-
Kodak's $1 brownie camera
The Brownie camera was the first hand-held camera that was cheap enough and simple enough for even children to use, making photography accessible to the masses. -
Boxer Rebellion
May 1900, the Boxer Rebellion had come out of the countryside and was being waged in the capital of Peking (now Beijing). To help their fellow countrymen and to protect their interests in China, an international force of 2,100 American, British, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese soldiers were sent to subdue the "rebellion." -
First license plate issued
The first state-issued license plates were issued in Massachusetts, beginning in 1903. The very first plate, featuring the number "1," was issued to Frederick Tudor. (One of his relatives still holds an active registration on the plate.) -
Mona Lisa stolen
On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, one of the most famous paintings in the world, was stolen right off the wall of the Louvre. The crime was inconceivable and the police had no leads. The Mona Lisa turned up in Italy two years later. -
Oreo cookies were first introduced
n 1912, Nabisco had a new idea for a cookie - two chocolate disks with a creme filling in between. The first Oreo cookie looked very similar to the Oreo cookie of today, with only a slight difference in the design on the chocolate disks. -
The sinking of the Lusitania
At 1:40 p.m. on May 7, 1915, the German U-boat, U-20 launched a torpedo at the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, off the coast of Southern Ireland. Within 18 minutes, the Lusitania had sunk. The sinking of the Lusitania heightened tensions between the U.S. and Germany and helped sway American opinion in favor of joining World War I. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s5hdSDOr8M -
Hitler goes to jail
Ten years before Hitler came to power in Germany, he tried to take it by force. On the night of November 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler and some of his confederates stormed into a beer hall and attempted to force the triumvirate, the three men that governed Bavaria, to join him in a national revolution. The men of the tiumvirate disagreed. Hitler was arrested three days later and after a short trial, he was sentenced to five years in prison. -
Leopold and Loeb murder out of boredom
On May 21, 1924, two brilliant, wealthy, Chicago teenagers attempted to commit the perfect crime just for the thrill of it. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped 14-year-old Bobby Franks, bludgeoned him to death in a rented car, and then dumped Franks' body in a distant culvert. -
The first assassination attemp on Mussolini
April 7, 1926 Once Mussolini was in his car, 50-year-old Gibson raised her revolver and pointed it at Mussolini's head. She then fired at nearly point-blank range. At nearly that exact time, a band started playing "Giovinezza," the National Fascist Party's official hymn. Once the song started, Mussolini turned to face the flag and snapped to attention, bringing his head back just enough for the bullet fired by Gibson to nearly miss him. -
Empire state building completed
When the Empire State Building opened on May 1, 1931, it was the tallest building in the world - standing at 1,250 feet tall. This building not only became an icon of New York City, it became a symbol of twentieth century man's attempts to achieve the impossible. -
assassination attempt on FDR
On February 15, 1933, President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt had just sat down after giving a speech at the Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida when five shots rang out. Giuseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant and unemployed bricklayer, had emptied his .32 caliber pistol while aiming the best he could at FDR while standing on a wobbly chair about 25 feet away. Although none of the shots hit FDR, Chicago's Mayor Anton Cermak was mortally hit in the stomach and four others received minor injuries. -
The Hindenburg disaster
After a three-day trip across the Atlantic from Frankfurt, Germany to New Jersey, the Hindenburg (a large, rigid airship) was in the process of landing when it broke into flames at 7:25 p.m. on May 6, 1937. Within 34 seconds, the entire airship was consumed by fire. -
attack on Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After just two hours of bombing, more than 2,400 Americans were dead, 21 ships* had either been sunk or damaged, and more than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed. The attack at Pearl Harbor so outraged Americans that the U.S. abandoned its policy of isolationism and declared war on Japan the following day -- officially bringing the United States into World War II. -
Anne Frank goes into hiding
Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank had been writing in her red-and-white-checkered diary for less than a month when her sister, Margot, received a call-up notice around 3 p.m. on July 5, 1942. Although the Frank family had planned to go into hiding on July 16, 1942, they decided to leave immediately so that Margot would not have to be deported to a "work camp." -
D-day invasion
During World War II, the Allied powers planned to create a two-front war by continuing the Soviet Union's attack of Nazi-occupied lands from the east and by beginning a new invasion from the west. In June 1944, the United States and the United Kingdom (with help from many other western countries) began the long-awaited attack from the west, the Normandy Invasion (Operation Overlord). June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, was the very first day of this massive amphibious invasion, which brought tho -
first modern credit card introduced
he first Diners Club credit cards were given out in 1950 to 200 people (most were friends and acquaintances of McNamara) and accepted by 14 restaurants in New York. The concept of the card grew and by the end of 1950, 20,000 people were using the Diners Club credit card. The Diners Club credit card is considered the first modern credit card. -
Princess Elizebeth becomes Queen at age 25
After suffering from lung cancer for several years, King George VI died in his sleep on February 6, 1952 at age 56. Upon his death, his oldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, became queen. Elizabeth was 25 years old. Over a year later, on June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth's coronation was held at Westminster Abbey. It was the first televised coronation in history. -
Laika is the first animal in orbit
The Soviet Union and the United States were in a very heated competition after World War II. Part of this competition was over control of space. As part of this "space race," the Soviets succeeded in putting up the first satellite into space in October 1957. Working hastily, the Soviets launched their second satellite (Sputnik 2) on November 3, 1957 with a living animal (Laika the dog) on board. Laika lived through the launch, but died in space since no return plan had been created for her. -
Berlin wall built
August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers and construction workers headed to the border of West and East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, the workers quickly constructed a barrier made of concrete posts and barbed wire along the border. -
The Beatles become popular in the U.S
Although Beatlemania had overtaken Great Britain, the Beatles still had the challenge of the United States. Despite already having achieved one number-one hit in the U.S. and had been greeted by 5,000 screaming fans when they arrived at the New York airport, it was the Beatles' February 9, 1964, appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that ensured Beatlemania in America. -
Muhammad Ali becomes world heavy weight champion
On February 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali, then still known as Cassius Clay, fought Charles "Sonny" Liston for the world heavyweight title in Miami, Florida. -
Kent State shootings
Protests by students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio against war began on May 1, 1970. At noon, students held a protest rally on campus and later that night rioters built a bonfire and threw beer bottles at police off campus. The mayor declared a state of emergency and asked the governor for help. The governor sent in the Ohio National Guard. -
terrorist attack at the olympic games in Munich
Early in the morning on September 5, 1972, eight members of the Palestinian terrorist organization, Black September, snuck into the Olympic Village at the XXth Olympic Games which were held in Munich, Germany. -
The Tangshan earthquake
Early in the morning of July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the Chinese city of Tangshan. At 3:42 a.m., most people in the city were asleep, shocked into wakefulness by the shifting earth and falling debris. The 14 to 16 seconds of shaking destroyed nearly the entire city. Although many people who were trapped alive in the rubble were saved, the death toll reached over 240,000. The 1976 Tangshan earthquake was the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century. -
Royal wedding
On July 29, 1981, Lady Diana Spencer (20 years old) married Prince Charles (32 years old) at St. Paul's Cathedral. Their wedding was large, extravagant, and wondrous. It was the wedding of the decade. Nearly 3,500 people attended personally, 600,000 people lined the streets of London hoping to catch a peek, and approximately 750 million people from around the world watched it on television. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8411017/Royal-wedding-the-Prince-of-Wales-and-a-swe -
E.T movie released
The movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was a hit from the day it was released (June 11, 1982) and quickly became one of the most beloved movies of all time. -
Poison gas leak in Bhopal India
During the night of December 2-3, 1984, a storage tank containing methyl isocyanate (MIC) at the Union Carbide pesticide plant leaked gas into the densely populated city of Bhopal, India. It was one of the worst industrial accidents in history. -
Otzi the ice man found
On September 19, 1991, two German tourists were hiking in the Otzal Alps near the Italian-Austrian border when they discovered Europe's oldest known mummy sticking out of the ice. Otzi, as the Iceman is now known, had been naturally mummified by the ice and kept in amazing condition for approximately 5,300 years. Research on Otzi's preserved body and the various artifacts found with it continues to reveal much about the life of Copper Age Europeans. -
channel tunnel opens connecting Britian and France
On May 6, 1994, the Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, officially opened. The Channel Tunnel is a set of three 31.25-mile long tunnels that connect the island of Great Britain to the mainland of France. The Channel Tunnel, which took six years and over $15 billion to construct, is considered one of the greatest feats of engineering of the 20th century. -
Sarin gas attack in Tokyo subway
On March 20, 1995, members of the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult orchestrated a coordinated sarin gas attack on subway trains in Tokyo, Japan. The sarin gas killed a dozen people, injured thousands more, and is still considered the worst terrorist attack in Japan.
