Today in History

Today in History

1477 – William Caxton produced 'Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres,' which was the first book to be printed in England.

1820 – Captain Nathaniel Palmer became the first American to sight the continent of Antarctica.

1865 – Samuel L. Clemens published 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' under the pen name 'Mark Twain' in the New York 'Saturday Press.'

1883 – The U.S. and Canada adopted a system of standard time zones.

1903 – The U.S. and Panama signed a treaty that granted the U.S. rights to build the Panama Canal.

1916 – Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I, called off the Battle of the Somme in France. The offensive began on July 1, 1916.

1928 – The first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon premiered in New York. It was Walt Disney's 'Steamboat Willie,' starring Mickey Mouse.

Disney movies, music and books

1936 – Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.

1942 – 'The Skin of Our Teeth,' by Thornton Wilder opened on Broadway.

1951 – Chuck Connors (Los Angeles Angels) became the first player to oppose the major league draft. Connors later became the star of the television show 'The Rifleman.'

1959 – William Wyler's 'Ben-Hur' premiered at Loew's Theater in New York City's Times Square.

1966 – Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) announced his retirement from major league baseball.

1966 – U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays.

1969 – Apollo 12 astronauts Charles 'Pete' Conrad Jr. and Alan L. Bean landed on the lunar surface during the second manned mission to the moon.

1976 – The parliament of Spain approved a bill that established a democracy after 37 years of dictatorship.

1983 – Argentina announced its ability to produce enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons.

1985 – Joe Theismann (Washington Redskins) broke his leg after being hit by Lawrence Taylor (New York Giants). The injury ended Theismann's 12 year National Football League (NFL) career.

1987 – The U.S. Congress issued the Iran-Contra Affair report. The report said that President Ronald Reagan bore 'ultimate responsibility' for wrongdoing by his aides.

1988 – U.S. President Reagan signed major legislation provided the death penalty for drug traffickers who kill.

1993 – The U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in approving legislation aimed at protecting abortion facilities, staff and patients.

1997 – First Union Corp. announced its purchase of CoreStates Financial Corp. for $16.1 billion. To date it was the largest banking deal in U.S. history.

2001 – Nintendo released the GameCube home video game console in the United States.

History