On this day in history... 1520 – The Strait of Magellan, the passage immediately south of mainland South America connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, is first discovered and navigated by European explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the first recorded circumnavigation voyage. 1555 – French Huguenots establish the France Antarctique colony in present-day Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1604 – William Shakespeares tragedy Othello is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London. 1611 – William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London. 1683 – The British crown colony of New York is subdivided into 12 counties. 1755 – Lisbon earthquake: In Portugal, Lisbon is destroyed by a massive earthquake and tsunami, killing between sixty thousand and ninety thousand people. 1765 – The British Parliament enacts the Stamp Act on the 13 colonies in order to help pay for British military operations in North America. 1800 – John Adams becomes the first President of the United States to live in the Executive Mansion (later renamed the White House). 1805 – Napoleon Bonaparte invades Austria during the War of the Third Coalition. 1814 – Congress of Vienna opens to re-draw the European political map after the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars. 1848 – In Boston, Massachusetts, the first medical school for women, The Boston Female Medical School (which later merged with the Boston University School of Medicine), opens. 1859 – The current Cape Lookout, North Carolina, lighthouse is lit for the first time. Its first-order Fresnel lens can be seen for about 19 miles (31 km) in good conditions. 1861 – American Civil War: US President Abraham Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army, replacing General Winfield Scott. 1870 – In the United States, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast. 1894 – Thomas Edison films American sharpshooter Annie Oakley, which is instrumental in her hiring by Buffalo Bill for his Wild West Show. 1896 – A picture showing the bare breasts of a woman appears in National Geographic magazine for the first time. 1897 – The first Library of Congress building opens its doors to the public. The Library had been housed in the Congressional Reading Room in the U.S. Capitol. 1901 – Sigma Phi Epsilon, the largest national male collegiate fraternity, is established at Richmond College, in Richmond, VA. 1911 – The first dropping of a bomb from an airplane in combat, during the Italo-Turkish War. 1915 – Parris Island is officially designated a US Marine Corps Recruit Depot. 1918 – Malbone Street Wreck: the worst rapid transit accident in US history occurs under the intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City, with at least 102 deaths. 1928 – The Law on the Adoption and Implementation of the Turkish Alphabet, replacing the version of the Arabic alphabet previously used, comes into force in Turkey. 1938 – Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral in an upset victory during a match race deemed the match of the century in horse racing. 1939 – The first rabbit born after artificial insemination is exhibited to the world. 1941 – American photographer Ansel Adams takes a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography. 1942 – Matanikau Offensive begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign and ends on November 4 with an American victory. 1942 – Larry Flynt, American publisher, founded Larry Flynt Publications, is born. 1943 – World War II: Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, United States Marines, the 3rd Marine Division, land on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. 1943 – World War II: In support of the landings on Bougainville, U.S. aircraft carrier forces attack the huge Japanese base at Rabaul. 1945 – Australia joins the United Nations. 1946 – Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, is ordained to the priesthood by Adam Sapieha. 1948 – Off southern Manchuria, 6,000 people are killed as a Chinese merchant ship explodes and sinks. 1950 – Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempt to assassinate US President Harry S. Truman at Blair House. 1951 – Operation Buster-Jangle: 6,500 American soldiers are exposed to Desert Rock atomic explosions for training purposes in Nevada. Participation is not voluntary. 1952 – Operation Ivy – The United States successfully detonates the first large hydrogen bomb, codenamed Mike [M for megaton], in the Eniwetok atoll, located in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. The explosion had a yield of 10 megatons. 1955 – The bombing of United Airlines Flight 629 occurs near Longmont, Colorado, killing all 39 passengers and five crew members aboard the Douglas DC-6B airliner. 1957 – The Mackinac Bridge, the worlds longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigans upper and lower peninsulas. 1957 – Lyle Lovett, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor, is born 1959 – Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante wears a protective mask for the first time in an NHL game. 1960 – While campaigning for President of the United States, John F. Kennedy announces his idea of the Peace Corps. 1962 – Anthony Kiedis, American singer-songwriter and actor (Red Hot Chili Peppers), is born. 1963 – The 1963 South Vietnamese coup begins 1968 – The Motion Picture Association of Americas film rating system is officially introduced, originating with the ratings G, M, R, and X. 1972 – Jenny McCarthy, American model, actress, and author is born. 1973 – Watergate Scandal: Leon Jaworski is appointed as the new Watergate Special Prosecutor. 1979 – Mamie Eisenhower, American wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 36th First Lady of the United States (b. 1896), dies. 1982 – Honda becomes the first Asian automobile company to produce cars in the United States with the opening of its factory in Marysville, Ohio. The Honda Accord is the first car produced there. 1999 – Walter Payton, American football player (b. 1954), dies.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 21:56:11 +0000
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