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Joseph Stalin is born
He was born on December 18th, 1878 in Gori, Georgia. His full name was Losif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. He named himself "Stalin", which means "man of steel", later on. -
Thomas Edison Patents the Lightbulb
Thomas Edison receives his patent for the incandescent lamp on this day. The light-bulb revolutionized the way people across the world live. This led to better versions of the bulb in the future. -
Smallpox
He gets smallpox as a boy. Stalin has scars on his face for the rest of his life. This is the only close-up picture showing his scars. -
Edison Invents Technology for Motion Picture
Edison invented the kinetograph, which was a motion picture camera. He also made the kinetoscope, which was a peep-hole motion picture viewer. This technology led to movies, TV, videogames, and anything that requires motion on a screen. -
Left School Mysteriously
Stalin left school in 1904. Many accounts differ from each other. The official school records say that he could not afford the tuition. -
Theodore Roosevelt Becomes the 26th U.S. President
He was the Governor of New York, then became Vice President, and then president. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in ending the Russo-Japanese War. Roosevelt won a second term in 1904. -
Stalin Joins the Bolsheviks
This Social Democratic group was led by Vladimir Lenin. "Stalin also became involved in various criminal activities, including bank heists, the proceeds from which were used to help fund the Bolshevik Party" (history.com). He was arrested multiple times. -
Roosevelt Calls for Pure Food and Drug Act
This assured people that food was healthy and safe to eat, instead of just saying it's healthy. This also prevented the creation or sale of poisonous or unsanitary drugs/ food items. This was the first of a series of laws that protected the people from unhealthy consumption. -
His son Yakov is Born
Yakov was the oldest of Stalin's four children. He was the son of Stalin's first wife. He died in a concentration camp. -
World War I Begins
The war was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. It started in July of 1914 and ended in November of 1918. It was nicknamed "The War to End All Wars", but there was another World War in 1939. -
Russian Revolution
This event marked the end of the end of the Romanov dynasty. The Bolsheviks (led by Vladimir Lenin) gained power in Russia. "The Bolsheviks would later become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union" (history.com). -
Gulag is Officially Established
Gulag was officially established in 1919. "By 1921 the Gulag system had 84 camps" (history.com). When Vladimir Lenin died, Joseph Stalin took over, and in 1929 the amount of people in the camps boosted rapidly until Stalin's death. -
Vladimir Lenin Dies
Lenin dies of a stroke. Stalin organized his funeral. Joseph Stalin was Lenin's successor for the Communist Party and the Soviet Union. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was between the Russian forces and those of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. This battle is known for being the longest and bloodiest battle in modern warfare (it lasted from August to February). The harsh Russian winter conditions weakened the Nazis and the Axis enough for Hitler's men to starve and run out of ammunition. -
First Atomic Bombs Dropped in Japan
The United States used an atomic/nuclear bomb on the city Hiroshima. The code name for the bomb was "Little Boy". The United States dropped another bomb codenamed "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki. These were the only times in history that a nuclear bomb was used in wartime. The first bomb ever dropped was in New Mexico for testing. -
Joseph Stalin Dies
Joseph Stalin dies on March 5th, 1953. He died of a stroke. He was 74 years old when he died.
