Black Oscar winner

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Technology Transportation

Howard Hughes flew the giant Spruce Goose on its one and only flight

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Earth & Climate Weather & Climate

Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast

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Human Body & Mind Medicine & Disease

Insulin is first used to treat a diabetic patient

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History War & Conflict

Japan's surrender was announced, ending World War II

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History Medieval

Joan of Arc led the relief of the besieged city of Orleans

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Human Body & Mind Medicine & Disease

Jonas Salk announced a successful polio vaccine

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History Ancient

Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March

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History Modern

Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

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Space Space Exploration

Luna 9 makes the first soft landing on the Moon

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The Maastricht Treaty creates the EU

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Geography Borders & Maps

One battered ship closed the first lap around the world

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Culture & Arts Performing Arts

Magician Harry Houdini died on Halloween

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History Modern

Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated

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History Modern

Malcolm X assassinated in Harlem

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first female prime minister

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Culture & Arts Performing Arts

Marilyn Monroe sings 'Happy Birthday' to President Kennedy

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

Marilyn Monroe was found dead at 36

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History War & Conflict

Marines raise the flag on Iwo Jima

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Religion & Beliefs Major Religions

Martin Luther's 95 Theses sparked the Reformation

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto

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Science Physics

Max Planck presented the quantum theory of radiation

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History Modern

Mexico's war of independence began with the Grito de Dolores

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Culture & Arts Art

Michelangelo's David was unveiled in Florence

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History Modern

Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet leader

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Sports Olympics

'Miracle on Ice' at the Lake Placid Olympics

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

Mount St. Helens erupts catastrophically in Washington State

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History Modern

Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French

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History War & Conflict

Napoleon met his final defeat at Waterloo

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History War & Conflict

Napoleon's army entered a burning Moscow

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History War & Conflict

Napoleon's Grande Armee crossed the Niemen into Russia

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Space Space Exploration

NASA launches Skylab, America's first space station

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Space Space Exploration

NASA's Spirit rover lands on Mars

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as South Africa's first Black president

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History Modern

Nelson Mandela walks free after 27 years

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Society & Economy Business & Markets

Nevada legalized wide-open gambling in the depths of the Depression

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Space Astrophysics

The man who moved Earth out of the center

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Language & Communication Languages

Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language

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Language & Communication Etymology

"OK" started as a deliberately misspelled joke in 1839

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

Orson Welles aired War of the Worlds as fake news bulletins

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Society & Economy Crime

Bonnie and Clyde are killed in a Louisiana ambush

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Culture & Arts Art

Pablo Picasso was born

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History War & Conflict

Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed over Lockerbie

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History Modern

Panama declared independence, clearing the way for the canal

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas

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Society & Economy Economics

President Truman signed the Marshall Plan to rebuild postwar Europe

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History Modern

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in the first televised coronation

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Geography Countries

Richard Byrd's team made the first flight over the South Pole

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Geography Landmarks & Wonders

Robert Peary's expedition claimed to reach the North Pole

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History Modern

Romania's dictator Ceausescu fled Bucharest by helicopter

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History War & Conflict

Saddam Hussein was captured in Iraq

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Religion & Beliefs Major Religions

Saint Patrick, patron of Ireland, is traditionally said to have died

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Technology Inventions

Samuel Morse demonstrates the telegraph

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

Snow White, the first full-length animated feature, opens widely

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History War & Conflict

Soviet troops liberate the Auschwitz concentration camp

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Technology Inventions

Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone

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History Archaeology

Teenagers discovered the Lascaux cave paintings

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Geography Countries

Texas became the 28th U.S. state

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Language & Communication Etymology

The abbreviation 'OK' first appeared in print

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Technology Transportation

The airship Hindenburg bursts into flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey

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Society & Economy Business & Markets

The Barbie doll made its debut

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History Medieval

The Battle of Agincourt stunned France

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History Medieval

The Battle of Bosworth ended the Wars of the Roses

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History War & Conflict

The Battle of the Alamo fell after a 13-day siege

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History War & Conflict

The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba began

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Technology Engineering

The Channel Tunnel linking Britain and France opens

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Religion & Beliefs Major Religions

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile

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History War & Conflict

The Dunkirk evacuation begins, a flotilla rescues a trapped army

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Geography Landmarks & Wonders

The Eiffel Tower was completed

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Technology Engineering

The Empire State Building opens in New York City

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

The first Academy Awards ceremony is held in Hollywood

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History War & Conflict

The first battle between ironclad warships was fought

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Technology Transportation

The first crewed transatlantic balloon flight succeeded

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Technology Inventions

The first intelligible telephone call summoned an assistant

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Sports Football (Soccer)

The first intercollegiate football game was played

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

The first issue of Life magazine appeared

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Sports Olympics

The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens

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Society & Economy Crime

Jack the Ripper's first canonical victim was murdered

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Sports Records & Statistics

The first organized indoor hockey game was played in Montreal

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Technology Inventions

The first recorded parachute jump took place

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

The first televised White House address aired

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The first UN General Assembly convenes in London

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Sports Olympics

The first Winter Olympic Games open in Chamonix

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History War & Conflict

The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic

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Society & Economy Crime

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place

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History Modern

The Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament was foiled

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Society & Economy Business & Markets

The Hudson's Bay Company is chartered in London

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History War & Conflict

The Korean War began with an invasion from the north

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History War & Conflict

The last US combat troops left Vietnam

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History Empires & Civilizations

The last Western Roman emperor was deposed

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History Ancient

Rome's legendary founding is traditionally dated to this day

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Culture & Arts Literature

The Library of Congress was established

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

The Lisbon earthquake struck mid-Mass and shook Europe's faith in a benevolent order

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Technology Transportation

The London Underground opens, the world's first subway

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History Modern

The Mayflower departed Plymouth for America

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Technology Transportation

The Miracle on the Hudson river landing

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History Modern

The mutiny on HMS Bounty broke out in the Pacific

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Technology Engineering

The Panama Canal opened to traffic

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Society & Economy Trade

The Pony Express began carrying mail across the American West

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Sports Combat Sports

Ali shocked Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle"

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History Modern

The Selma to Montgomery march set off under federal protection

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Science The Scientific Method

The Smithsonian Institution was established

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History Modern

The Soviet Union was officially established

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History Modern

The Stars and Stripes became the U.S. flag

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Geography Landmarks & Wonders

The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The Stonewall uprising sparked the gay rights movement

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Technology Transportation

The supersonic Concorde enters commercial service

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

The Texas City disaster killed nearly 600 in a ship explosion

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Technology Energy

The Three Mile Island nuclear accident began

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Earth & Climate Natural Disasters

The Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic

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Technology Engineering

The two ends of the Channel Tunnel were connected beneath the sea

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The U.S. Bill of Rights came into force

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The U.S. Congress passes the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The U.S. Constitution was signed in Philadelphia

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Geography Landmarks & Wonders

The U.S. handed control of the Panama Canal to Panama

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

Government under the U.S. Constitution began

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Society & Economy Business & Markets

The Walt Disney Company was founded with a four-page contract

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Society & Economy Politics & Law

The Watergate break-in set a presidency unraveling

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Culture & Arts Music

The Woodstock festival opened

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History Medieval

Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral

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Geography Borders & Maps

The Kon-Tiki raft hit a reef and ended its Pacific crossing

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History Modern

Thor Heyerdahl set sail on the Kon-Tiki raft across the Pacific

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History Archaeology

Howard Carter opens Tutankhamun's burial chamber

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Geography Borders & Maps

Twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty

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Human Body & Mind Medicine & Disease

U.S. Surgeon General links smoking to cancer

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History War & Conflict

USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor

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Technology Engineering

USS Nautilus crossed the North Pole beneath the ice

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History Modern

Vicente Pinzón becomes the first European to reach Brazil

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Technology Transportation

Voyager flew nonstop around the world without refueling

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Technology Transportation

VW Beetle overtakes the Ford Model T

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Technology The Internet

Wikipedia goes online

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History Modern

Wiley Post became the first person to fly solo around the world

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History Medieval

William the Conqueror landed in England

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Society & Economy Crime

A van bomb tears a crater under the World Trade Center

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Technology Transportation

The first powered flight lasted just 12 seconds

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

The first text message ever sent read: Merry Christmas

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Culture & Arts Film & TV

Cinema was born in a Paris basement on 28 December 1895

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

The first radio signal across the Atlantic was a single letter S

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Language & Communication Media & Communication

The first telegraph message asked: What hath God wrought?

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History Modern

New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, in 1893

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Culture & Arts Literature

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four was published on 8 June 1949

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Sports Basketball

Wilt Chamberlain once scored 100 points in a single NBA game

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