History
On this day in 2008: Obama makes history as first African American elected US president
Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th president of the United States, marking a historic milestone as the first...
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On this day in 1957: Laika launched into space
In a landmark moment for space exploration, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first living creature into orbit on 3...
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On this day in 1950: Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw died at age 94.
Irish dramatist and Nobel laureate George Bernard Shaw, whose wit and intellect reshaped 20th-century theatre, died at the age of...
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On this day in 1952: United States tests world’s first thermonuclear bomb
On 1 November 1952, the United States detonated the world’s first thermonuclear bomb, codenamed “Ivy Mike,” marking the dawn of...
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On this day in 1517: Luther’s Ninety-five Theses posted
On 31 October 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther nailed a document to the door of the Castle Church...
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On this day in 1974: The Rumble in the Jungle
It was more than a boxing match. On 30 October 1974, the world stopped to watch two heavyweights—Muhammad Ali and...
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On this day in 1929: Collapse of U.S. stock market prices
Just five days after a record 13 million shares changed hands on Wall Street, panic gripped the trading floors once...
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On this day in 1886: Statue of Liberty dedicated
On 28 October 1886, the Statue of Liberty was officially dedicated in New York Harbour, marking one of the most...
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On this day in 1978: Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 for...
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On this day in 2002: Irish actor Richard Harris died in London
Richard Harris was one of Ireland’s greatest actors, a performer whose intensity, charisma and unpredictability made him a legend both...
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