This day in 660 BC is traditionally regarded as the foundation date of Japan, led at the time by Emperor Jimmu.
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On this day in
1531, England's
King Henry VIII is officially recognized as supreme "head" of the Church in England, which is kind of ironic when you consider the fate that befell most of his wives… not to mention their heads.
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On this day in
1626,
Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia and Patriarch
Afonso Mendes declare the primacy of the Roman See over the Ethiopian Church, and Roman Catholicism the state religion of Ethiopia.
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On this day in
1752, Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, is opened by
Benjamin Franklin.
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On this day in
1916, trouble-maker extraordinaire
Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.
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On this day in
1929, Fascist Italy and the Vatican sign the
Lateran Treaty, which is still in effect to this very day.
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On this day in
1937, a sit-down strike ends when
General Motors recognizes the
United Auto Workers.
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On this day in
1938,
BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the
Karel Čapek play
R.U.R., that coined the term "robot". The show was aired live, and only a few stills from the production survive.
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On this day in
1942,
Archie and his gang make their comic book debut. In their first adventure,
Betty and
Veronica vie for Archie's affections,
Jughead eats a lot, and
Reggie hatches an unsuccessful scheme. In other words, the publishers of Archie Comics have been reprinting the
exact same story over and over again for over half a century.
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On this day in
1953, US President
Dwight D. Eisenhower refuses a clemency appeal for
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. They would soon fry for passing on nuclear secrets to the Ruskies.
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On this day in
1978, China lifts a ban on works by
Aristotle,
William Shakespeare and
Charles Dickens.
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On this day in
1979, ABC airs
Elvis! The wildly successful telefilm starred
Kurt Russell as the King of Rock and Roll, and was directed, oddly enough, by horror movie master
John Carpenter, better known for such gruesome fare as
Halloween,
The Thing and
They Live. 43 million people watch the premiere airing of Elvis!, making it one of the most popular films of the seventies, despite the fact that it was never shown in theaters. Meanwhile, in Iran, an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
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On this day in
1990, after spending 27 years behind bars for his efforts to end South African apartheid, freedom fighter
Nelson Mandela is freed from prison, finally allowing
Bono,
Peter Gabriel and
Sting to move on with their lives.
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Also on this day in
1990, mere days after the death of his mother (to whom he dedicated the fight),
Buster Douglas becomes the heavyweight champion of the world when he beats the supposedly-unbeatable cannibal/rapist
Iron Mike Tyson with a stunning knock-out combination in the tenth. This totally unexpected defeat leads to a complete breakdown for the former champ, culminating exactly two years later (to the day), when Iron Mike is convicted of raping beauty queen
Desiree Washington. Yer old pal Jerky doesn't care what anybody says, that was one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time.
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On this day in
2011, the first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of
Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests. Things don't get much better, sadly. Let's hope we can work things out at some point.
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