Event of Interest
1492 Christopher Columbus learns how to grow and harvest maize (corn) from Cuba's indigenous population
- 1499 Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier (Brittany). Breton-French-Latin dictionary written in 1464 by Jehan Lagadeuc was first Breton and French dictionary
Event of Interest
1500 -6th Nov astronomer Copernicus observes a lunar eclipse in Rome
- 1530 St Felix Flood ravages Dutch coast and destroys the city of Reimerswaal in the Netherlands
- 1556 Second Battle of Panipat: Hindu Emperor of north India Hem Chandra Vikramaditya defeated by forces of Mughal Emperor Akbar, who captures and later beheads Hem Chandra
Event of Interest
1572 Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe observes a new star (supernova) with the naked eye in the Cassiopeia constellation, proving objects changed in world beyond the Moon and making his reputation [1]
400 Years of Celebration After Plotters Fail to Kill a King
1605 Gunpowder Plot: Catholic conspirator Guy Fawkes attempts to blow up King James I and the British Parliament. Plot discovered, Guy Fawkes caught, tortured and later executed along with seven others. Celebrated ever since as Guy Fawkes Day, where his effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, accompanied by fireworks.
Historic Publication
1740 The third volume of philosopher David Hume's seminal work "A Treatise of Human Nature" is published by Thomas Longman
Election of Interest
1773 John Hancock is elected as moderator at a Boston town meeting that resolves that anyone who supports the Tea Act is an "Enemy to America"
- 1780 French-American force under Colonel LaBalme is defeated by Miami Chief Little Turtle
- 1781 John Hanson elected first "President of US in Congress assembled"
- 1789 Fleeing slaves under Bonni attack military post on Suriname
- 1789 French National Meeting declares all citizens equal under law
- 1811 El Salvador's 1st battle against Spain for independence
- 1838 Honduras declares independence of Central American Federation
Music Premiere
1846 Robert Schumann's 2nd Symphony in C premieres at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, with Felix Mendelssohn conducting
- 1854 Crimean War: British & French defeat Russian force of 50,000 at Inkerman
Event of Interest
1862 Ambrose Burnside replaces McClellen as head of Army of Potomac
- 1862 Battle at Barbee's Crossroads, Virginia: 51 casualties
Event of Interest
1872 American women's right to vote advocate Susan B. Anthony votes for Ulysses S. Grant
Election of Interest
1872 Ulysses S. Grant re-elected US President
Event of Interest
1873 Due to the fallout from the Pacific Scandal, John A. Macdonald resigns as Prime Minister of Canada
Historic Expedition
1876 Henry Morton Stanley's expedition leaves Nyangwe
- 1881 1,600 police and volunteers attack Māori settlement at Parihaka in western Taranaki which had become the symbol of protest against the confiscation of Māori land, New Zealand
- 1881 French government-Ferry resigns
- 1882 Bedřich Smetana's complete "Má Vlast" premieres, conducted by Adolf Čech, at Žofín Palace, Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (now Czech Republic)
- 1883 Battle at El Obeid Sudan: Mahdi's army destroys Egyptian army
- 1883 Edward Harrigan's musical farce "Cordelia's Aspirations" premieres at Theatre Comique, NYC
- 1886 British Open Men's Golf, Musselburgh Links: David Brown beats fellow Scot Willie Campbell by 2 strokes
- 1887 Ottawa College (ORFU) defeats Montreal Football Club (QRFU) 10-5 to win the Dominion championship
- 1889 Louisa Woosley first women to be ordained as a minister in any Presbyterian denomination (US Cumberland Presbyterian Church).
- 1894 Frederick Lugards expedition reaches Nikki
Music Premiere
1894 Richard Strauss' tone poem "Till Eulenspiegel" premieres
- 1895 1st US patent granted for auto (George B Selden) for gasoline driven car
- 1895 Edward, Prince of Wales, says "We are all Socialists nowadays"
- 1895 US state Utah accepts female suffrage
Theater Premiere
1898 Gerhart Hauptmann's play "Fuhrmann Henschel" premieres in Berlin
Spain Declares War Against the United States
1900 Under US military control since the end of the Spanish–American War in 1898, Cuba now calls its own constitutional convention
- 1901 Debut concert of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Emil Młynarski; program features Zygmunt Stojowski's Symphony in D minor (Op. 21)
- 1911 Calbraith Rodgers arrives in Pasadena completing 1st transcontinental airplane flight (49 days) (left Sheepshead Bay, NY, Sept 17)
- 1911 Italian forces take Tripoli & Cyrenaica, declaring suzerainty over Ottoman-controlled Libya
- 1912 Arizona, Kansas & Wisconsin vote for female suffrage
- 1912 Bulgarian troops in Constantinople blockade drinking water
Election of Interest
1912 Democrat candidate Woodrow Wilson is elected President of the United States, defeating Republican incumbent William Howard Taft and Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt
Event of Interest
1916 German Emperor Wilhelm II and Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I establish the Kingdom of Poland
- 1916 Second Chamber accept initial impetus to general males/female suffrage
- 1916 The Everett Massacre takes place in Everett, Washington as political differences lead to a shoot-out between IWW organizers and local police.
- 1917 Gen Pershing & US troops see action on Western Front for 1st time
- 1917 Supreme Court decision (Buchanan v Warley) strikes down Louisville, Kentucky, ordinance requiring backs & whites to live in separate areas
- 1919 Ir à Steringa Idzerda begins hosting "soirée-musical" on Dutch radio
- 1921 Soviet Russia signs a treaty with Mongolia, temporarily supporting the new government against China and Japanese incursions
- 1922 Demonstration for a Dutch University in Ghent
- 1925 British secret agent Sidney Reilly ('Ace of Spies') is executed in a forest near Moscow by the OGPU, the secret police of the Soviet Union
PGA Championship
1927 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Cedar Crest CC: Defending champion Walter Hagen beats Joe Turnesa 1-up to win his 4th straight PGA title
Academy Awards
1930 3rd Academy Awards: "All Quiet on the Western Front", George Arliss (Disraeli) and Norma Shearer (The Divorcee) win
- 1930 Nobel for literature awarded to Sinclair Lewis for "Babbitt"
- 1932 Benito Mussolini frees 16,000 convicts
- 1933 Chicago Bears 30 game unbeaten streak ends to Patriots (10-0)
- 1933 Spanish Basques vote for autonomy
- 1935 Maryland Court of Appeals orders University of Maryland to admit Donald Murray, a black man
- 1935 Parker Brothers launches the board game Monopoly
Event of Interest
1936 French writer Andre Gide criticizes Soviet regime
Event of Interest
1937 Adolf Hitler informs his military leaders in a secret meeting of his intentions of going to war
Election of Interest
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt is re-elected President of the United States for an unprecedented third term, defeating Republican candidate Wendell Willkie
Sports History
1940 Walter Johnson, won 416 games for Washington Senators, loses Maryland congressional race (R)
Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941 Japanese naval staff officers Suzuki and Maejima leave Pearl Harbor
- 1942 Nazi raid on Greek Jews in Paris
- 1942 Pro-British Clandestine Radio Diego Suarez's final transmission
- 1943 Vatican in Rome bombed by unknown source
- 1944 Allied troops reach Zoutelande, Walcheren
- 1944 Canadian & British troops liberate Dinteloord
- 1944 German troops blow-up Heusden North Brabant city hall, 134 die
- 1945 Colombia joins the United Nations.
Election of Interest
1946 John F. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) elected to US House of Representatives
- 1950 Cleveland Browns' Tommy James intercepts 3 passes, club record
Event of Interest
1950 Philippines president Elpidio Quirino ends emergency crisis
- 1951 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Film Release
1953 Film "How to Marry a Millionaire" directed by Jean Negulesco, starring Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe, first to be filmed in CinemaScope; release delayed to allow "The Robe" to debut the format
- 1953 Nobel prize for physics awarded to Frederik Zernicke
- 1953 Paul Searls saws a 32" log in 86.4 seconds
Event of Interest
1953 Terence Rattigan's "Sleeping Prince" premieres in London
Sports History
1954 Montreal Canadien center Jean Béliveau scores 3 goals in 44 seconds on future Hall of Fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk in 4-2 win v Boston Bruins; 2nd fastest NHL hat trick
- 1955 Date returned to in "Back to the Future" by Marty McFly
- 1955 The rebuilt Vienna State Opera reopens after it was destroyed in World War II, with Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio"
Television Debut
1956 "The Nat King Cole Show" debuts on NBC, the first variety program to be hosted by an African-American
- 1956 Britain and France land airborne forces at Port Said in Egypt, escalating the Suez Crisis
- 1956 Dutch Communist Party office of Felix Meritis seized
- 1956 Israel liberates Sharm-el-Sheikh, reopening Gulf of Aqaba
Event of Interest
1961 India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrives in NY
- 1961 NFL St Louis Cardinals' Bill Stacy, returns 2 interceptions for TDs vs Dallas Cowboys
Event of Interest
1963 US VP Lyndon B. Johnson visits Netherlands
- 1964 US launches Mariner 3 toward Mars; no data returned
Film Release
1965 "Pierrot le Fou", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina, is released
- 1966 BYU quarterback Virgil Carter sets new NCAA single-game records with 513 passing yards and 599 yards of total offence in 53-33 win against Texas Western in Provo, Utah
- 1966 The Monkees score their 1st Billboard No. 1 - ‘Last Train To Clarksville’, written by Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce
- 1966 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1967 ATS-3 launched by US to take first pictures of full Earth disc
- 1967 New Orleans Saints 1st NFL victory, beat Philadelphia Eagles 31-24
Music History
1967 The Hither Green rail crash in the United Kingdom kills 49 people; survivors include Bee Gee Robin Gibb
- 1967 US troops conquer Loc Ninh South Vietnam
- 1967 Yemen president Sallal flees
Sports History
1968 1st AL pitcher to win MVP, Denny McLain (wins unanimously)
Election of Interest
1968 Republican candidate Richard Nixon is elected President of the United States, defeating Democrat candidate Hubert Humphrey and Independent candidate George Wallace
- 1971 Bolivia passes death penalty for political kidnapping
- 1971 NBA's LA Lakers starts a 33 game consecutive victory streak
- 1972 Vice-President of Sinn Féin Maire Drumm is arrested in the Republic of Ireland
- 1973 Arab producers announce 25 percent cut in oil production
- 1973 BART starts SF-Daly City train shuttle service
Music History
1974 Dmitri Shostakovich completes Michelangelo songs
- 1974 Ella Grasso (Ct) elected first woman US governor not related to previous governor
- 1974 Walter E Washington, becomes first elected mayor of Washington, D.C.
- 1975 British government sends troops to Belize
- 1975 Sao Tome & Principe adopts constitution
Sports History
1976 Baltimore Orioles Jim Palmer wins AL Cy Young Award
- 1976 New AL franchises in Seattle & Toronto fill up their rosters
- 1976 Pirates trade Manny Sanguillen & $100,000 to A's for mgr Chuck Tanner
- 1976 USSR performs nuclear test
- 1977 NCAA passing record set at 571 yards (Marc Wilson, Brigham Young)
Event of Interest
1978 Iranian PM Jaafar Sharif-Emami resigns to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Sports History
1978 Oakland Raider's John Madden becomes 13th coach to win 100 NFL games
- 1979 Iran government of Bazargan resigns
- 1979 Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini describes the United States as "The Great Satan" amid accusations of imperialism and the sponsoring of corruption
- 1981 Former Dolphin, Mercury Morris, is sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking, conspiracy and possession of cocaine
- 1982 Cleveland Cavaliers lose 24th consecutive game (NBA record)
Album Release
1982 George Harrison releases "Gone Troppo", his tenth solo album
- 1983 NY Rangers & Quebec Nordiques both score in 1st 14 secs of 3rd period
- 1983 Orbiter Discovery (OV-103) moves overland to Dryden
Television Premiere
1985 CBS premieres "Stone Pillow", a dramatic made-for-TV movie starring Lucille Ball as a homeless woman
- 1985 Paul Schierhorn's rock musical "The News" opens at Helen Hayes Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
- 1987 France performs nuclear test
- 1987 Iceberg twice size of Rhode Island sighted in Antarctic
- 1987 South Africa ANC-leader Govan Mbeki freed
Music Premiere
1987 Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's fairytale musical "Into the Woods" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC; runs for 764 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards and 5 Drama Desk Awards
- 1987 US Supreme Court nominee Douglas H. Ginsburg admits using marijuana, later withdraws from consideration
- 1988 "Kokomo" single by The Beach Boys from the film "Cocktail" goes to #1
- 1988 "Kokomo", single by the Beach Boys from the film "Cocktail" tops the charts, their first hit in 20 years, and to date their latest
- 1988 1st NBA game at Bradley Center, Milw Bucks lose to Atlnata Hawks 94-107
- 1988 1st NBA game at Miami Arena, Miami Heat loss to LA Clippers, 111-91
- 1988 1st NBA game at Palace of Auburn Hills, Pistons beat Hornets 94-85
- 1988 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; winners: Alysheba, Gt Communicator, Gulch, Is It True, Miesque, Open Mind, Personal Ensign
- 1988 Cornell confirms grad student source of worst computer sabotage
- 1988 France performs nuclear test
- 1988 Gulch wins Breeder's Cup
- 1988 Japan beats MLB all stars 2-1 in Tokyo (Game 1 of 7)
- 1989 19th NYC Women's Marathon won by Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway in 2:25:30
- 1989 20th NYC Marathon won by Juma Ikangaa in 2:08:01
- 1989 Browns' Bernie Kosar sets club record of 16 cons pass completions
Sports History
1989 French McLaren driver Alain Prost withdraws early in wet Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide but wins his 3rd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 16 points from teammate Ayrton Senna
Music History
1989 Revival of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil's "Threepenny Opera" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater, NYC; runs for 65 performances
Sports History
1992 "Revenge Match of the 20th century" American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky to win an unofficial match in Belgrade
- 1992 Revival of George Kelly's 1924 play "The Show Off", starring Boyd Gaines and Pat Carroll, opens at Criterion Center Stage Right, NYC; runs for 45 performances
- 1993 1st NBA game in Alamodome, San Antonio Spurs beat Warriors 91-85
- 1994 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; winners: Barathea, Cherokee Run, Concern, Flanders, One Dreamer, Tikkanen, Timber Country
Boxing Title Fight
1994 George Foreman (45) KOs Michael Moorer to win boxing Heavyweight championship
- 1994 Space probe Ulyssus completes 1st passage behind the Sun
- 1994 Tony Rominger bicycles world record for distance covered in one hour for second time (55.291 km)
- 1994 Yak-40 accident in north of Peru, 8 killed
Assassination Attempt
1995 André Dallaire attempts to assassinate Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien; he is thwarted when the PM's wife locks the door.
- 1995 First NBA game at General Motors Place in Vancouver; Grizzlies beat Minnesota Timberwolves, 100-98 in OT
- 1995 STS 73 (Columbia 18), lands
Election of Interest
1996 Bill Clinton is re-elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate Bob Dole
Election of Interest
1996 Voters in California re-elect entertainer Sonny Bono to US Congress
Sports History
1996 Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is the unanimous choice as AL Rookie of the Year
- 1997 2 hours after Davey Johnson resigns he is named AL Manager of Year
Film & TV History
1997 French court orders producer Jacques Charrier, ex-husband of Brigitte Bardot, to pay the former screen star $8,300 in damages
Event of Interest
2000 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is laid to rest 25 years after his death after a funeral procession through Addis Ababa
Country Music Association Awards
2003 37th Country Music Association Award: Alan Jackson & Martina McBride win
Event of Interest
2006 Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq, and his co-defendants Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar are sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial for the role in the massacre of the 148 Shi'as in 1982.
- 2010 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; Day 1 winners: Eldaafer, More Than Real, Dubai Majesty, Awesome Feather, Shared Account, Unrivaled Belle
Music History
2010 Keith Richards' autobiography "Life" tops New York Times bestseller list
