On this day it was announced that the first radio based on transistor circles has become available. Previous transistors were based on cathode ray tubes and were thus large and unwieldy. The first transistor radio was called Regency TR-1 (TR is short...
The longest-living First Lady in the history of the USA died on this day in 1982. Her name was Bess Truman, and she was the wife of U.S. president Harry Truman. She lived to be 97, and died on this day in Independence, Missouri. It is interesting tha...
This day in 1945 marked the marriage of Juan and Evita (Eva) Peron. She was over 23 years younger than him. The couple had met only one year ago in Buenos Aires, when he was a colonel in the army. Peron was already widowed at the time – his first wif...
Viking ruler Canute (Cnut) the great took control over England on this day in 1016. He was one of the most powerful rulers in Viking history, and managed to create an entire empire in northern Europe. Namely, after conquering England, he also took th...
The most famous King of Thailand in history – Mongkut (Rama IV) was born on this day. The king became popular through the novel, film, and theater performance “Anna and the King”. Interestingly, the legendary English teacher Anna was a historical per...
On this day, the OAPEC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) initiated an oil embargo, as a response to American assistance to Israel during the Arab-Israeli conflict. As a consequence of this embargo, oil prices on the world market qu...
One of the greatest Nazi war criminals of all time – Theodor Eicke – was born on this day. In the ranks of the SS, he ascended to the high rank of SS-Gruppenführer, equivalent to a General in the regular army. Eicke was one of Hitler and Himmler's ea...
Hitler came to power in Germany in January 1933. At that time Einstein was working in the USA as a university professor. In April, the Nazi government forbade Jews to lecture at universities. In May, Einstein's books were among those burned by the Na...
A most unusual accident occurred at a brewery in the London district of St. Giles (between Soho and Bloomsbury, near the current location of the British Museum) on this day in 1814. Namely, a large beer vat ruptured, causing around 1.47 million liter...
This day in 1972 marked the death of Serbian prince George Karađorđević, the older brother of the well-known known Alexander I of Yugoslavia (best known for being assassinated in Marseilles – the first assassination of a head of state caught on film)...
This day in 1964 marked the first nuclear explosion in the history of China. The bomb in question was a uranium-235 fission bomb, with a strength of roughly 22 kilotons. Therefore, even the first Chinese bomb was more powerful than the American bombs...
On this day in 1978, at 18:18, white smoke rose from the famous Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, signifying the election of a new pope. He was Karol Józef Wojtyła, the first non-Italian pope since 1523. Wojtyła was also the first Pole to be elected pop...
A celestial body which is believed to be the closest extrasolar planet to Earth was discovered on this day in 2012. It has the provisional name of Alpha Centauri Bb, and its existence has yet to be conclusively proved. Around 10,000 so-called extraso...
This day in 1813 marked the beginning of the Battle of Leipzig, in which the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte fought against a coalition of European powers. The battle is also known as the “Battle of Nations” and was likely the largest battle in European...
On this day the Nazi leaders were sentenced to death at the famous Nuremberg Trials. Of the 22 defendants, 12 were sentenced to death. However, Martin Bormann (Hitler's personal secretary) was tried in absentia, while Luftwaffe commander Reichsmarsc...
The American First Lady who surely held the greatest power during her husband's presidential mandate was born on this day in 1872. Edith Wilson was the wife of the famous president Woodrow Wilson (the only U.S. president to attain a PhD). When Wilson...
On this day in 2003, the People's Republic of China became the third country in history to successfully send a man into space. Only two other countries (the USA and the USSR/Russia) have thus far managed to achieve this, making China a member of a ve...
The world speed record for ground vehicles was set on this day in 1997. It was also the first time in history that a ground vehicle broke the sound barrier (Mach 1). The vehicle in question was called the ThrustSSC, where SSC stands for “Super Sonic...
Hermann Goering is known as one of Hitler's closest associates. He held the highest rank in the Third Reich, that of Reichsmarschall, which made him the senior commander of all other German officers, even field marshals. He was the Minister of Aviati...
This day in 961 marked the death of the powerful Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III, one of the greatest Muslim rulers of his time. He took the title of caliph, which denotes the leader of the entire Muslim world (the word is derived from the Arab word Khalīfa...
On this day in 1912, American president Theodore Roosevelt was wounded in an assassination attempt. The assassination was peculiar because Roosevelt, despite being wounded, continued to hold his speech. Indeed, he continued speaking for 90 minutes wh...
On this day in 1947, the sound barrier was officially broken by an aircraft for the first time in history (i.e. it achieved a speed of Mach 1). The man responsible for the feat was the pilot Charles "Chuck" Yeager, who thus became one of the most fam...
The famed William Penn, the man after whom the U.S. state of Pennsylvania was named, was born on this day. He was born in London, and his father was the notable admiral Sir William Penn. The wealthy family provided their son with a good education. As...
One of the best-known dictators of the 20th century, African leader Mobutu Sese Seko, was born on this day in 1930. He ruled the large African country of Congo/Zaire for over 30 years. It was he who enacted the decision to rename the Democratic Repub...
The famous Battle of Hastings took place on this day in 1066. William the Duke of Normandy, later known as the Conqueror, defeated the army of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II (also known as Harold Godwinson). The Battle of Hastings was one of the most imp...
The foundation stone of the White House, the residence of the U.S. president in Washington D.C., was laid down on this day in 1792. There was no opening ceremony; the construction was started without fanfare. Interestingly, the White House was mostly...
This day marks the birthday of the U.S. Navy, because the U.S. Congress ordered its founding on this day in 1775. The U.S. Navy is today by far the largest navy in the world. It is almost incredible that it is more powerful than the next 13 most powe...
On this day in 1923, Ankara was declared the capital of Turkey, in place of Istanbul. This was a massive change, since Istanbul was one of the largest cities in Europe, while Ankara was but a small town – in that time, it had only 35,000 inhabitants....
On this day in 1307, French king Philip IV the Fair ordered the mass arrest of Knights Templar in the Kingdom of France. That day fell on Friday 13th and some consider that the superstition about Friday 13th being an unlucky day stems from this very...
The first King of Bavaria, Maximilian I Joseph from the Wittelsbach dynasty, died on this day in 1825. Bavaria became a kingdom only in 1806, at the time of Maximilian's rule. At the time he came to power, his dynasty had already ruled Bavaria for si...
