In 1854, a misunderstood order during the Crimean War sent the British Light Brigade charging straight into a valley of Russian cannon at Balaclava, causing severe losses and turning the episode into a famed example of heroic yet tragic military error.
In 1945, the United Nations was officially founded when its Charter took effect, establishing a global organization aimed at maintaining peace and fostering international cooperation.
In 2001, Apple introduced the first-generation iPod, a small white music player that could hold about 1,000 songs and kick-started the company’s surge in consumer electronics.
In 1797, French aeronaut André-Jacques Garnerin proved parachutes could save lives by jumping from a hydrogen balloon about 3,000 feet over Paris and landing safely with his silk canopy.
In 1879, Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park team successfully tested the first practical incandescent light bulb, showing that electric lighting could be reliable and affordable.
In 1803, the U.S. Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase, paying France $15 million to roughly double the nation’s size and secure control of the Mississippi River and New Orleans.
In 1781, British General Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown, Virginia, to combined American and French forces, effectively ending the siege and securing American independence.
In 1867, the United States officially took control of Alaska from Russia in Sitka, completing the $7.2 million Alaska Purchase that added more than half a million square miles to the nation.
In 1814, a massive vat burst at London’s Horse Shoe Brewery, unleashing a torrent of beer that swept through the St. Giles neighborhood, destroyed buildings, and tragically killed eight people.
In 1978, Roman Catholic cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel elected Polish Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II, making him the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
In 1951, the television sitcom “I Love Lucy” debuted on CBS, introducing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s comedic antics to audiences with a groundbreaking three-camera setup that quickly made the show a nationwide sensation.
In 1792, President George Washington oversaw a ceremony in which the cornerstone was laid for the future White House in Washington, D.C., launching construction of the nation’s executive residence.
