EVENTS
- 1905 – To counter the spread of revolutionary movements in Russia, Czar Nicholas II took a step toward constitutional government by allowing for an elected parliament (Duma) with legislative powers and guaranteeing civil liberties.
- 1908 – First cross-country flight in Europe. French aviator Henri Farman flew from Bouy to Reims in France. The 14-mile journey took him about 20 minutes. Farman was also the co-founder of the Farman Aviation Works, an airline and engine manufacturing company.
- 1938 – ‘The War of the Worlds’ is broadcast, but people think it’s real, creating a nationwide panic.
- 1960 – The first successful kidney transplant is performed in the UK.
- 1961 – Biggest bomb in history is detonated. The Soviet Union detonated Tsar Bomba or Big Ivan over the Mityushikha Bay test range on the Novaya Zemlya Island in the Arctic Circle. The 57 Megatons nuclear bomb was one-of-a-kind and the flash of light when it exploded at a height of 13,000 feet was visible over 1,000 kilometers away.
- 1973 – Bosphorous Bridge in Istanbul opens for the first time. Construction on the suspension bridge over the Bosphorus began in February 1970. The bridge, which connects Asia with Europe, was designed by British engineers Gilbert Roberts and William Brown.
- 1974 – Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in “The Rumble in the Jungle.”
- 1990 – For the first time since the Ice Age, Great Britain was connected with the European continent, via a new rail tunnel under the English Channel.
- 2001 – Michael Jordan returns to the NBA after 3 1/2 years of retirement and baseball.
- 2014 – Sweden Recognizes Palestine. By doing so, it became the first EU country in Western Europe to recognize the State of Palestine. Yasser Arafat declared an independent Palestine on November 15, 1988. The UN General Assembly recognized it a month later.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1735 – John Adams (2nd President of the United States)
- 1872 – Emily Post (1872-1960) was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She wrote influential books on etiquette and a syndicated newspaper column giving advice on manners in specific situations.
- 1882 – Admiral William “Bull” Halsey (1882-1959) was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was the American fleet commander during World War II in the Pacific and played a leading role in the defeat of the Japanese. In 1942, he launched the Doolittle Raid, the first air raid on Japan. From 1942-44, he coordinated successful attacks on the Solomon Islands and New Guinea (In 1944, he led the U.S. fleet to victory at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history.
- 1885 – Ezra Pound (Poet)
- 1893 – Charles Atlas (Bodybuilder)
- 1945 – Henry Winkler (TV’s Fonzie)
- 1960 – Diego Maradona (Soccer Player)
- 1973 – Edge (Canadian wrestler, actor)
DEATHS
- 1883 – Dayananda Saraswati (Indian philosopher, scholar)
- 1923 – Bonar Law (Canadian/Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
- 1987 – Joseph Campbell (American author)
- 2006 – Clifford Geertz (American anthropologist)
- 2009 – Claude Lévi-Strauss (French anthropologist)