This Day In History

2012-01-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

Chrysler Building ( 1930 ) With the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York which is the tallest building in the world at 78 stories and dwarfs the 56 story Woolworths building and is even taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, this is at a cost of some $15,000,000 investment by Mr Chrysler and shows the world that the American Auto industry is the best in the world. Just 12 months later the Empire State Building is completed which is taller.

Pancho Villa Dead or Alive
28th January ( 1917 ) : US forces give up searching for Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa after nearly one year, following his massacre of 16 U.S. citizens at Santa Isabel in northern Mexico and 17 American Citizens in Columbus, New Mexico President Wilson had sent US forces into Mexico with orders to capture Villa dead or alive.

Elvis Presley
28th January ( 1956 ) : The young country rock singer Elvis Presley makes his first ever television appearance on Television in the musical variety program Stage Show singing "Heartbreak Hotel".
VIDEO ON OUR FULL THIS DAY IN HISTORY PAGE

Challenger Explodes 28th January ( 1986 ) The space shuttle Challenger explodes just after liftoff , killing the seven astronauts aboard, this was the 10th trip for Challenger and included a teacher from New Hampshire, Christa MacAuliffe, among the astronauts, as part of a new Teacher in Space project. The Launch was shown live on CNN and many schools set up televisions for children to watch due to the involvement of a teacher in the shuttle. Other crew members aboard the Challenger ship included Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ronald McNair, as well as Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik. A warning was ignored that certain equipment on the ship was vulnerable at new temperatures.

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Challenger Explodes

2012-01-27T01:46:00.000-08:00

Apollo 1 ( 1967 ) Three astronauts aboard Apollo 1 ( Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee ) die while still on the launch pad as they are practicing for a two-week mission in space.

Outer Space Treaty
27th January ( 1967 ) : The Outer Space Treaty which banned the placing of nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth is signed by 60 countries of the world including the two most important superpowers at the time The Soviet Union and The United States Of America who both had large Space Exploration programmes and Large Nuclear programmes. This was an important treaty because if any country was to place Nuclear Weapons or other Weapons of Mass Destruction in Orbit no country in the world would be safe.

Michael Jackson
27th January ( 1984 ) : Michael Jackson receives serious burns to his head after his hair caught light while singing his hit "Billie Jean" for a Pepsi Cola commercial in Los Angeles when the special effects went wrong.

Birth of Television 27th January ( 1926 ) John Logie Baird, gives the first public demonstration of a television system in London. The BBC started the first public broadcasts in London in 1936. Regular television broadcasts began in the United States in 1939.

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Apollo 1 Fire

2012-01-26T01:45:00.000-08:00

India Independence ( 1950 ) India Formally becomes a republic no longer under British rule. The new President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, takes the oath of office. Dr Prasad was a key campaigner in the nationalist movement of Mahatma Gandhi, along with India's interim Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Auschwitz Poland
26th January ( 1945 ) : Soviet troops enter Auschwitz, Poland, freeing 7,000 starving camp survivors from the network of concentration camps revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there.

Telegram
26th January ( 2006 ) : Western Union announces the end of Telegram Services from 31 January 2006 the last telegram is sent the next day. The Telegram service more than any other is superceded by the use of E-Mail with the dawning of the Internet age but still exists in some form or other around the world but not as the primary force of fast communication it was at it's beginnings when the Telephone still only had limited numbers. Today when it is used it is for such things as weddings, births, funerals and graduations and even as a secure form of communication ( due to perceptions of the Internet as an insecure medium.

The Phantom of the Opera 26th January ( 1988 ) Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical The Phantom of the Opera ( Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra 1909 by Gaston Leroux ) has its first performance on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in New York and is now the longest running Broadway show in history.

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The Phantom of the Opera

2012-01-25T01:44:00.000-08:00

Cold War Jitters ( 1985 ) Russia prepares to launch a nuclear attack following a Norwegian launch of a Black Brant XII four-stage sounding rocket to study the aurora borealis over Svalbard ( Which the Russians mistook for a Trident missile ) the rocket landed near Spitsbergen 24 minutes after launch and the Russians decided it was not an attack . To understand this you must also understand the great mistrust by both sides during the Cold War years when both believed the other would launch an attack without notification to gain an upper hand

Burns' Day Storm
25th January ( 1990 ) : Hurricane Force winds with sustained winds of 75 mph and wind gusts of 104 mph part of the "Burns' Day Storm" have forced many ports and airports to close in one of the worst storms seen in the UK since 1987, causing overturned lorries blocking motorways, buildings collapsing and power and telecommunications lines blown down, at least half a million homes are without electricity. Current estimates put the loss of life over 90 making this storm the worst for casualties since the East Coast Flood disaster in 1953.

35 cents per hour
25th January ( 1933 ) : Many state emergency work relief bureau are cutting the hourly rate for laborers from 40 cents per hour to 35 cents per hour and implementing a five day week . These changes will affect workers pay down from $19.00 per week to $14.00 per week in line with the changing economic trends throughout the country and should help to provide more work for those seeking jobs.

I Want To Hold Your Hand 25th January ( 1964 ) The Beatles get their first number one with "I Want To Hold Your Hand" on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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The Beatles "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

2012-01-24T01:43:00.000-08:00

Winston Churchill ( 1965 ) Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, died aged 90 years old he was best known as leading his country through World War II as a great speaker and raising morale of his countrymen.

Ted Bundy
24th January ( 1989 ) : The serial killer Ted Bundy was electrocuted for murdering a 12-year-old girl.

First Canned Beer Sold
24th January ( 1935 ) : The first canned beer goes on sale "Krueger Cream Ale," sold by Krueger Brewing Co. of Richmond, Va.to the general public. Pabst was the second brewer in the same year to sell beer in cans and the cans came with a picture of a can opener on the side, with opening instructions.

28 years later 24th January ( 1972 ) 28 years after the war ended local farmers found a Japanese sergeant who was unaware that World War II had ended, he had survived in the Jungle carving tools and hunting for all those years waiting for orders from the Japanese Army

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Winston Churchill Funeral 1965

2012-01-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

Roots TV Mini Series ( 1977 ) The Alex Haley book "Roots" is turned into a TV Mini Series of 8 episodes and the first episode is shown on 23rd January and the last episode shown on 30th January. The mini series made history when it won 9 Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award.

Insulin First Used
23rd January ( 1922 ) : The first injection of Insulin ( called isletin originally ) on Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old diabetic who lay dying at the Toronto General Hospital on 11th January 1922 caused a severe allergic reaction. For the next 12 days the biochemist James Collip worked to improve and purify the ox-pancreas extract and on the second injection bought the boy out of his coma and was a complete success.

Santa Maria Hijacking
23rd January ( 1961 ) : Luxury Portuguese cruise liner Santa Maria is hijacked by a terrorists leftist rebel group who had boarded in Venezuela and Curacao led by Henrique Galvão. The terrorists took control of the ship after killing 1 crew member and injuring others. When they had control they cut off all communication to the outside world. They then sailed the ship to Brazil and 11 days after hijacking the ship agreed to release the ship, passengers and crew in exchange for political asylum in Brazil.

The Queen Mary 23rd January ( 1936 ) The Cunard ocean liner The Queen Mary is nearing completion on Clydebank in Scotland, and will begin sea trials within 10 weeks, she is scheduled for the Transatlantic trips between Southampton and New York and many details are appearing which confirm she will a success before she even starts her transatlantic sailings with the first passage on May 27th oversubscribed by 4 times already, she will be capable of 32 knots which is faster than any other passenger vehicle afloat and will be the biggest passenger ship afloat with a crew of 1200 and carrying 2200 passengers.

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Queen Mary Launch 1936

2012-01-22T01:41:00.000-08:00

Boeing 747 First Flights ( 1970 ) The Boeing 747 makes its first commercial passenger trip to London, England. This flight had departed from New York City, and had carried 332 passengers and 18 crew. Although most passengers enjoyed the flight, one had mentioned that this plane is too big for commercial travel (too big to give anyone proper service.

Roe Vs. Wade
22nd January ( 1973 ) : The legalization of abortion within the first three months of pregnancy was allowed as of this day. This decision was based on a ruling by the Supreme Court upon adjournment of the Roe Vs. Wade Case that women had a constitutional right to obtain an abortion.

Apple Macintosh
22nd January ( 1984 ) : A new Apple Computer was introduced . The ad for the new Macintosh computer was first displayed during the Super Bowl.

Queen Victoria 22nd January ( 1901 ) Queen Victoria passed away in the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. She had become queen when she was 18 and had ruled for nearly 64 years of her life. She was succeeded by Prince Edward VII, her oldest son, who was 59 years old at the time, and reigned for nine years until his death.

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Macintosh 1984 Commercial

2012-01-21T01:40:00.000-08:00

Concorde First Flights ( 1976 ) The First Concordes with commercial passengers take off From London's Heathrow Airport to Bahrain in the Persian Gulf and Paris Orly Airport to Rio de Janeiro .

Canadian Dollar
21st January ( 2002 ) : The Canadian dollar hits an all time low trading at US$0.6179 the current rate is closer to US$ .8 but was at close to parity just last year.

Vietnam Draft Dodgers
21st January ( 1977 ) : President Carter granted a complete and unconditional pardon today to all Vietnam draft dodgers

Black Monday 21st January ( 2008 ) Black Monday in worldwide stock markets ( The US Markets were closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ) BUT futures trading around the world on US markets showed significant losses ) The losses were mostly averted when the FED announced a surprise rate cut of 0.75%. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%. In January 2008 the Dow was at about 14,000 by the end of the year the Dow had dropped to 9,000 and has continued it's downward path but much lower suggesting the bottom is close to 8,000 . The FTSE 100 has had a similar fall from about 6,000 at the beginning of the year to close to 4,000 currently

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Concorde

2012-01-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

John F. Kennedy ( 1961 ) John F. Kennedy, the nation’s youngest president (at this time), took the oath of office today. He was sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren. Vice-President Lyndon Johnson (who became president after JFK was assassinated), was sworn in on the same day as JFK. As part of the inauguration celebration on this day, Robert Frost himself recited from memory one of his own poem entitled “The Gift Outright”. He was originally going to read a poem that he wrote especially for this day called “Dedication”, but he could not read the ink from the page he was viewing.

Hostages Released
20th January ( 1981 ) : Iran released 52 weary American hostages, who were held for 444 days

Terry Waite
20th January ( 1987 ) : Terry Waite a special envoy of the archbishop of Canterbury disappeared while attempting to win freedom for Western hostages held in Lebanon. He was kidnapped by Shiite Muslims and released 4 years later.

China Monitors Internet Usage 20th January ( 1999 ) The Chinese News Service announces more restrictions including control of news and information on Internet often referred to the "Great Firewall of China" which blacklists thousands of web sites use in China ( Home to about 1/5th of the worlds population ).

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John F. Kennedy Inauguration

2012-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

Palmer Raids ( 1920 ) 4,000 individuals are rounded up in a single night mostly members of the Industrial Workers of the World union who were suspected of being suspected radical leftists who were either deported or jailed as part of the Palmer Raids. The Palmer Raids ( named for Alexander Mitchell Palmer, United States Attorney General ) were a series of controversial raids by the U.S. Justice and Immigration Departments from 1919 to 1921 on suspected radical leftists in the United States . These arrests were made under the provisions of the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918

Algiers Accord
19th January ( 1981 ) : The United States and Iranian officials sign the Algiers Accords in Algeria to release 52 American hostages held by Islamist students in the Tehran American embassy after 14 months of captivity.

Miami Snow
19th January ( 1977 ) : Snow fell on Miami for the first time in history .

Apple Lisa 19th January ( 1983 ) Apple announces "The Apple Lisa" the first commercial personal computer to have a graphical user interface GUI and a computer mouse. The Lisa was targeted at businesses and cost a massive $9,995 ( over $20,000 in todays money ) and because of its high cost never made the impact Apple hoped for

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Apple Lisa 1983

2012-01-18T01:37:00.000-08:00

Newbury Bypass ( 1996 ) Protesters against the A34 Newbury Bypass in Southern England now include six environmental organizations Friends of the Earth, the Council for British Archaeology, Greenpeace UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wildlife Trusts and the World Wide Fund for Nature all voiced disapproval of the new road scheme. Activists fighting the building of the bypass have built tunnels and tree houses and are using themselves as human shields to prevent security men and diggers from moving in.

Lisa Marie Presley
18th January ( 1996 ) : Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the Late Rock Singer Elvis Presley Filed for divorce from Michael Jackson, who was her husband since May 26, 1994. Quite a bit of speculation surrounded the joining of Lisa-Marie and Michael in Matrimony. One rumor floating around was that Michael Jackson married at this time to either cash in on some of Lisa’s Presley’s father’s inheritance money, or in order to boost declining record sales. Another suspicion was that perhaps Lisa-Marie wanted to use Michael to launch her own career.
Yet another theory of the reason for Michael Jackson and Lisa-Marie Presley’s union was to cover up child molestation allegations made against him. The reason that was given in court by Lisa-Marie was simply that of “irreconcilable differences”.

Scott of the Antarctic 18th January ( 1912 ) The British explorer Robert Falcon Scott arrives at the South Pole only to find that Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, had preceded them by just over a month. His efforts were later made into the movie Scott of the Antarctic

2012-01-17T01:36:00.000-08:00

Volkswagen Beetle ( 1949 ) The first Volkswagen Beetle ( The Peoples Car ) in the U.S. arrived from Germany, designed by Ferdinand Porsche at the request of Adolf Hitler.

BBC Breakfast TV
17th January ( 1983 ) : The BBC launches a Breakfast Television Program featuring Frank Bough, Nick Ross and former ITN news reader Selina Scott. The BBC has launched this prior to the new TV-AM franchise due to launch a breakfast television program in February. ( Newspaper Critics said there was no need for breakfast Television possibly because they were concerned re newspaper sales ) By 1984 TV-am's "Good Morning Britain" and the BBC's "Breakfast Time" were bringing in 1.5 million viewers per day .

Brinks Robbery 17th January ( 1950 ) The Great Brinks Robbery ( Boston ) A team of 11 thieves, steal more than $2 million from the Brinks Armored Car depot in Boston

Desert Storm 17th January ( 1991 ) Operation Desert Storm begins when aircraft from British, American, Kuwait, French and Saudi bomb military and strategic targets in Iraq, including an oil refinery and Baghdad airport.

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50s fashion Montage

2012-01-16T01:35:00.000-08:00

Space Shuttle Columbia ( 2003 ) Space Shuttle Columbia was launched on its final mission featuring more than 80 experiments from around the world. Just a short time later Columbia exploded on re-entry killing all on board.

Prohibition
16th January ( 1920 ) : Prohibition takes effect stopping the sale and consumption of alcohol when the 18th Amendment went into effect it ended in 1933

Galapagos Islands 16th January ( 2001 ) The fuel supply tanker 'Jessica' has run aground on the Island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands, marine biologists are warning of an ecological disaster to the Archipelago. ( the ship did leak 180,000 gallons of oil which caused an ecological disaster with up to 62% of the marine iguana population on one island killed off.

First Corvette 16th January ( 1953 ) For the first time, the Corvette is brought to New York. The first corvette was presented at a car show that took place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The body of these sports cars were made from fiberglass, giving this car a unique look.

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Corvette History

2012-01-15T01:34:00.000-08:00

Land Mines ( 1997 ) Princess Diana angers defense ministers around the world after calling for an immediate international ban on land mines during a visit to Angola. ( The international Ottawa convention on banning landmines came into force on 1st March 1999 but key countries refused to sign, including the United States, Russia and China, making the convention worthless )

Pentagon
15th January ( 1943 ) : The Pentagon headquarters of the Department of Defense was completed after just 16 months construction

1st Super Bowl 15th January ( 1967 ) In the first Super Bowl The Green Bay packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in Los Angeles

Hill Street Blues 15th January ( 1981 ) The television cop drama Hill Street Blues had aired on this day. This show was set in an unnamed city, although the outsides of the set were filmed in Chicago. This television series has been described as the first real attempt to portray police officers as fallible human beings. Unlike other cop dramas, the crimes were rarely solved in one Hill Street Blues episode .

2012-01-14T01:33:00.000-08:00

Loch Ness Monster ( 1934 ) More reports are coming in from Loch Ness in Scotland where they make the strongest Whisky on earth from tourists and locals of sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. It is described as a sea serpent estimated at over 50 ft long and the secretary of state for Scotland has forbidden the capture or shooting of the creature.

Executive Order 9066
14th January( 1942 ) : A reluctant but resigned Roosevelt signed the War Department’s blanket Executive Order 9066, which authorized the physical removal of all Japanese Americans into internment camps.

Hostage Crisis Ends
14th January( 1981 ) : Finally, this date was the end of a hostage crisis that started in the year 1979. University students who were backed by leaders of Iran’s post-revolutionary regime (group of people in power after Iran was changed from a monarch to an Islamic republic). Originally, over 60 people had been held captive, 52 of which for a total of 444 days.

Marilyn Monroe 14th January( 1954 ) Marilyn Monroe’s wedding took place. She had married Joe DeMaggio. Unfortunately, the marriage had only lasted nine months. She had married again before she had died from an overdose of barbiturates. Her first husband had sent her flowers to her grave every day until he died in the year 1999

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2012-01-13T01:32:00.000-08:00

Johnny Cash Folsom Prison ( 1968 ) Johnny Cash performs live for the second time at Folsom Prison in the prison cafeteria which was recorded as the album Johnny Cash at At Folsom Prison.

Black Friday Bushfires
13th January ( 1939 ) : Bush Fires covering more than 4,942,000 acres in Victoria, Australia destroys more than 1,000 homes and leaves towns entirely destroyed, the bush fires known as ( Black Friday fires ) claims over 70 Lives during what is thought to be the worst natural bush fires (wildfires) in the world

Frisbee 13th January ( 1957 ) Wham-O begins begins production of the Pluto Platters ( Changed Name to "Frisbee" in June 57 ). following the name change sales rocketed as the Frisbee took off as a sport rather than the original marketing as a toy.

2012-01-12T01:31:00.000-08:00

First Presidential Radio Address ( 1924 ) Calvin Coolidge became the first U.S. president to deliver an address by radio. This was the first day that radio programming had included commercials.

James Bulger
12th February ( 1993 ) : Two 10-year-old boys lured 2-year-old James Bulger from his mother at a shopping mall in Liverpool, England, then beat him to death

Transatlantic Jet Service
12th February ( 1958 ) :The first Trans Atlantic passenger jetliner service begins by BOAC with flights between London and New York on the new Comet Jet Airliner.

Last Emperor of China 12th February ( 1916 ) Hsian-T'ung, the last emperor of China, is forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. 1912

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785-foot USS Macon

2012-01-11T01:30:00.000-08:00

Countrywide Financial ( 2008 ) As the fallout continues from the sub-prime mess and pending foreclosures in Countrywide customers, Bank Of America has announced it will buy Countrywide Financial for $4.1 billion in stock making Bank of America Corp. the nation’s biggest mortgage lender and loan servicer. This continues the aggressive buying strategy of Bank of America after buying FleetBoston Financial and MBNA in the last 12 months.

Amelia Earhart
11th January ( 1935 ) : This was the beginning of Amelia Earhart’s record breaking solo flight trip across the Pacific. She was the first person to ever have flown across these waters by herself. She flew from Honolulu, Hawaii to California.

BA Dirty Tricks 11th January ( 1993 ) British Airways apologises for an alleged "dirty tricks" campaign against Virgin Atlantic and agrees to pay damages of £500,000 to Virgin boss Richard Branson and £110,000 to his airline, plus legal costs of £3m

2012-01-10T01:26:00.000-08:00

The Beatles ( 1964 ) Introducing the Beatles, the first Beatles Album is released in the US by Vee-Jay Records, The A side features I Want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There.

GI Bill
10th January ( 1944 ) : Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 ( GI Bill of Rights ) is passed by Congress.
The bill provided a number of provisions for servicemen when they returned from World War II including.
(a) Pay for a G.I.'s further education tuition plus a living allowance at colleges and vocational schools when returning home

(b) Provide former servicemen with $20 a week for 52 weeks while they were looking for work ( known as the 52–20 clause )

(c) Low interest, zero down payment home loans for servicemen

Winter of Discontent 10th January ( 1979 ) Following strikes by bakers, Lorry drivers and Tanker drivers over the past months in protest at the government's 5% limit on pay rises, calls are increasing for the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency . This was the start of the so called "Winter of Discontent" which forced the government to call a general election which put Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative party in power.

2012-01-09T01:25:00.000-08:00

Apple Iphone ( 2007 ) Apple introduces the 4.5 inch X 2.4 inch Apple iPhone which epitomizes the next generation of mobile phone devices, with a super cool look and touch pad for navigation and includes a virtual keyboard.

Queen Elizabeth Sinks
9th January ( 1972 ) : The Seawise University Ship sunk into a Hong Kong Harbor despite two days worth of effort to put out a fire that had caused this wreck. This ship was formerly named the Queen Elizabeth, and was considered to be the largest passenger steamship at the time of its creation in 1938.

Toyota and Datsun 9th January ( 1958 ) Toyota and Datsun make their first appearances in the United States at the Imported Motor Car Show in Los Angeles, California.

2012-01-08T01:25:00.000-08:00

The Mona Lisa ( 1963 ) For the first time in history Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece The Mona Lisa is exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. . The loan of painting was made by the government of the French Republic from January 8th to February 3rd at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C and from February 7th to March 4th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. During it's brief time in the US over 1 million people viewed the painting in Washington and New York.

No Child Left Behind Act
8th January ( 2002 ) : President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act

Food Rationing 8th January ( 1940 ) Great Britain introduces Food Rationing using ration books containing coupons for bacon, butter and sugar. Shortly after tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, milk and canned fruit rationing were introduced. Later as the war continued many more items of both food and non food items were introduced including Meat, Petrol, Clothes, Tea and even soap were rationed.
Check Out Our Free A4 Poster For 1940 ideal as a
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Food Rationing

2012-01-07T01:23:00.000-08:00

H Bomb Announced ( 1953 ) President Harry Truman announced the U.S. has developed a hydrogen bomb (H-Bomb). He made this announcement in his final State of the Union Address.

War Games Heathrow
7th January ( 1974 ) : Crowds of people gathered around the Heathrow airport as “war games” took place. Both adults and children arrived from quite a number of different locations to witness armed soldiers, armed gear, tanks, and armored cars. This was very unusual in Britain as Police were not armed and it was unusual to see military personal carrying arms in a public place . A large number of the military stationed at this London airport were carrying rifles, and one was even carrying a machine gun. In all reality it was actually a defense drill, to help keep military forces prepared in the case of a terrorist attack.

Leaning Tower of Pisa Closed 7th January ( 1990 ) The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been closed to the public for the first time in 800 years due to fears the tower may topple over, The tilt is currently 16ft off the perpendicular and increases by about one-twelfth of an inch every year .

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H Bomb Test

2012-01-06T01:23:00.000-08:00

Freeway Killer Convicted ( 1982 ) William G. Bonin is convicted in Los Angeles of being the "freeway killer" for the rape and murder of 14 young men and boys. It is believed he raped and killed as many as 36 young men and boys, he was eventually executed via lethal injection for his crimes on February 23, 1996 .

San Francisco Hotel Fire
6th January ( 1961 ) : The worst hotel blaze in 16 years in San Francisco took place on this day. Flames were seen in every window of this 150-story building. Ray Gorman was said to have started this fire and was considered a suspect of manslaughter.

East Coast Blizzard 6th January ( 1996 ) One of the worst snow blizzards in US History started with up to 20 inches falling in a single day on the east coast in some areas and heavy wind gusts causing travel to be nearly impossible in many areas , the blizzard lasted for over two weeks causing many schools and other businesses to be closed for up to two weeks and in some areas even the federal government offices were closed for 1 week.

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Jackie Robinson

2012-01-05T01:21:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Taylor ( 1943 ) Elizabeth Taylor started her first acting role while signed on with MGM when she was 11 years old. On this day (January 5th), her first appearance was in Lassie Come Home. However, her first ever film debut was with Universal Studios when she was only 10 years old (There’s One Born Every Minute).

$5.00 Per Day
5th January ( 1914 ) : Henry Ford introduces a revolutionary pay deal when he introduces $5.00 per day wages for all his Ford workers. When asked about the pay he tells reporters that he wants his Ford workers to earn enough to be able to afford to buy a Ford motor car.

Prague Spring 5th January ( 1968 ) Alexander Dubcek introduced a series of far-reaching political and economic reforms, including increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents which became known as the "Prague Spring" . In August of that year the Soviet Union answered Dubcek's reforms with invasion of Czechoslovakia by 600,000 Warsaw Pact troops.

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Lassie Come Home

2012-01-04T01:18:00.000-08:00

Watergate 4th January ( 1974 ) Richard Nixon received a subpoena which required him to show tapes which would lead to evidence regarding 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Headquarters located in the Watergate complex. As a result, Sam J. Irving, Jr. D.N.C. planned to take Richard Nixon to court. Over 500 tapes as
well as several hundred written documents were sought as evidence regarding this case.

Rosewood Massacre ( 1923 ) A surprise attack by members of the Ku Klux Klan on a black residential area of Rosewood, Fla left 8 people dead. Over the next few days, white mobs attacked and killed African Americans, and burned most of the buildings in the town including the local black church in Rosewood. The all-black town of Rosewood, a north Florida community of 120 people, was burned to the ground

Yorkshire Ripper
4th January ( 1981 ) : Truck driver Peter Sutcliffe admitted to being the "Yorkshire Ripper," the killer of 13 women in northern England over five years. On 2 January 1981 he was stopped by the police with prostitute Olivia Reivers and was arrested, on grounds of having fitted his car with false number plates.

2012-01-03T01:16:00.000-08:00

Pontiac Introduced ( 1926 ) This was the day that the General Motors introduced a new make of car to the market. It was called the Pontiac. Numerous models of this vehicle are still driven today.

Oil Breaks the $100 a Barrel
3rd January ( 2008 ) : After a few months with the price of oil flirting with the $100 per Barrel it has finally broken the barrier and is expected to increase further now the physiological price barrier is broken. On July 11th oil peaked to $147.27 a barrel currently under $50.00 a Barrel.

John Lennon 3rd January ( 1969 ) A new album by John Lennon called Two Virgins featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude are confiscated at Newark Airport and are not allowed to be sold in the US , also vice squad officers closed down a record store in Chicago displaying the Album due to it being considered pornographic.

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Lord Haw Haw

2012-01-02T01:15:00.000-08:00

55 MPH Speed Limit ( 1974 ) New speed limit laws were set by Richard Nixon. The new speed limit on all national highways was set at 55 mph as of this time, this was in response to the oil crisis and help America save gas. Before 1974, individual states had set their own speed limits-which were from 40 to 80 mph.

John F. Kennedy
2nd January ( 1960 ) : John F. Kennedy was a 42 year old senator. He announced that he was going to run for the candidacy of U.S. President under the Democratic ticket.
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Ibrox Disaster 2nd January ( 1971 ) A fatal stampede took the lives of 66 fans after a soccer game at the Ibrox Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. It was concluded that this accident occurred as a result of too many people attempting to exit out on the same stairway in the same direction and the crush barriers collapsed as thousands of fans made their way out of the stadium.

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Ibrox Disaster

2012-01-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

The Euro ( 2002 ) Twelve of the European Union's 15 countries have woken to life with a new currency today, as the Euro reached the purses of ordinary citizens across the continent.

Hottest Day Sydney
1st January ( 2006 ) : Sydney, Australia temp hits a staggering 45 degrees celsius ( 113 degrees centigrade ) causing bushfires and power outages.

The Beatles 1st January ( 1962 ) The Beatles go for an audition with Decca Records and are turned down in favor of the Tremeloes. I can imagine someone had butts kicked for that decision.

Ellis Island Begins As Immigration gateway 1st January 1892 Ellis Island located in Upper New York Bay, starts As Immigration gateway into the United States replacing Castle Garden Immigration Depot in lower Manhattan which had processed over 8 million immigrants into the country. It operated in this role for more than 50 years closing in 1954 having processed more than 12 million immigrants into the United States. Did You Know over 100 million Americans - one third of the population - can trace their ancestry to the immigrants who first arrived in America at Ellis Island.

2011-12-31T01:04:00.000-08:00

Global Millennium Party ( 1999 ) The world prepares to have a global party with fireworks and special events around the world to welcome in the third millennium. Throughout the year companies around the world were spending millions to be sure computers did not fail due to the so called "Millenium Bug" which had been built into many computer programmes back in the late 80s. In fact due to significant testing the millennium bug did not cause the disruption many were scared about.

Major Snowstorm
31st December ( 1963 ) : A massive snowstorm hits the southern states and reaches up through Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. Strong winds accompanied the 17 inches that were dropped in a matter of 48 hours, causing power outages and many other problems for millions of people.

Evel Knievel 31st December ( 1967 ) Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. resulting in concussion that kept him lying in a coma for 29 days with a crushed pelvis and femur, fractures to his hip, wrist and both ankles.

2011-12-30T01:03:00.000-08:00

Canaries made redundant ( 1986 ) Canaries have been made redundant from British Coal Mines and are being replaced by modern carbon monoxide detectors. Canaries have been used in British mines to detect carbon monoxide fumes for over 70 years because they are particularly sensitive to toxic gases such as carbon monoxide which is colourless, odourless and tasteless.

Abortion Clinic Shooting
30th December ( 1994 ) : Two women are shot dead and several others injured after a gunman opened fire at two abortion clinics in a suburb of Boston.

Ephedra Banned 30th December ( 2003 ) The federal government announced it would proceed with the ban on the sale of Ephedra, an herbal stimulant that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 5,000 years due to it's link to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes when used as a dietary supplement .

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Cuba Revolution

2011-12-29T01:01:00.000-08:00

World War II ( 1940 ) Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London causing Hundreds of fires throughout the city with Londoners filling the subway stations and underground shelters until the all clear sometime after midnight.

East Germany Builds New Fence
29th December ( 1972 ) : East Germany begins constructing the new Berlin Wall with strong steel attached to pillars of concrete. Both sides of Germany were expected to join the United Nations, but would be on the opposite side of issues.

New Years Eve Tradition 29th December ( 2006 ) In Denmark there existed a different tradition that the people celebrate at New Years. They throw dishes at the houses of their friends. All year the old dishes are collected for this occasion. If you have a lot of broken dishes by your house you have a lot of friends.

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London Blitz 1940

2011-12-28T01:54:00.000-08:00

Foot and Mouth Epidemic ( 1957 ) The Foot and Mouth epidemic in Britain reaches an all time high as the Norths largest abattoir is closed down due to 20 cases of foot-and-mouth disease found in carcasses. All remaining cattle, sheep and pigs at the abattoir will now be slaughtered under supervision of Ministry of Agriculture vets. In it's battle against the disease Over 30,000 animals have been slaughtered so far during this epidemic.

First US Test Tube Baby
28th December ( 1981 ) : The first American born ''test-tube'' baby, conceived in a laboratory dish, has been born in an American hospital. Elizabeth Jordan Carr, weighing 5 pounds 12 ounces and described as ''perfectly healthy,'' was delivered yesterday morning at Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va

LPG Gas Explosion
28th December ( 1984 ) : A preventable tragedy in the giant gas-works on the outskirts of Mexico City left 500 dead and public facilities crammed with injured people. The LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) was stored in massive million-gallon containers which was a disastrous mistake. The gas should have been stored in smaller receptacles in various locations to prevent a calamity like this occurring.

2011-12-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

Radio City Music Hall ( 1932 ) Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City opening with a spectacular stage show, featuring Ray Bolger and Martha Graham. The stage measures 66.5 feet (20 m) deep and 144 feet (44 m) wide and has the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ built for a movie theater.
The Radio City Music Hall is also home to the women's precision dance team known as The Rockettes.

Recession More Jobs Lost
27th December ( 1983 ) : With the recession continuing to effect manufacturing in the United States. U.S. Steel announces that it would reduce its steel making capacity by roughly 20 percent laying off a further 4,600 bringing the total lay-offs for the year to 15,400.

Guantanamo Bay
27th December ( 2001 ) : U.S. officials announced that Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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2011-12-26T01:38:00.000-08:00

Tsunami ( 2004 ) South East Asia A tsunami caused by an earthquake under the Indian Ocean killed over 10,000 people in southern Asia, with many more feared dead. The tsunami in the Indian Ocean travelled at high speed and slammed into coastal areas with little or no warning. Officials in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India have all reported death tolls in the thousands and the figures are expected to rise sharply over the next few days.
Over the next 7 days the death toll rose to more than 216,000 people in 13 countries. At least 128,000 people died in Indonesia alone. This made it one of the worst natural disasters in modern times.

Nissan Started
26th December ( 1933 ) : Nissan car company is started in Japan, it begins by selling it's cars under the Datsun name.

Severe Snow Storm
26th December ( 1947 ) : A severe snowstorm covers the Northeastern part of the United States , burying New York City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours; the severe weather was blamed for some 80 deaths.

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2004 Tsunami

2011-12-25T01:22:00.000-08:00

If You are alone this Christmas, I would like to wish you happy holidays from myself and my family.

You are not alone there are many thousands who are missing loved ones around the world, many are in the armed forces or serving their community as Firefighters, Police, Doctors, Nurses keeping us safe and well on this special day.

I would like to thank you and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy new Year.

Steve
Webmaster
The People History

2011-12-24T01:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas I would like to wish a very merry Christmas to all our visitors from around the world . Please remember to help those less fortunate this holiday season.

The Salvation Army
Salvation Army ) : Try to give a little change tomorrow when you have finished shopping In the Salvation Army Kettle , helping them to provide some warmth, a christmas dinner and comfort for those less fortunate.

Make A Wish Foundation
Make A Wish Foundation ) : The make a wish foundation grants a wish nearly every hour of every day to help someones dream come true.

Save The Children
Save The Children ) : Save The Children unlike many childrens charities 90% of all donations goes directly into providing opportunities for the world's children to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives

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Twas The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-23T01:19:00.000-08:00

Voyager Non Stop World Flight ( 1986 ) The experimental airplane Voyager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California

Suez Canal
23rd December ( 1956 ) : British and French troops withdraw from the Suez Canal this follows pressure from the United Nations to end the armed occupation of the Suez Canal.

Drinking Age
23rd December ( 1978 ) : Michigan becomes one of the first states to raise its drinking age to 21 over concerns about high school students drinking and driving.

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Mr T 80s Fashion Show

2011-12-22T01:14:00.000-08:00

Brandenburg Gate ( 1989 ) The Brandenburg Gate has been opened for the first time in almost three decades. The West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl walked through to be greeted by Hans Modrow, the East German Prime Minister, and thousands of German people flooded through from either side of the city.

First Corvette
22nd December ( 1952 ) : The first Corvette, a production-ready prototype, is completed, it is shipped to New York where it made its public debut at the GM Motorama show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January 17

Shoe Bomber
22nd December ( 2001 ) : Richard C. Reid, dubbed by the press as the shoe bomber, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.

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Brandenburg Gate

2011-12-21T01:12:00.000-08:00

First Cross Word Puzzle ( 1913 ) The first crossword puzzle was published, which was created by Arthur Wynne, a Liverpool journalist, and published as a "word-cross" puzzle in the New York World

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
21st December ( 1937 ) : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the first feature-length animated movie becomes a classic and a financial success helping Disney to create bigger and better animated movies over the next 70 years.

Pan Am Flight 103
21st December ( 1988 ) :Pan Am Flight 103 the third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London's Heathrow International Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was destroyed by a terrorist bomb, and the remains landed in and around the town of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

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Pan Am Flight 103

2011-12-20T01:10:00.000-08:00

Operation ( Just Cause ) ( 1989 ) President George Bush launches Operation Just Cause and has sent US forces into the Central American country of Panama in a bid to oust dictator Manuel Noriega

Nuremburg Trials
20th December ( 1945 ) : At Nuremburg, Nazi doctors and soldiers were charged with cruel and bizarre torture of concentration camp prisoners. Experiments such as shooting poison bullets through the prisoners’ legs and oxygen deprivation of prisoners were only a few of the atrocities that were committed. Seven hundred and fifty thousand SS soldiers faced criminal charges for their participation in torturing victims.

Ferry Crash 20th December ( 1987 ) The passenger ferry ( Dona Paz )collides with an oil tanker near Manila in the Philippines leaving 4,000 dead. The accident is blamed on overcrowding with the ferry carrying more than twice its stated capacity.

Transit Strike New York
20th December ( 2005 ) : New York City transit workers began a strike that shut down subways and buses for three days affecting millions of commuters . This was the third strike against New York City's Transit Authority in 70 years the first two were in 1966 ( 12 days ) , 1980 ( 11 days ).

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Operation Just Cause

2011-12-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

Titanic ( 1997 ) The movie "Titanic" one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time, opened in American theaters. The movie about the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 staring Kate Winslet ( Rose DeWitt ) and Leonardo DiCaprio ( Jack Dawson ).

Deadly Fog London
19th December ( 1956 ) : Most of Great Britain, south of a line from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Blackpool has been blanketed in thick fog, with visibility in parts reduced to five yards (4.5 m) in places.

Chrysler 19th December ( 1979 ) Chrysler receives a $1.5 billion government loan to help put the company back on its feet.

Libya Gives Up Chemical Weapons
19th December ( 2003 ) : Following political pressure and sanctions imposed by the United Nations Libya has announced an undertaking to destroy its arsenal of chemical weapons.

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Titanic

2011-12-18T01:05:00.000-08:00

How the Grinch Stole Christmas ( 1966 ) The popular Dr. Seuss' book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is made into an animated television special and shown for first time on CBS. The narator is the well known Horror movie star Boris Karloff. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is one of those programs that when you see it on Television you just know Christmas is not far away.

Executive Order 9066
18th December ( 1944 ) : The US Supreme Court upholds Executive Order 9066, the relocation of Japanese Americans . Approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans were effected by this ruling and were sent to War Relocation Centers in remote areas of the US

First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant 18th December ( 1957 ) The US first large scale civilian atomic power plant at Shippingport, Pa., starts generating electricity for consumers in the Pittsburgh area

Julia "Butterfly" Hill
18th December ( 1999 ) : Environmental activist Julia "Butterfly" Hill came down after spending two years living in a 180-foot-tall, 600-year-old California Redwood tree nicknamed ( LUNA )for 738 days between December 10, 1997 to December 18, 1999. to prevent loggers of the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. She agreed to vacate the tree when the Pacific Lumber Company agreed to preserve Luna and all trees within a 3-acre buffer zone.

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How The Gringe Stole Christmas

2011-12-17T01:02:00.000-08:00

Project Blue Book ( 1969 ) The U.S. Air Force closed its Project ''Blue Book'' which was started in 1952 to determine if Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) were a threat to national security, and to scientifically analyze UFO related data, concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind 12,618 UFO sightings it had collected.

Harrods Bombing
17th December ( 1983 ) : A terrorist car bomb planted by the IRA is exploded outside the Harrods Department store in Knightsbridge, central London killing 9 and injuring 75 other Christmas shoppers during the busiest time of the year. After the explosion panic and chaos caused other minor injuries as people panicked scared that more bombs may explode.

The Simpsons 17th December ( 1987 ) The Simpsons featuring the Simpson Family including Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie debuts on Fox as a half-hour prime time show. The Simpsons has become the longest-running American sitcom and the longest-running American animated program. The program had originally been created as a series of shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show with the first showing on April 19, 1987.

Orville and Wilbur Wright
17th December ( 1903 ) : Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful man-powered airplane flight, near Kitty Hawk, N.C. . The craft is referred to as an airship and Orville and Wright are looking for buyers for their machine which is capable of speeds up to 10 mph.

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Birth Of The Airplane

2011-12-16T01:59:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh ( 1971 ) Two weeks after the Indian invasion of East Pakistan ( Now Bangladesh ) in support of the independence movement, 90,000 Pakistani troops surrender to Indian forces ending the Indo / Pakistan / Bangladesh War, and Bangladesh gains independence from Pakistan.

Heathrow Airport
16th December ( 1955 ) : The Queen has opened new buildings in the centre of London Airport ( renamed Heathrow Airport ) , part of a new complex designed to handle a growing number of air passengers.
London Airport ( Heathrow ) was originally opened in 1946 but the new buildings were part of a planned extension

Battle Of The Bulge 16th December ( 1944 ) The Battle of the Bulge during World War II began as German forces launched a surprise counterattack against Allied forces at Ardennes Belgium . The Battle of the Bulge was the bloodiest of the battles that U.S. forces experienced in World War II with over 19,000 American soldiers killed

1979 Oil Crisis
16th December ( 1979 ) : As OPEC has increased prices and oil production over the last 12 months the price of gas continues to increase sharply, mostly due to the ongoing crisis in Iran. In just 12 months the price of gas has risen from just 63 cents at the end of 1978 to over a $1.00 per gallon today. It should also be noted the US government had produced Gas coupons for rationing due to panic buying and ongoing concern over supplies but had not issued them .

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2011-12-15T01:59:00.000-08:00

Glenn Miller ( 1940 ) Glenn Miller one of the best selling recording artists of his time is killed when his U.S. Army plane disappeared over the English Channel. Some of his most popular recordings include, "In the Mood", "Tuxedo Junction", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "Moonlight Serenade", "Little Brown Jug", and "Pennsylvania 6-5000".

John Paul Getty III
15th December ( 1973 ) : John Paul Getty III who had been kidnapped in July is found safe and well in Italy after his grandfather paid the kidnappers $2.8 million for his safe return. During his kidnapping his ear was cut off and sent to the family to convince them the kidnappers were serious.

Gibraltar 15th December ( 1982 ) After 13 years the gates connecting Gibraltar Known as the Rock have been opened to allow pedestrian access to Spain. ( Currently Only Spanish citizens or inhabitants of Gibraltar are allowed across ) The gates were closed during General Franco's Regime in 1969 as part of the siege of Gibraltar. Both the British government and the Spanish government would like sovereignty to move to Spanish control but the 30,000 inhabitants of Gibraltar have voted to stay under British control by large majorities in local referendum .

Winter Ice Storms
15th December ( 2005 ) : Winter Ice Storms cause Trees and power lines to fall which causes power outages for nearly 3/4 million people along the Atlantic coast with the worst effected areas being South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

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Gone With The Wind

2011-12-14T01:58:00.000-08:00

Last Man To Walk On The Moon ( 1972 ) Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan become the last men to walk on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission.

The full list of the 12 men who have walked on the moon

1. Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 July 21, 1969

2. Buzz Aldrin Apollo 11 July 21, 1969

3. Pete Conrad Apollo 12 November 19-20, 1969

4. Alan Bean Apollo 12 November 19-20, 1969

5. Alan Shepard Apollo 14 February 5-6, 1971

6. Edgar Mitchell Apollo 14 February 5-6, 1971

7. David Scott Apollo 15 July 31–August 2, 1971

8. James Irwin Apollo 15 July 31–August 2, 1971

9. John W. Young Apollo 16 April 21-23, 1972

10. Charles Duke Apollo 16 April 21-23, 1972

11. Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17 December 11-14, 1972

12. Eugene Cernan Apollo 17 December 11-14, 1972

Roald Amundsen
14th December ( 1911 ) : Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, beating Robert F. Scott.

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Roald Amundsen

2011-12-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

Saddam Hussein ( 2003 ) Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. forces at a farmhouse in Adwar, near his hometown of Tikrit.

Rape of Nanking 13th December ( 1937 ) Japanese forces capture the city of Nanking and Japanese General Matsui Iwane orders the city of Nanking to be destroyed. Japanese troops launched a campaign of atrocities against civilians. including the massacre of an estimated 200,000 and the rape and mutilation of at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages .

Susan B Anthony Dollar 13th December ( 1978 ) The first Susan B. Anthony ( a key figure in the woman suffrage movement )dollar is minted but is not accepted by the public due to it's very similar appearance to the quarter

James Dean
13th December ( 1950 ) : James Dean who is still unknown at that time appears in a Pepsi commercial, dancing with other teens around a jukebox 5 years before he becomes an icon for the teenage revolution in such films as Rebel Without a Cause

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James Dean

2011-12-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

George W. Bush ( 2000 ) The United States Supreme Court hands out it's ruling over the counting of ballets in Florida which allowed Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris's previous certification of George W. Bush as the winner of Florida's electoral votes to stand and effectively ending the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush.

Marconi 12th December ( 1901 ) Marconi sends first wireless transmission over 2000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada . The transmission consisted of the Morse-code signal for the letter "s" which consists of three dots ( ... ).

Free Willy
12th December ( 2003 ) : Keiko the Orca (or killer whale) made famous by the "Free Willy" movies, died in the Norwegian fjord that had become his home. Keiko was originally captured near Iceland in 1979 and sold to the Icelandic aquarium, Following public pressure for his release after his starring role in the movies he was airlifted to Taknes fjord in Norway where many hoped he could be returned to the wild

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The Mona Lisa

2011-12-11T01:54:00.000-08:00

King Edward VIII ( 1936 ) Britain's King Edward VIII abdicates the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson, Edward had expressed his desire to marry his mistress, Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite but the the marriage was opposed by the government on religious, legal, political, and moral grounds.

Kyoto Protocol 11th December ( 1997 ) 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to take steps to control the greenhouse gas emissions

UNICEF Established
11th December ( 1946 ) : The United Nations General Assembly establishes (UNICEF) United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.

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UNICEF

2011-12-10T01:53:00.000-08:00

Otis Redding ( 1967 ) A plane crash in Madison, Wisconsin, kills soul singer Otis Redding and members of the Bar-Kays band the plane crashed into Lake Monona, several miles from the Madison airport.

Nobel Prizes
10th December ( 1909 ) : The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.

Start Of Aids 10th December ( 1981 ) A mysterious epidemic, consisting of two separate diseases, a form of pneumonia and skin cancer, has been found in 180 patients in 15 states since last July. It has claimed around 75 lives so far in the US and up to 92% of the victims are homosexual men. The unknown condition was eventually named as Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) virus not only restricted to homosexuals and 4,000 were infected in the space of two years.

Universal Declaration on Human Rights
10th December ( 1948 ) : The United Nations General Assembly meeting in Paris, France adopts the Universal Declaration on Human Rights which took nearly three years in prepare .

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Universal Declaration on Human Rights

2011-12-09T01:51:00.000-08:00

Hubble Telescope Repair ( 1993 ) A historic mission to repair the Hubble Telescope has ended and is considered a complete success with Hubble back in action . The repair involved of a number of space walks with the longest made by Story Musgrave and Jeff Hofman spending seven hours and 21 minutes on their final task to unravel the 40 ft solar panels which power Hubble.

Lech Walesa
9th December ( 1990 ) : Solidarity founder Lech Walesa wins Poland's presidential runoff by a landslide

Sunningdale Agreement 9th December ( 1973 ) Tripartite talks on Northern Ireland have end with the signing of the Sunningdale Agreement the historic agreement to set up a Council of Ireland. After less than 12 months following strikes and paramilitary involvement the Council of Ireland collapsed and direct rule was imposed.

Studebaker
9th December ( 1963 ) : The last American made Studebaker is produced, and the factory in South Bend, Indiana, is closed

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Studebaker

2011-12-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

John Lennon Shot ( 1980 ) Former Beatle John Lennon was shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician's New York apartment. The gunman is later identified as Mark David Chapman

NAFTA
8th December ( 1993 ) : The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ( United States, Canada, and Mexico ) is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton. In terms of gross domestic product (GDP) it is the largest trading bloc and trade agreement in the world

Operation Restore Hope 8th December ( 1992 ) The United Nations intervention in Somalia OPERATION RESTORE HOPE a UN sanctioned US military operation begins. The operation was planned to avert the growing humanitarian disaster of severe famine and general chaos.

US Enters World War II
8th December ( 1941 ) : Following the unprovoked Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor yesterday the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan

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John Lennon

2011-12-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor ( 1941 ) Japan launches a surprise dawn attack using midget submarines, 350 bombers and torpedo carrying planes targeting warships, aircraft and military installations on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and has declared war on Britain and the United States. The attack destroyed two battleships, one mine layer, two destroyers with the loss of more than 2,300 US servicemen The US president, Franklin D Roosevelt, has mobilized all forces and is poised to declare war on Japan. The next day when the president addressed Congress and the nation he swore that America would never forget December 7, 1941, as a "date that would live in infamy."

Clement Attlee
7th December ( 1955 ) : Clement Attlee resigns as leader of the British labour Party who were beaten in general elections in 1951 by the Conservative party led by Sir Anthony Eden. Clement Attlee and the labour party came to power at the end of World War II in 1945 and implemented many of the recommendations of the report for social reform which became known as the 'cradle to grave' welfare state. The changes included the nationalisation of major industries and public utilities which by 1951 included 20% of the workforce who were then working for the government in Britain. The creation of the National Health Service which provided free healthcare for all. They implemented the National Insurance Act 1946 which deducted a flat rate of national insurance tax. These deductions in turn provided flat-rate pensions, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, and funeral benefit.

Commuter Train Shooting 7th December ( 1993 ) Colin Ferguson opened fire on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train, killing six people and wounding 17, before other passengers stopped him by tackling and holding him down. He was later convicted and sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison.

Napster
7th December ( 1999 ) : The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) files a lawsuit against the new but fast growing Napster file sharing service, on charges of copyright infringement. It was two years in July 2001 before Napster was closed down when they lost their case bought using the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

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Pearl Harbor

2011-12-06T01:48:00.000-08:00

École Polytechnique Shootings ( 1989 ) A gunmen dressed in combat fatigues enters the École Polytechnique a Montreal engineering school Cafeteria where he separates the male and female students and begins shooting the female students, he then went into other classrooms doing similar thing. By the end of his reign of terror he had killed murdered 14 women students and injured a further 12 before killing himself. The gunmen was 25 year-old Marc Lépine, armed with a legally obtained semi-automatic rifle.

Orange County, Calif
6th December ( 1994 ) : Orange County, Calif. an affluent California community filed for bankruptcy protection due to investment losses of about $2 billion on its multi-billion-dollar investment fund.

Irish Free State Created 6th December ( 1922 ) The Irish Free State is created as a dominion with British sovereign authority under the terms of the Anglo Irish Treaty. Originally the agreement did cover Northern Ireland but Northern Ireland chose the option to opt out of the dominion

Altamont Rolling Stones Concert
6th December ( 1969 ) : A free concert organized by the Rolling Stones featuring Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and The Rolling Stones at the disused Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif., is marred by the deaths of four people, including a man who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel, The stage, which was only four feet high, was surrounded by the Hells Angels, who acted as security for the concert.

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Rolling Stones

2011-12-05T01:47:00.000-08:00

Civil Partnership Act ( 2005 ) The Civil Partnership Act comes into law. ( The Civil Partnership Act grants civil partnerships "which include same sex partnerships" in the United Kingdom with rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage ).

Prohibition Ends
5th December ( 1933 ) : Prohibition comes to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment

Bermuda Race Riots 5th December ( 1977 ) In Hamilton, Bermuda British soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers were called in to control race riots in the city. The riots went on for three days and caused $5 million in damages. Civilians and 5,000 tourists stayed hidden indoors. There had been two nights of fire bombing by youth, but severe rains quelled the violence.

Bermuda Triangle
5th December ( 1945 ) : Five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bombers comprising Flight 19 take off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three hour training mission. Flight 19 was scheduled to take them due east for 120 miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 120-mile leg that would return them to the naval base. They never returned. This area is known as the Bermuda Triangle and is renowned for causing instrument malfunctions including Compass and Radio Malfunctions. The Bermuda Triangle is said to stretch from the southern U.S. coast across to Bermuda and down to the Atlantic coast of Cuba and Santo Domingo.

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Bermuda Triangle

2011-12-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

Deadly London Smog ( 1952 ) A deadly smog created by the smoke soot and sulfur dioxide from the factories, cars and coal fires in local homes begins to hover over London, England, which continues for four days, leading to the deaths of at least 4,000 people.

Pan Am
4th December ( 1991 ) : Pan American World Airways ( Pan AM ) takes it's last commercial Pan Am Flight 436 from Bridgetown, Barbados, to Miami. Pan Am is remembered for being the first worldwide mail delivery service on Aircraft called Clipper flying boats, and created many firsts including the first commercial service across the North Atlantic

Terry Anderson 4th December ( 1991 ) Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson, the last and longest-held US hostage in Lebanon, is freed by an Islamic militant group after 2,454 days in captivity.

Burger King
4th December ( 1954 ) : The first Burger King ( Insta Burger King )is opened in Miami, Florida by James McLamore and David Edgerton. Burger King continued to grow slowly and in 1967 followed other fast food chains by allowing franchise restaurants. The idea was copied from the fast food restaurant concept introduced by Dick and Mac McDonald ( Ray Kroc bought out Dick and Mac McDonald in 1955 ) .

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Mary Celeste

2011-12-03T01:44:00.000-08:00

Who Concert ( 1979 ) Eleven Who fans are killed and dozens are injured in a crush of people trying to get into the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio. when thousands of fans (with first-come, first-served festival seating tickets) rush towards the locked doors when they mistook the sound check for the concert having started.

India / Pakistan
3rd December ( 1971 ) : Border battles between India and Pakistan erupt into full-scale war when jets from West Pakistan attack at least four Indian airports,.

Student Protests 3rd December ( 1964 ) Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.

Bhopal Chemical Accident
3rd December ( 1984 ) : Thousands of people die from the effects of toxic gases which leaked from Bhopal Union Carbide Factory near the central Indian city of Bhopal. The leak also caused injuries to nearly 250,000 more with over 10,000 have since died from toxic gas related diseases. The cause of the leaks was traced to most of the safety systems not working and the deaths and injuries were caused by exposure to the highly toxic gasses.

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Bhopal Chemical Accident

2011-12-02T01:42:00.000-08:00

747 Jumbo Jet ( 1969 ) The Boeing 747 ( Often Known as Jumbo Jet ) a long-haul, wide body commercial airliner receives its FAA airworthiness certificate paving the way for its introduction into commercial service in 1970

Back To Work
2nd December ( 1930 ) : President Herbert Hoover goes before Congress to make a plea for a $150 million public works program to work on various construction projects and help to put America back to work.

Beginning Of Cuba Revolution 2nd December ( 1956 ) The yacht Granma arrives on the shores of Cuba after travelling from Mexico where Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the Cuban Revolution movement disembark to begin the Cuban Revolution. Five years later on the same day On a national radio broadcast Fidel Castro declares that he was a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba was to adopt Communism.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA )
2nd December ( 1970 ) : The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) proposed by President Richard Nixon to protect human health and with safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land begins operation. Amongst other things they do are to provide and monitor the EPA fuel economy test manufacturers use to advertise the gas mileage of their vehicles.

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Silence Of The Lambs

2011-12-01T01:41:00.000-08:00

Rosa Parks ( 1955 ) Rosa Parks sets off a bus boycott in Montgomery, Georgia when she refuses to give up her seat in the “colored” section of a bus. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., the boycott lasted for over a year and resulted in the desegregation of the buses. This is often thought of as the event that started the Civil Rights Movement nationwide

Ford Assembly Line
1st December ( 1913 ) : The Ford Motor Company introduced the continuous moving assembly line which could produce a complete car every two-and-a-half minutes. This change is one of the most significant changes in Car production and allowed Ford to sell cars cheaper than any other manufacturer which forced the others to also move to automated production lines.

Antarctica 1st December ( 1959 ) Representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, sign a treaty setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity

Human Chromosome 22
1st December ( 1999 ) : An international consortium of sequencing centers and collaborators from the chromosome 22 genetics community released into the public domain the genetic code of the 33.5 million bps that comprise the euchromatic portion of human chromosome 22.

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British Welfare System

2011-11-30T01:26:00.000-08:00

Flying Scotsman ( 1934 ) The Flying Scotsman becomes the first steam locomotive to be officially recorded at 100 mph, to put this in perspective 100 years earlier in 1930 Stephenson's Rocket got to 30 MPH and in 2007 A French TGV recorded 357 MPH.

Aileen Wuornos
30th November ( 1989 ) : Aileen Wuornos murders her first victim Richard Mallory, over the next 12 months she murders 7 more men in Florida. She was arrested on 9th January 1991 and her live in partner agreed to get a confession from Wuornos in exchange for prosecutorial immunity. Aileen Wuornos was found guilty of 6 murders and received six death sentences and was executed via lethal injection on October 9, 2002

Ken Jennings 30th November ( 2004 ) Ken Jennings after a run of 75 appearances is finally beaten on the TV quiz show Jeopardy! walking away with the largest game show prize in TV history winning over 2.5 million dollars.

Crystal Palace Fire
30h November ( 1936 ) : Crystal Palace which had been built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 is destroyed by fire. The Crystal Palace also featured the first public conveniences in use in England / Monkey Closets and during the exhibition 827,280 visitors paid one penny each to use them which is where the British saying "to spend a penny" comes from.

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Another Brick in the Wall

2011-11-29T01:11:00.000-08:00

Chrysler Closes Plants ( 1973 ) Chrysler joins other US car makers in closing a number of plants affecting 38,000 workers and announced it was changing the focus to manufacturing smaller more efficient cars to combat the Japanese imports. General Motors had made similar cuts 1 week before.

Petrol Rationing
29th November ( 1956 ) : As a result of the Suez crisis, oil is not getting through from the middle east and petrol rationing is to be introduced in Britain from next month, and is expected to last for four months, and will be controlled through books of coupons. Normal car users will be allowed enough petrol for 200 miles per month while business travellers will be allowed an additional 100 miles per month. Additional petrol allowance will be allowed for farmers, doctors, midwives and disabled drivers. Almost instantly drivers queued up at local garages before the rationing came in causing even more panic buying and as a result of shortages of supply petrol increased to six shillings a gallon ( 30p ).

Jewish State of Israel 29th November ( 1947 ) The United Nations votes in favor of partitioning the British controlled Palestine and to allow the creation of an Independent Jewish State of Israel. Arab countries all voted against the creation of Israel and 60 years later the area is still in turmoil.

Warren Commission
29th November ( 1963 ) : The Warren Commission led by the Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren.
is established to investigate the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. It took 10 months to complete the findings which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the killing of President John F. Kennedy.

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Warren Commission

2011-11-28T01:44:00.000-08:00

Tehran Meeting ( 1941 ) US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin meet in Tehran for a three day meeting to discuss "Operation Overlord which included D Day Landings in Normandy, France for May 1944, the landings were delayed and took place on 6th June 1944" as part of the final strategy for the war against Nazi Germany and its allies. As part of the meeting a pledge was made by the three countries to recognize Iran's independence ( Britain and the USSR had invaded Iran in 1941 ).

Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire
28th November ( 1943 ) : The Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston a former speakeasy burns to the ground in the worst Night Club Fire in US history killing 492 people. The fire began when a canopy of artificial palm fronds caught fire and because of the design and number of highly flammable drapes spread quickly through the club and due to the poor design and blocked entrances many patrons could not get out.

Jeffrey Dahmer 28th November ( 1994 ) Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer died of massive head injuries after he was attacked by other prisoners while cleaning a prison toilet.

Enron
28th November ( 2001 ) : Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader employing over 20,000 employees share price has now dropped below one dollar from a high of $90.00 per share following would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backing out of an $8.4 billion deal to take Enron over.

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Margaret Thatcher Resigns

2011-11-27T01:44:00.000-08:00

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ( 1924 ) New York City's Macy's department store held its first Thanksgiving Day parade down a two-mile stretch of Broadway from Central Park West to Herald Square .

Baby Face Nelson
27th November ( 1934 ) : Baby Face Nelson wanted after shoot out with federal agents in Illinois. Melvin Purvis, head of the Chicago Bureau of the Department of Justice told his men, "Get 'Baby Face' Nelson – dead or alive."

Québécois Nation Motion 27th November ( 2006 ) The Québécois nation motion ( "That this House recognize that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada." ) is approved by the House of Commons in the Parliament of Canada.

Tokyo Bombing
27th November ( 1944 ) : Once again Tokyo had been hit with B-29 bombers. Enemy camps in Thailand also had been hit as well. Numerous Japanese vessels such as a heavy cruiser, planes, and other ships were destroyed.

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World War II Newsreal

2011-11-26T01:58:00.000-08:00

Queen Pays Tax ( 1992 ) The British Queen of England agrees to pay income tax and the number of Royals who receive taxpayers money has been reduced to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen Mother.

"Casablanca"
26th November ( 1942 ) : "Casablanca," set in the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca during World War II, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, has its world premiere at the Hollywood Theater in New York.

King Tut's Tomb 26th November ( 1922 ) The British archaeologist Lord Carnarvon and the American archaeologist Howard Carter enter King Tut's tomb which had been buried by the sands of the Egyptian desert for thousands of years before its discovery by Carter a few days before, He had waited until his partner Lord Carnarvon could fly from England to enter. Many believe to this day that King Tut's tomb is the greatest archaeological discovery of our time. Both of these great archaeologists died within 7 months of entering the Tomb which helped to perpetuate the myth of the ( Mummy's Curse ) .

Ashtar Galactic Command
26th November ( 1977 ) : 'Vrillon', claiming to be the representative of the 'Ashtar Galactic Command', hijacked The ITN Nightly News at ITV Southern Television for six minutes. A must Listen Video which makes Me Smile?

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Vrillon

2011-11-25T01:41:00.000-08:00

Band Aid ( 1984 ) The 44 group members of Band Aid which was founded by Bob Geldof to help raise money to assist famine stricken Ethiopia, recorded the single Do They Know It's Christmas in a London studio .

Iran-Contra Affair
25th November ( 1986 ) : President Reagan tells the press that the national security adviser ( Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter ) and a member of the admiral's staff ( Lieut. Col. Oliver L. North ) had left their posts because he had not been fully informed of the details of the Iran-Contra affair and that $30 million intended to pay for American arms had been secretly diverted to rebel forces in Nicaragua. President Reagan has asked for a complete factual record with respect to the implementation of his policy toward Iran.

Hollywood Ten 25th November ( 1947 ) The Hollywood Ten consisting of Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott and Dalton Trumbo are cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to give testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities on the 24th November because of their alleged membership in or sympathy toward the American Communist Party. They are blacklisted by Hollywood movie studios and can not work.

President John F Kennedy Funeral
25th November ( 1963 ) : Assassinated President John F Kennedy funeral takes place in Washington DC with over 800,000 mourners lining the streets standing in silence. The funeral was attended by statesmen representing counties around the globe. The service was held in St Matthew's Cathedral and the president was laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery with a 21 gun salute.

2011-11-24T01:40:00.000-08:00

Lucy Found ( 1974 ) An international team of scientists working in northeastern Ethiopia has found the partial skeleton of a three-million-year-old hominid that it claims is the most complete early man discovery ever made in Africa, the skeleton is better known and referred to as Lucy.

Brady Bill
24th November ( 1993 ) : A new bill was passed by the United States Congress called the Brady Bill. It was intended to control the use of handguns, by administering stricter regulations regarding obtaining one

Great Appalachian Storm 24th November ( 1950 ) The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 begins on November 24th and lasted until November 30th and was a cyclone which moved through the Eastern United States, causing strong winds, Blizzard conditions and heavy rain east of the Appalachians. Power was out to more than 1,000,000 customers during this storm which affected 22 US states, killing 353.

Lee Harvey Oswald
24th November ( 1963 ) : Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is shot to death by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner.

2011-11-23T01:43:00.000-08:00

Dow Jones 381.17 ( 1954 ) 25 years after the 1929 Wall Street Crash the Dow Jones recovers to the pre crash high of 381.17

Earthquake Southern Italy
23rd November ( 1980 ) : An earthquake between 6.5 and 6.8 on the Richter scale struck southern Italy centered on Conza, and the worst hit areas were Sant'Angelo di Lombardi, Lioni, Naples, Teora and Balvano, the death toll is believed to be in the region of 3,000 and has left over 300,000 homeless. In Balvano a small mountain village where more than 100 persons were reported killed, many of them in the collapse of a 600-year-old church during evening vespers services.

Doctor Who 23rd November ( 1963 ) The British science fiction television programme Doctor Who from the BBC is shown on TV for the first time. "the Doctor" played by William Hartnell in the first series travels through time and space in the TARDIS ( A blue 1950s police box ) . Over 40 years featuring a number of doctors fighting alien baddies including the Daleks "Doctor Who" has gained a cult status in Britain and is also the longest-running science fiction television show in the world

Convention on Cybercrime
23rd November ( 2001 ) : Convention on Cybercrime is signed by members of the council of Europe, USA, Canada, Japan and the Republic of South Africa in Budapest, Hungary. The treaty objectives is to pursue a common criminal policy aimed at the protection of society against cybercrime, including computer-related forgery and fraud, child pornography and cyber terrorism. As with any piece of legislation the problems come from balancing civil liberty and privacy concerns with the need to catch criminal elements using the Internet for illegal uses.

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Cyber Crime

2011-11-22T01:34:00.000-08:00

John F. Kennedy Assassinated ( 1963 ) President John F. Kennedy is assassinated when he is shot by a sniper while riding in a motorcade through downtown Dallas. In film shown around the world Jackie Kennedy was seen cradled her dying husband as the limousine sped to the emergency room at Parkland Hospital. Lee Harvey Oswold was later arrested for the murder but is shot shortly after by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

Mike Tyson
22nd November ( 1986 ) : Mike Tyson becomes the youngest Heavyweight Champion in history today with a second round knockout win over Trevor Berbick.

China Clipper 22nd November ( 1935 ) The China Clipper took off from San Francisco, California on its way to Manila, Philippines in the first Pacific Airmail delivery.

Toy Story
22nd November ( 1995 ) : Toy Story produced by Pixar is released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer generated animation. The film was not only a commercial success it was given great ratings by critics and won a number of awards including an Academy Special Achievement Award in 1996 for the first feature-length computer-animated film

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JFK Assassination

2011-11-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

Who Shot JR? ( 1980 ) Millions of TV viewers tune in to watch the start of the new series of Dallas and find out " Who Shot JR " .

American Embassy Attack
21st November ( 1979 ) : An attack on the American embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan by a mob who had been incited after listening to a radio report from the Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, saying Americans were behind the occupation of Islam's holiest site, the Great Mosque in Mecca, leaves the Embassy burned to the ground killing a US marine.

Nigeria Miss World Riot 21st November ( 2002 ) An angry crowd of people set fire to and stabbed riot demonstrators. This incident took place after it was announced by an Islamic news publication that the Miss World Beauty Pageant would have been accepted by Islam’s founding prophet. A total of 50 people were killed and 200 others were injured.

Fire At MGM Grand Hotel
21st November ( 1980 ) : A fire broke out in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (Now Bally's Las Vegas) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Smoke and fire spread through the hotel, killing 84 people and injuring 785, including tourists and employees.

2011-11-20T01:52:00.000-08:00

Ford Anglia 105E ( 1959 ) The first British Ford to be marketed to Americans the Ford Anglia 105E with a new overhead valve engine and a four-speed gearbox, distinctive rear-sloping back window, frog-like headlights, and stylish colors.

Windows 1.0
20th November ( 1985 ) : Microsoft's launches it's first version of a multi tasking graphical user interface GUI for the PC ( this allowed the user to run multiple windows with multiple programmes switching between one and another. Windows 1.01 was the very first version of Windows launched. Windows 1.01 and all older versions of Windows prior to Windows 95 required MSDOS installed on the computer and the user would install Windows from floppy discs.

Velvet Revolution 20th November ( 1989 ) Following the suppression by riot police of a peaceful student demonstration consisting of 15,000 peacefully marchers on the 17th November in Prague, from November 20th the number of demonstrators grew as more ordinary Czechs joined and a planned national strike for the 27th November gained more support, by the 20th November over 100,000 had taken to the streets in peaceful demonstration in what was a non-violent revolution against Communist rule. On November 28th the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced it would relinquish power and dismantle the single-party state, and free elections would be held.

Princess Diana Interview
20th November ( 1995 ) : Diana Princess is interviewed on British Television by Martin Bashir for the Panorama programme about her life with the Royals, her separation and Prince Charles relationship and affair with his long term friend Camilla Parker-Bowles . During the one hour interview the princes admitted to an affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. For the first time on television she also talked about her struggle with depression and bulimia. Following the Revelations of both Princess Diana on Panorama and an earlier interview by Prince Charles with Jonathan Dimbleby where he admitted having an affair they were formally divorced with a decree nisi on 28 August 1996.

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Princess Diana Interview

2011-11-19T01:24:00.000-08:00

The Beatles ( 1967 ) The Beatles release "Magical Mystery Tour" the LP was released in the US on November 27th.

The Pound In Your Pocket
19th November ( 1967 ) : The Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, defends his decision to devalue the pound by lowering the exchange rate from for the Pound from $2.80 to $2.40 and has told the British people that it does not mean that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse or in your bank, has been devalued, but allows us to sell our goods abroad on a more competitive basis.

Apollo 12 19th November ( 1969 ) The astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad and Alan Bean of Apollo 12 land on the Moon in the area known as the Ocean of Storms with their lunar lander, Intrepid, and become the second set of American astronauts to walk on the moons surface.

Iran Hostage Crisis
19th November ( 1979 ) : Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and black American hostages quoting these hostages are being released because they are "oppressed minorities" and because of "the special place of women in Islam,".

2011-11-18T01:11:00.000-08:00

Steamboat Willie ( 1928 ) Mickey Mouse appears for the first time in Steamboat Willie, It was the first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon film produced by Walt Disney and premiered at the Colony Theater in NYC.

"People's Temple"
18th November ( 1978 ) : The Cult leader Jim Jones instructed 400 members of his church, "People's Temple", to drink a soft drink brewed in a tub with cyanide and sedatives at a mass meeting at the Jonestown camp, the bodies were later discovered at a camp in the Jungle . The cult leader was being investigated by American Authorities for conditions at the camp and Jones was also being investigated for tax fraud . Prior to the mass suicide Jones had a number of his followers shoot reporters and the head of the investigation team Congressman Ryan.

Fish On Friday's 18th November ( 1966 ) U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays. .

King’s Cross
18th November ( 1987 ) : A fire in a King’s Cross underground station kills 30 commuters and injures dozens of others. It is the worst fire in the history of the city’s underground rail system and was believed to have been caused by rubbish and grease underneath an escalator and a discarded cigarette starting the fire.

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Kings Cross Fire

2011-11-17T01:02:00.000-08:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger ( 2003 ) Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in as the governor of California .

Luxor Terrorist Attack
17th November ( 1997 ) : A tourist bus visiting the temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor has been fired on by an Islamic extremist group leaving 60 Swiss and Japanese tourists dead. Following the attack there was a two hour gun battle with police where 6 gunmen were killed.

Washington Sniper ( 2003 ) Ex-soldier John Muhammad is found guilty of one of a series of sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area in October 2002. Police charged that Muhammad and his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, killed 10 people and wounded three others during a three-week killing spree. On 9th March 2004 he was sentenced to death .

Richard Nixon
17th November ( 1973 ) : In a televised appearance President Richard Nixon told the nation today, “I am not a crook.” referring to allegations concerning his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

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I Am Not A Crook

2011-11-16T01:10:00.000-08:00

Sound Of Music ( 1959 ) : The last Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" opens at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway. Shortly after The Sound Of Music opened on broadway Oscar Hammerstein died from cancer. The Sound Of Music was made into an Academy Award winning movie in 1965 starring Julie Andrews.

Alaska Oil Pipeline
16th November ( 1973 ) : President Richard Nixon urges Congress to pass Senate Bill 1081, which would authorize the construction of a pipeline to access oil from the North Slope of Alaska, thus reducing American reliance on foreign oil.

Wei Jingsheng
16th November ( 1997 ) : Wei Jingsheng the pro democracy dissident is released on medical grounds after nearly 18 years of incarceration and deported to the United States. He had been released in September 1993 as part of China's bid to host the 2000 Olympic games but when China was beaten by Sydney, Australia for the games in November he was put in jail again. Wei Jingsheng was in jail for the crime of treason, but the real reason was his outspoken writings against the ruling communist regime including condemning Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Airport Screeners
16th November ( 2001 ) : Congress passed the aviation security bill requiring that all airport screeners will be federal employees, and would undergo criminal background checks and would have to be U.S. citizens. The bill also required that by December 31, 2002 all checked baggage will be screened by explosive detection devices.

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Cyclone Sidr

2011-11-15T01:29:00.000-08:00

NBC ( 1926 ) : Radio network National Broadcasting Co ( NBC ) launches with a radio network of 24 stations and one of the earliest remote musical broadcasts.

Palestine
15th November ( 1988 ) : The Palestinian National Council headed by Yasser Arafat at a meeting in Algiers declare the independence of the Arab State of Palestine.

Cyclone Sidr
15th November ( 2007 ) : Cyclone Sidr with winds reaching 160 MPH strikes coastal areas of Bangladesh, the authorities had evacuated over 2 million people to emergency shelters prior to the cyclone, but the cyclone still claimed between 4 and five thousand lives. The cyclone also destroyed over 1/4 of the world heritage mangrove forest Sunderban

Guadalcanal
15th November ( 1942 ) : The American fleet during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal had a decisive victory over the Japanese fleet sinking 23 Japanese ships and killing an estimated 30,000 Japanese troops.

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Battle of Guadalcanal

2011-11-14T01:21:00.000-08:00

New York Slum Clearance ( 1934 ) : The most ambitious slum clearance in New York City has been agreed today by the PWA ( Public Works Administration ) and New York City with 20 acres on a 12 square block area in Williamsburg identified for the building of low cost housing and is estimated that it will house 2,500 families in two and three story apartment complexes when completed. This project is part of a larger project for slum clearance and low cost national housing countrywide which is estimated at costing in excess of $150,000,000. This type of project will be repeated in major cities across America bringing much needed work and providing better living conditions for many tens of thousands of inner city dwellers.

BBC
14th November ( 1922 ) : The British Broadcasting Company begin broadcasting on medium wave, from Marconi House in London with the first newscast. The next day Birmingham and Manchester begin broadcasting.

Mafia
14th November ( 1957 ) : After years of speculation about a Mafia National Crime Syndicate controlling gambling, casinos and narcotics countrywide the existence of the Syndicate is confirmed when law enforcement officials raid Mafia boss Joseph Barbara home in Apalachin, New York, where 100 Mafia crime bosses from the United States, Canada and Italy have gathered to socialize and resolve the Mafia affairs .

Coventry Bombing
14th November ( 1940 ) : German bombers devastate the British industrial city of Coventry, demolishing 27 war factories and tens of thousands of other buildings killing hundreds of men, women, and children

2011-11-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

Fantasia ( 1940 ) : Walt Disney releases "Fantasia" an experiment in animation and classical music, unlike his first 2 animated movies Fantasia was not a commercial success but is now considered a classic.

Mariner 9
13th November ( 1971 ) : Mariner 9 part of the Mariner program launched on May 30st reaches the planet Mars and becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, swinging into its planned trajectory around Mars without a hitch.

Holland Tunnel
13th November ( 1927 ) : The Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey opens, the work had started in 1920 and took 7 years to complete.
( The Holland Tunnel was originally known as the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel or the Canal Street Tunnel )

Justice Roy Moore
13th November ( 2003 ) : Justice Roy Moore, the man who refused to take down the Ten Commandments from an Alabama state justice building, was suspended by Alabama's Court of the Judiciary who unanimously removed him from his post as Chief Justice. He responded by saying that his suspension was illegal, as well as unlawful and un-political.

2011-11-12T01:04:00.000-08:00

World Wide Web ( 1990 ) : Sir Tim Berners-Lee with help from Robert Cailliau publish a formal proposal for the World Wide Web on this day in History.

Plane Crash
12th November ( 2001 ) : American Airlines Flight 587 ( Airbus A300 ) on route to Dominican Republic crashes shortly after takeoff into the Belle Harbor residential area of Queens killing all 260 people aboard the plane and 5 people on the ground .

Scott Peterson
12th November ( 2004 ) : A jury in Redwood City, Calif., convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay. On March 16, 2005, Peterson was sentenced to death and currently resides on death row in San Quentin State Prison.

Exploding Whale
12th November ( 1970 ) : The Oregon Highway Division attempts to destroy a rotting eight-ton sperm whale near Florence, Oregon with half a ton of dynamite, leading to the now infamous exploding whale incident. The explosion caused large pieces of blubber to land some distance away from the beach and left much of the whale intact.

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Exploding Whale

2011-11-11T01:53:00.000-08:00

Route 66 ( 1926 ) : U.S. Route 66 running for 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles is established

Pensioners Revolt
11th November ( 1954 ) : Thousands of Pensioners take part in a rally in London calling for an increase in their pensions of 17s 6d ( 87p ) [ $1.70 ]taking a single persons pension to £2 10s [ $4.20 ] per week .

Cable Car Fire
11th November ( 2000 ) : A cable car taking skiers up to a glacier in Austria catches fire as it passes through a mountain tunnel and 156 people die. The fire was caused by an illegal space heater in the cable car.

Dust Storms
11th November ( 1933 ) : Strong winds strip the topsoil from the drought affected farms of South Dakota and within two days, dust from the storm had reached all the way to Albany, New York. This was just one of a number of winds that took topsoil from farmland due to the soil turning into dust through severe drought ( Known as the Dust Bowl Years ) Many changes in farming practices were learnt from these periods of time including introduction of hedges and other soil conservation techniques . The number and severity of dust storms increased over the next two years as the severe drought continued turning 100,000,000 acres of previously fertile farming land into dust bowls forcing farmers and their families to leave their land. The worst effected states were Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, South Dakota and Kansas.

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Dust Bowl Years

2011-11-10T01:18:00.000-08:00

Iwo Jima Statue ( 1954 ) : The Iwo Jima statue is unveiled at the USMC War Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. The cast bronze memorial is based on the iconic photo of the raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal and President Dwight D. Eisenhower performs the dedication ceremony .

Ken Saro-Wiwa
10th November ( 1995 ) : The writer and human rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, was executed in Nigeria today despite worldwide pleas for clemency. Nigeria's military rulers ordered the execution of Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight other dissidents after being found guilty of involvement in four murders. Mr Saro-Wiwa and the others have insisted they were framed because of their opposition to the oil industry in the Niger-Delta region of southern Nigeria.

Direct Dial
10th November ( 1951 ) : Direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone services begin as Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, New Jersey, called his counterpart in Alameda, California

God Bless America
10th November ( 1938 ) : Kate Smith sings a rendition of Irvin Berlin's 'God Bless America' during a special Armistice Day broadcast which turned the song into an instant hit. What many do not realise is Irvin Berlin gave the royalties of the song to the God Bless America Fund for redistribution to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of the USA.

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God Bless America

2011-11-09T01:14:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone Magazine ( 1967 ) : First issue of Rolling Stone Magazine founded by Jann Wenner about music, popular culture and politics is published

Hungarian Revolution
9th November ( 1956 ) : Street fighting broke out in the streets of Budapest. The Russian-Supported Hungarian government took action to stop this fighting, which was started by “doggedly resisting rebels”. Steps taken by Soviet troops and local police did very little, however, to stop this outbreak of violence. It was suspected that this area’s failing economy-and the fear that it ignited-were what lead to the chaos in this city. Budapest was suffering from a severe food, electricity, and coal shortage at this time. Moreover, a general strike was underway, and Hungary’s rail system was not in operation.

Berlin Wall
9th November ( 1989 ) : East Germany opened its borders today, allowing its citizens to freely cross into the West for the first time since the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. Some Germans used hammers to chip away at the Berlin Wall for keepsakes or in their own small way try to destroy the infamous symbol of East-West division.

Power Blackout
9th November ( 1965 ) : A blackout affecting 30 million people in northeastern states including New York of the United States and Ontario, Canada lasting for up to 13 hours. The blackout was blamed on a sophisticated power system that was ironically built to ensure electricity would be available in an emergency. The blackout affected Ontario, Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey.

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Power Blackout

2011-11-08T01:10:00.000-08:00

Hitler Assassination Attempt ( 1939 ) : Johann Georg Elser plants a bomb at the Burgerbrau Beer Cellar in Munich where Hitler is due to give a speech, Hitler gives his speech and leaves 8 minutes before the bomb detonates killing eight people and injuring dozens more.

Ted Bundy
8th November ( 1974 ) : The Serial Killer Ted Bundy is defeated in an abduction attempt when Carol DaRonch narrowly escapes being abducted. Utah authorities were trying to figure out what had happened to several young women who disappeared earlier. Seattle area officials were looking for a young man named Ted who was the suspected culprit in many murder cases. On August 16, 1975, an officer noticed a suspicious Volkswagen driving around his patrol area. After pulling the vehicle over, he found handcuffs in the back of the automobile and arrested the driver--Ted Bundy. In March 1976, he was convicted of aggravated kidnapping, which put him behind bars while investigators tried to connect him to the many unsolved murders in Washington, Colorado, and Utah but December 30, 1977, Bundy managed to escape from jail. A few months later, he was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, and on February 15, 1978, he was finally captured. He eventually confessed to the murders of 28 women, and was executed in Florida on January 24, 1989.

Enniskillen Bombing
8th November ( 1987 ) : A terrorist bomb has exploded during Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland injuring 63 and killing 11 .

John F. Kennedy
8th November ( 1960 ) : Senator John F. Kennedy is elected the 35th President of the United States, at 43 years of age the youngest president to be elected in the nation's history .

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John F. Kennedy

2011-11-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

Veteran’s Day ( 1954 ) : Armistice Day is renamed Veteran’s Day to honor American vets from all wars and conflicts

2000 Presidential Elections
7th November ( 2000 ) : In one of the most controversial Presidential Elections in modern times between Al Gore ( Vice President ) and Republican candidate George W. Bush. The election unlike normal presidential elections ended with controversy over who had won Florida's 25 electoral votes. Some television news networks had called the winner earlier in the evening with Al Gore declared the winner but retracted as the results came in. Then at 2:30 AM the networks declared that George W. Bush had won Florida and therefore the presidency. But once again by 4:30 AM the pendulum swung again as only 2,000 votes separated the two and the networks retracted their predictions. After a number of court cases involving the United States Supreme Court George Bush was declared the winner but because of the very small majority ( depending on who provides figures ranging from 500 to 2000 ) and also questions over the 58,000 names who had been taken off the registered voters list by governor Jeb Bush ( with allegations that most were thought to be democratic voters ), the 2000 presidential election will always be considered one of the most controversial ever. The election was also considered to be unusual because Al Gore gained more popular votes than George Bush but lost the election.

Narrows suspension Bridge
7th November ( 1940 ) : Strong winds gusting to 35 MPH break the the Narrows suspension Bridge to pieces in Tacoma, Washington causing the bridge to fall to the bottom of Puget Sound .

Museum Of Modern Art
7th November ( 1929 ) : The Museum Of Modern Art is opened in New York City devoted exclusively to modern art and the largest and most comprehensive of it's kind in the United States.

2011-11-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

Australia ( 1999 ) : Australian voters decided to keep the queen and not become a republic.

Evansville Tornado
6th November ( 2005 ) : A powerful F3 tornado strikes Evansville, Indiana taking the lives of 25 people making it one of the deadliest single tornadoes on record. The tornado stayed on the ground for 41 miles and in places was as wide as 400 yds causing extensive damage to parts of Evansville, Newburgh, and Boonville in Indiana

Kelly Barnes Dam
6th November ( 1977 ) : The Kelly Barnes Dam in Georgia fails during the middle of the night, killing 39 people from the small bible college "Toccoa Falls Bible Institute" situated below the dam.

El Alamein
6th November ( 1942 ) : The British win the Second Battle of El Alamein with the British Eighth Army headed by ( Monty ) Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery when the ( Afrika Korps ) commanded by Field Marshal Rommel ( Desert Fox ) are forced to surrender exhausted and dying from dehydration.
In a famous speech a few days later Winston Churchill uses these well known lines "This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.".

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El Alamein

2011-11-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

Saddam Hussein ( 2006 ) : Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial for his role in the massacre of the 148 Shi'as in 1982

Ancient port of Alexandria
5th November ( 1996 ) : Divers have discovered the ancient port of Alexandria from 2000 years ago which was swallowed by the sea and contains the ruins of Cleopatras Palace and Mark Anthony's home and temple when the Roman warrior was in Egypt. Divers have found thousands of artifacts dating back to 323BC to 30BC and many of the original columns are still standing and in remarkable condition.

Robert Maxwell
5th November ( 1991 ) : The body of the millionaire newspaper publisher, Robert Maxwell, has been found in the sea off the coast of Tenerife. After his death it emerged that the Mirror Group's debts vastly outweighed its assets and £440m was missing from the company's pension funds.

El Alamein
5th November ( 1942 ) : The British win the Second Battle of El Alamein with the British Eighth Army headed by ( Monty ) Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery when the ( Afrika Korps ) commanded by Field Marshal Rommel ( Desert Fox ) are forced to surrender exhausted and dying from dehydration.
In a famous speech a few days later Winston Churchill uses these well known lines "This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.".

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El Alamein

2011-11-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

Car Free Sunday's ( 1973 ) : Following on from the experience of "Car Free Sundays" in The Netherlands during the Suez Crisis in 1956, the Netherlands organises the first Car Free Sunday during the 1973 oil crisis with Highways deserted which are solely used by cyclists and roller skaters.

King Tutankhamen
4th November ( 1922 ) : British archaeologist Howard Carter and his workmen discover a step leading to the tomb of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

Hungarian Uprising
4th November ( 1956 ) : Soviet tanks and troops crush protests against Soviet rule with thousands killed and wounded, and nearly a quarter-million Hungarians fled the country.

Feral Child Genie
4th November ( 1970 ) : Genie a feral child is taken to Children's Hospital Los Angeles after her mother enters a welfare office in Temple City, California, to seek benefits for the blind. Genie had spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of her life locked in her bedroom. During the day, she was tied to a child's potty chair in diapers and at night, she was bound in a sleeping bag and placed in an enclosed crib with a cover made of metal screening. She was never allowed to talk as her father beat her every time she made any sounds. At 13 years of age her vocabulary consisted of about 20 words. The movie Mockingbird Don't Sing was based on this tragic true story .

2011-11-03T01:58:00.000-07:00

PBS ( 1969 ) : PBS is founded, on it's foundation it takes over its predecessor, National Educational Television (NET). PBS is made up of 354 member TV stations who collectively own PBS. PBS has no central program production arm or news department all content is created by or produced under contract with other outside parties including individual member stations. A good example is "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, which is 65% owned by Liberty Media. Corporation for Public Broadcasting ( partially funded by the United States Federal Government to promote public broadcasting ) funds goes to public television and radio stations that are members of PBS and NPR.

Greensboro
3rd November ( 1979 ) : During a rally by communists and industrial trade union members in Greensboro, North Carolina against the Ku Klux Klan known as the "Death to the Klan March" in the predominantly black housing project called Morningside Heights, a number of cars containing Klansmen and members of the American Nazi Party drove to the housing projects and opened fire on rally members with shotguns, rifles and pistols killing five of the marchers and injuring a number of others. Although 40 Klansmen and Nazis took part in the attacks only six were ever bought to trial and the trials resulted in the acquittal of all defendants by all white juries.

Twenty-third Amendment
3rd November ( 1964 ) : Washington D.C. residents were barred from voting in presidential elections but the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution grants the District three votes in the Electoral College and residents are able to vote in a presidential election for the first time.

Income Tax
3rd November ( 1913 ) : The first American citizens receive information over the new national income tax. A married man living with his wife, who is in receipt of an income of $5,000 pays $10 a year and if his income is $10,000 he pays $60 per year.

2011-11-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

Spruce Goose ( 1947 ) : The worlds largest aircraft the Howard Hughes Flying Boat ( Spruce Goose ) which took 5 years and cost 25 million to build was floated into the harbor for the first time today.

Unemployment 7.4%
2nd November ( 1982 ) : The economy continued to be a major concern with unemployment at 7.4 percent and the jobs being created being lower paid in the service industry and not the traditional manufacturing jobs

Lady Chatterley's Lover
2nd November ( 1960 ) : Penguin Books is acquitted of the charge of publishing obscene material in the case over Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence.

UFO'S
2nd November ( 1957 ) : Residents of Levelland, Texas reported sightings of unidentified flying objects with bright lights. After the sightings, Jim Lee, head of the Interplanetary Space Patrol, predicted that the UFOs will soon come in large numbers for all to see and the skeptics will have no choice but to agree.

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International Space Station

2011-11-01T01:57:00.000-07:00

Ford Model A ( 1927 ) : The replacement for the Model T "Tin Lizzie" The vastly improved Model A starts production at Ford Plants the new model with several body styles prices start from $460 . The Model A stayed in production until 1932.

Rhine turns red
1st November ( 1986 ) : Chemical spill and a major fire at a chemicals factory near Basel, Switzerland, is sending tons of toxic chemicals into the nearby river Rhine and turning it red.

Honda
1st November ( 1982 ) : Honda opens the first car manufacturing company factory to produce Japanese cars ( Honda Accord ) in the United States at Marysville, Ohio

Shooting Rampage
1st November ( 1991 ) : Gang Lu a student at the University of Iowa goes on a shooting rampage armed with a .38-caliber revolver and a .22 caliber handgun at the University killing five people on the Iowa campus in Iowa City he then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

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Seabiscuit Match Race 1938

2011-10-31T01:35:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rushmore ( 1941 ) : The Mt. Rushmore sculpture is completed after Gutzon Borglum and 400 stone masons sculpt the colossal 60-foot carvings of U.S. presidents, The project had started on October 4, 1927 to represent the first 150 years of American history, George Washington 1732–1799, Thomas Jefferson 1743–1826, Abraham Lincoln 1809–1865,
Theodore Roosevelt 1858–1919

Enron
31st October ( 2002 ) : Andrew Fastow former chief financial officer for Enron Corp is indicted on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of Enron Corp.

Suez Canal Crisis
31st October ( 1956 ) : Following Egypt's decision to nationalise the Suez Canal Britain and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal

Indira Gandhi
31st October ( 1984 ) : Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down outside of her home by Sikh extremists .

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2011-10-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

Mussolini ( 1922 ) : Mussolini, leader of the Fascist, demands that complete control of the government be handed over to his organization or he was prepared to fight his way to power with his army of 800,000 supporters. The King of Italy Victor Emanuel agrees to his demands and allows him to form a cabinet.

World's Largest Nuclear Bomb
30th October ( 1961 ) : The Soviet Union has exploded the world's biggest bomb so far nearly 4,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. This is the latest in a series of larger and larger bombs the Soviets have been exploding over the last few years. The United Nations is appealing to both the US and the Soviet Union to end the arms race or risk destroying the planet.

Rumble in the Jungle
30th October ( 1974 ) : Muhammad Ali regains The Heavyweight Title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round in what was billed as the Rumble in the Jungle.

War Of The Worlds
30th October ( 1938 ) : Radio dramatist Orson Welles caused mass hysteria and frightened tens of thousands of listeners causing people to flee from their homes and praying for salvation when the play War of the Worlds was aired on Radio, The dramatization was so good people mistook the play for newscasts which caused the panic .

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War Of The Worlds

2011-10-29T01:34:00.000-07:00

Wall Street Crash ( 1929 ) : The Stock Market Crash on Black Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange . Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors, and stock tickers ran hours behind because the machinery could not handle the tremendous volume of trading. Partly due to the crash America and the rest of the industrialized world spiraled downward into the Great Depression of the 30's .

Deadly Smog, Donora Pennsylvania
29th October ( 1948 ) : A poison cloud of deadly smog settles on Donora Pennsylvania causing the deaths of 19 and hospitalization of 50, the poison in the cloud was caused by a local company which was smelting Zinc causing it to combine with the smog.

The Star of India
29th October ( 1964 ) : The Star of India ( 563.35 carat (112.67 g) star sapphire ) and the Eagle Diamond ( 16.25 carat discovered in Eagle Wisconsin ) are stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Star of India is later recovered but the Eagle Diamond is never found.

Birth Of The Internet
29th October ( 1969 ) : The first host-to-host connection over the ARPANET ( predecessor of the Internet ) is made when the first message is sent between two computers at University of California, Los Angeles

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Hair

2011-10-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

Libby Indicted ( 2005 ) : I. Lewis Libby, Jr., chief of staff to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, resigns following indictment on five federal felony charges. He is charged with obstruction of justice, perjury to a Grand Jury, and making false statements to the FBI in the Justice Department's investigation into the Plame leak.

St. Louis Arch Completed
28th October ( 1965 ) : The Gateway Arch, a 630 ft high parabola of stainless steel marking the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis, Missouri is completed

Cuban Missile Crisis Ends
28th October ( 1962 ) : Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba. The US informs the Soviet Union that they will not invade Cuba.

Alaska Highway
28th October ( 1942 ) : The Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada is completed through Canada to Richardson Highway in Delta Junction, Alaska . The highway is approx 1,680 miles long starting in Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction

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Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine

2011-10-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther King ( 1960 ) : Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was released from the Georgia State Prison following a direct intervention from Robert F. Kennedy who had questioned his constitutional right to bail, while pending appeal of a traffic conviction.

New York Subway
27th October ( 1904 ) : The New York subway opens traveling between Lower Manhattan and Harlem stopping at 28 stations in between and cost a nickel to ride ( Salt Pork cost 16 cents per pound )

Wallace Simpson
27th October ( 1936 ) : Mrs Wallace Simpson American Born Friend of King Edward of England won a divorce in a brief hearing at Ipswich assizes. The petition for divorce was based on evidence that her ships brokers husband a subject of the king was guilty of misconduct at the Hotel De Paris at Bray near Maidenhead in Berkshire. More ..

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Mrs Wallace Simpson

2011-10-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Patriot Act ( 2002 ) : US President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act Anti-Terrorism Bill into law, giving federal authorities the power to eavesdrop on telephone and computer conversations, as well as the right to secretly search home and business records.

John McCain
26th October ( 1967 ) : The Presidential Candidate John McCain a US Navy pilot in the Vietnam war is shot down over North Vietnam and spends the next 5 1/2 years in prison, two of those years were spent in solitary confinement.

Graf Zeppelin
26th October ( 1933 ) : The giant passenger carrying Dirigible Graf Zeppelin stopped off today for a brief visit at Chicago so the commander Dr Hugo Heckner could attend the World Fair . A large ground crew consisting of 250 regular soldiers took the giant 776 ft airliner in tow prior to it taking off again on it's trip to Milwaukee and back to More ..

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Graf Zeppelin

2011-10-25T01:28:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia Famine ( 1984 ) : Following reports from Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid and the Red Cross who believe 10 million people are facing starvation in Ethiopia. The EEC donates £1.8 million. It is thought just in 1984 1 million people DIED of starvation in Ethiopia as the aid was still not enough and in many cases to late. In December 1984 music stars from around the world recorded "Do they know it's Christmas?". The single raised More ..

Grenada
25th October ( 1983 ) : President Ronald Reagan orders marines to invade Grenada and secure the safety of 1,000 American Citizens following threats by the nation's Marxist regime. One week later the Marxist government is overthrown.

Rolling Stones
25th October ( 1964 ) : The British Invasion of Music continues when the Rolling Stones appear on Ed Sullivan's TV variety show, after the clean cut Beatles the Stones were considered the opposite and became popular due to the very different style and content of their music together with the anti-establishment look. More ..

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Rolling Stones

2011-10-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

New Lower Taxes ( 1921 ) : An amendment to lower the taxes paid on income was defeated today with a majority of 46 to 28 in the senate.

The current rate of Taxation is
4% on income up to $4,000
8% on income from $4000

The new amendment contained the following Tax thresholds
2% on income up to $5,000
4% on income from $5,000 to $10,000
6% on income from $10,000 to $15,000
8% on all income over $15,000

Black Thursday
29th October ( 1929 ) : One week before the Wall Street Crash an indication of things to come on "Black Thursday" when investors on the New York Stock Exchange dumped 13 million shares causing shares to plummet.

Washington Snipers Arrested
24th October ( 2002 ) : Authorities arrest John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo when they are found sleeping in their car at a rest stop off Interstate 70 near Myersville, Maryland, and arrested on federal weapons charges and investigations begin in connection with the Washington-area sniper attacks.

Concorde
24th October ( 2003 ) : Concorde makes its final commercial passenger flight, traveling at twice the speed of sound from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport More ..

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Concorde

2011-10-23T01:18:00.000-07:00

Suicide Bomb Attack ( More 1983 ) : A suicide bomber drives a truck packed with explosives into the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon killing 241 military personnel.

San Diego Wild Fires
23rd October ( More 2007 ) : 500,000 are evacuated from San Diego when a dozen wildfires fueled by strong 60 - 70 MPH Santa Ana winds destroying over 1000 homes and over 1/2 million acres have been burned to the ground so far. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has declared a state of emergency in seven counties.

2004 Presidential Election
23rd October ( More 2004 ) : With the presidential election campaigning now in full swing and no clear favorite all eyes are on the 6 swing states who hold the balance of power due to number of electoral votes each state has ( electoral votes are related to the number of voters in each state ) the 6 most important swing states for President George Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry are.

1. Florida - with 27 electoral votes
2. Pennsylvania - with 21 electoral votes
3. Ohio - with 20 electoral votes
4. Minnesota - with 10 electoral votes
5. Wisconsin - with 10 electoral votes
6. Iowa - with 7 electoral votes
The winners of the largest numbers of electoral votes from these 6 states will most likely be the next President of the United States

The final results in November gave
Florida, Ohio, Iowa ( 54 electoral votes - George Bush )
Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin ( 41 electoral votes - John Kerry ) More ..

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Dumbo

2011-10-22T01:13:00.000-07:00

First Income Tax ( 1914 ) : Congress pass the Revenue Act mandating the first tax on incomes over $3,000.

Cuban Missile Crisis
22nd October ( 1962 ) : In a speech to the American people John F Kennedy informed the American people that the first stage was to place a naval quarantine on the waters around Cuba. This is known in history as the " Cuban Missile Crisis " and took the world to the brink of nuclear war with US forces going to DEFCON 2 in preparation to full scale war. America realized that the missile launchers construction was continuing and decided that a full scale invasion of More ..

Watergate
22nd October ( 1973 ) : President Nixon fires special prosecutor Archibold Cox and abolishes the Watergate Prosecution Force . Also the resignation of the Attorney General Elliot L Richardson and the firing of all his deputies. The call for Impeachment of President Nixon is growing including members of both sides of the house and the first formal steps are expected to come on Tuesday when congress returns from the long weekend including veterans day.

Tropical Storm Alpha
22nd October ( 2005 ) : Tropical Storm Alpha forms to break the record for the most tropical storms in an Atlantic hurricane season ever. It is also the first storm to be named with a letter of the Greek alphabet More ..

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2011-10-21T01:12:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney World ( 1965 ) : Following the success of Disneyland in Anaheim, California ( Opened in 1955 ) Walt Disney buys 27,000 acres of land on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida ( using dummy corporations to stop land speculators pushing up the price ) for $5 million ( News story leaked by the Orlando Sentinel ) . Walt Disney World opened on October 1st, 1971, ( five years after the death of Walt Disney ) with the Magic Kingdom theme park and is now the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world.

Hole In Ozone Layer
21st October ( 1986 ) : In a satellite hook up from Antarctica scientists have been studying a huge hole that has appeared in the earths ozone layer over Antarctica. They believe it may have been caused by a chemical process and are suspecting the gas used in Aerosol Cans . The preliminary studies show the chemical reaction is caused by Chlorofluorocarbons CFC's . Although the use of Chlorofluorocarbons has been banned in the US in Aerosol Cans since 1978, they are still used in many applications including air conditioning in cars through to keeping Big Mac's warm and the overall growth in use has continued to rise.

Aberfan
21st October ( 1966 ) : The Aberfan Disaster buried a junior school in Aberfan, Wales killing 148 people, mostly children . The school was buried by a landslide of mud and waste sludge created from the local Merthyr Vale Colliery which was 700ft high and towered over the local school before it collapsed . More ..

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Aberfan Disaster