EVENTS
- 1492 – Martin Behaim presents the world’s first globe. The German geographer called his terrestrial globe Erdapfel, or Earth Apple. It is kept in a darkened room at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, Germany.
Martin Behaim: first globe - 1665 – English naval forces defeat the Dutch fleet.
- 1889 – The Canadian Pacific Railway is completed from coast to coast.
- 1937 – The Duke of Windsor married Wallis Warfield Simpson in Monts, France. As King Edward VIII, he had abdicated the British throne in December of 1936 amid tremendous controversy to marry Simpson, an American who had been divorced. Following the wedding, the couple lived in France and had minimal contact with the British Royal family. The Duke died in Paris on May 28, 1972, and was buried near Windsor Castle in England.
- 1940 – World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.
- 1969 – Television series “Star Trek” airs its final episode.
- 1972 – Sally Jan Priesand was ordained a rabbi thus becoming the first woman rabbi in the U.S. She then became an assistant rabbi at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City.
- 1973 – The world’s first supersonic airliner crashes. The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, sometimes referred to as Concordski, disintegrated in mid-air during the 1973 Paris Air Show. 14 people died.
- 1982 – The Israeli ambassador to the U.K. is shot. Shlomo Argov survived the assassination attempt by a Palestinian terrorist group, but he was permanently paralyzed. The event triggered the 1982 Lebanon War.
- 1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, died. On February 1, 1979, after 15 years in exile, he had staged a triumphant return to Iran which led to the downfall of the Shah. Khomeini then reorganized the government on Islamic principles. On November 11, 1979, a group of students loyal to Khomeini seized 66 hostages in the American Embassy in Teheran after the former Shah had entered the U.S. for medical treatment. Thus began an international political crisis lasting until January 20, 1981, when they were released.
- 1998 – 101 people die in the Eschede train disaster. Traveling at 200 km/h (120 mph), a high-speed ICE train derailed and crashed into a bridge. The accident was caused by a fatigue crack in one of the train’s wheels. It was the deadliest high-speed train disaster in history.
- 2013 – The trial against whistleblower Bradley Manning begins. The American soldier, a trans woman now called Chelsea Manning, was responsible for leaking classified videos documenting U.S. war atrocities during the Iraq War. She was sentenced to 35 years confinement.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1770 – Manuel Belgrano (Argentinian economist, lawyer, politician)
- 1808 – Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy)
- 1865 – George V (King of the United Kingdom)
- 1904 – Charles Drew (Doctor & Scientist)
- 1906 – Josephine Baker (Singer)
Josephine Baker - 1925 – Tony Curtis (Actor)
- 1926 – Allen Ginsberg (American poet)
- 1931 – Raúl Castro (Cuban politician, 17th Prime Minister of Cuba)
- 1967 – Anderson Cooper (News anchor)
- 1986 – Rafael Nadal (Tennis player)
DEATHS
- 1875 – Georges Bizet (French composer)
Georges Bizet - 1924 – Franz Kafka (Czech/German writer)
- 1989 – Ruhollah Khomeini (Iranian religious leader, politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran)
- 2001 – Anthony Quinn (Mexican/American actor, producer)
- 2016 – Muhammad Ali (American boxer)
