1253 — Death of Clare of Assisi
Clare of Assisi, an early follower of Francis of Assisi and founder of the Poor Clares, dies. She was canonized just two years later and became one of the most important women in the early Franciscan movement.
1483 — Sistine Chapel Consecrated
A consecration Mass is held in the newly completed Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, decades before Michelangelo would create the ceiling frescoes for which the chapel is now most famous.
1519 — Magellan Expedition Sets Sail
Five ships commanded by Ferdinand Magellan depart Seville on an extraordinary voyage that would ultimately produce the first circumnavigation of the globe. Magellan himself would not survive the expedition.
1576 — Tycho Brahe’s Observatory
The cornerstone is laid for the observatory of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. His exceptionally precise astronomical observations later provided Johannes Kepler with the data needed to formulate his laws of planetary motion.
1754 — Birth of Pierre Charles L’Enfant
French-born architect and engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant is born. He would become best known for developing the original plan for Washington, D.C.
1768 — First Ascent of Mont Blanc
Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard complete the first ascent of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, helping usher in the age of modern mountaineering.
1776 — Declaration of Independence Reaches London
News of the American Declaration of Independence reaches London roughly six weeks after its publication, formally confronting Britain with the colonies’ declaration that they considered themselves independent states.
1792 — Tuileries Palace Stormed
Amid the escalating French Revolution, a revolutionary mob storms the Tuileries Palace and effectively brings the French monarchy to an end.
1792 — Louis XVI Formally Arrested
Three days after being removed from the Tuileries, King Louis XVI is formally placed under arrest and treated as “Citizen Louis Capet,” marking another decisive step toward his trial and eventual execution.
1861 — Death of Eliphalet Remington
American gunsmith and industrialist Eliphalet Remington dies. His company became one of America’s major firearms manufacturers and later expanded into precision machinery and typewriters.
1874 — Birth of Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover, who would become the 31st president of the United States, is born. His presidency would become inseparably associated with the onset of the Great Depression.
1881 — Birth of Cecil B. DeMille
Filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille is born. He became one of Hollywood’s pioneering directors and was famous for enormous historical and biblical spectacles featuring literal casts of thousands.
1892 — Death of Otto Lilienthal
German aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal dies from injuries suffered in a glider crash. His experiments with controlled gliding strongly influenced Wilbur and Orville Wright.
1898 — Spanish-American War Armistice
The United States and Spain agree to an armistice, effectively ending combat in the four-month Spanish-American War and setting the stage for formal peace negotiations in Paris.
1898 — Mock Battle of Manila
Spanish and American forces stage a largely prearranged battle to permit Spain to surrender Manila to U.S. forces while preventing Filipino revolutionary forces from taking the city. The episode foreshadows the coming Philippine-American conflict.
1899 — Birth of Alfred Hitchcock
British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock is born. He would become one of cinema’s most influential directors and the acknowledged “Master of Suspense.”
1908 — Wilbur Wright Flies at Le Mans
Wilbur Wright begins his European flying demonstrations at Le Mans, France. His mastery of controlled powered flight astonishes previously skeptical European observers and establishes the Wright brothers’ international reputation.
1912 — U.S. Marines Intervene in Nicaragua
U.S. Marines enter Nicaragua in support of the government amid political instability. The intervention became part of the broader series of American military actions in Central America and the Caribbean commonly known as the Banana Wars.
1914 — Britain Declares War on Austria-Hungary
Great Britain declares war on Austria-Hungary as the alliance system continues pulling Europe’s major powers into World War I.
1918 — BMW Incorporated
Bayerische Motoren Werke—BMW—is incorporated as an aircraft-engine manufacturer in Germany. The company would eventually become one of the world’s best-known automobile and motorcycle manufacturers.
1919 — Weimar Constitution Adopted
Germany adopts the Constitution of the Weimar Republic, establishing a representative democratic system following World War I. Political extremism, economic turmoil and the burdens of the Versailles settlement would eventually overwhelm the republic.
1921 — Birth of Esther Williams
Actress and competitive swimmer Esther Williams is born. Her elaborate aquatic musicals made synchronized swimming a major Hollywood spectacle during the 1940s and 1950s.
1929 — Babe Ruth Hits Home Run No. 500
New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth becomes the first Major League Baseball player to hit 500 career home runs, establishing another benchmark in his extraordinary career.
1932 — Death of Rin Tin Tin
The original Rin Tin Tin dies. Rescued from a World War I battlefield as a puppy, the German shepherd became one of Hollywood’s earliest and most famous animal stars.
1933 — Birth of Parnelli Jones
Race-car driver Parnelli Jones is born. He won the 1963 Indianapolis 500 and nearly won again in 1967 driving the revolutionary STP turbine-powered race car.
1934 — Alcatraz Federal Prison Opens
Alcatraz begins operation as a federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay. Its isolation, cold water and powerful currents helped give “The Rock” its reputation as America’s most escape-resistant prison.
1935 — Birth of John Brodie
John Brodie is born. He became a longtime quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and one of the prominent NFL passers of his era.
1941 — Atlantic Charter Announced
Following secret meetings in Newfoundland, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill issue the principles that became known as the Atlantic Charter. Its eight points helped define Allied goals and concepts for the postwar international order.
1942 — German Saboteurs Executed
Six German agents captured after landing in the United States as part of a wartime sabotage mission are executed following trial before a military tribunal.
1942 — Battle of Savo Island
Japanese naval forces inflict a devastating defeat on Allied cruisers near Guadalcanal. The battle exposes serious weaknesses in Allied nighttime naval warfare during the opening phase of the Guadalcanal campaign.
1945 — Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
The B-29 Bockscar drops the plutonium bomb “Fat Man” on Nagasaki. It is the second—and to date final—use of a nuclear weapon in warfare.
1946 — First Flight of the B-36 Peacemaker
The Convair B-36 makes its first flight. Designed for extremely long-range strategic bombing, the massive aircraft became an early centerpiece of America’s Cold War nuclear deterrent and figured prominently in the interservice controversy known as the “Revolt of the Admirals.”
1946 — Birth of Marilyn vos Savant
Marilyn vos Savant is born. She later became widely known through her Parade magazine column, where she answered readers’ questions involving logic, mathematics and problem-solving.
1953 — Birth of Hulk Hogan
Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan is born. He would become one of the biggest stars of the 1980s professional-wrestling boom and a major figure in bringing the sport into mainstream popular culture.
1961 — Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins
East Germany closes crossings into West Berlin and begins erecting the Berlin Wall. The barrier becomes one of the defining physical symbols of the Cold War and Germany’s division.
1969 — Murder of Sharon Tate
Actress Sharon Tate and four others are murdered by followers of Charles Manson in Los Angeles. The killings became one of the most notorious American crimes of the late 1960s.
1969 — Apollo 11 Astronauts Leave Quarantine
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are released from biological quarantine three weeks after returning from the Moon. Celebrations include a New York ticker-tape parade and a presidential state dinner.
1977 — Space Shuttle Enterprise Makes First Free Flight
The prototype shuttle Enterprise separates from its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft and performs its first unpowered atmospheric free flight, an important milestone in testing the Space Shuttle’s approach and landing characteristics.
1988 — Wrigley Field Hosts Night Baseball
Lights are switched on for nighttime baseball at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, making it the last Major League Baseball ballpark of its era to install permanent lighting.
About the Author
Actually Jacob, a majority of these events are created by recreational boaters pumping their holding tanks out into the water.…
From the spill in the Elizabeth River no doubt
"Pedestrians have the right of way." -Famous last words-
Pedestrians always have the right of way.
In other words there will be potential bike path injuries and deaths. Idiot drivers vs knucklehead bike riders vs 12…