On This Day
banner
onthisdaily.bsky.social
On This Day
@onthisdaily.bsky.social
Daily posts with historic events on this day.
#OTD #OnThisDay

Managed by @annesh.no
📅 #OnThisDay in 2000 (25 years ago):

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a fair recount of ballots in Florida could not be performed by the deadline for certifying the state's electors, effectively ending the 2000 U.S. presidential election and awarding the presidency to George W. Bush.

#OTD
December 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1936 (89 years ago):

King Edward VIII abdicates, giving up the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

#OTD
December 11, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1972 (53 years ago):

Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and final Apollo mission to land on the Moon.

#OTD
December 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1901 (124 years ago):

The first Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm on the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

#OTD
December 10, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1971 (54 years ago):

Lucasfilm Ltd. is founded as a film and television production company by George Lucas in San Francisco, California. It is best known for creating and producing the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

#OTD
December 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1968 (57 years ago):

Douglas Engelbart demonstrates in "The Mother of All Demos" the computer system NLS (oN-Line System) to a live audience in San Francisco, showcasing for the first time the mouse, word processing, windows and other modern computing concepts.

#OTD
December 9, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1979 (46 years ago):

The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other).

#OTD
December 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1980 (45 years ago):

John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City.

#OTD
December 8, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 2019 (6 years ago):

First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.

#OTD
December 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1941 (84 years ago):

The Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack killed 2,403 service members and wounded 1,178 more, and sank or destroyed six U.S. ships.

#OTD
December 7, 2025 at 9:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1972 (53 years ago):

Apollo 17, the last Apollo Moon mission, is launched. The crew takes the photograph known as The Blue Marble as they leave the Earth.

#OTD
December 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1884 (141 years ago):

The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. is completed. It was the world's tallest structure between 1884 and 1889, after which it was overtaken by the Eiffel Tower.

#OTD
December 6, 2025 at 12:01 PM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1917 (108 years ago):

Finland declares independence from the Russian Empire.

#OTD
December 6, 2025 at 10:58 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1952 (73 years ago):

Great Smog of London: Fog creeps in, as still winds and cold temperatures cause pollution fueled by coal smoke to stagnate; lasting 4 days, over 8,000 deaths attributed to conditions.

#OTD
December 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1955 (70 years ago):

Historic bus boycott begins in Montgomery, Alabama by Rosa Parks and other civil rights activists.

#OTD
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1993 (32 years ago):

Astronauts begin repair of Hubble telescope in space.

#OTD
December 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1954 (71 years ago):

The first Burger King fast-food restaurant opens in Miami, Florida.

#OTD
December 4, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1991 (34 years ago):

Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) ceased operations.

#OTD
December 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1973 (52 years ago):

NASA space probe Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.

#OTD
December 3, 2025 at 10:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1992 (33 years ago):

The first SMS text message was sent. It simply read, "Merry Christmas".

#OTD
December 3, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1994 (31 years ago):

Sony releases the first PlayStation game console in Japan.

#OTD
December 3, 2025 at 6:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1971 (54 years ago):

The United Arab Emirates is formed.

#OTD
December 2, 2025 at 10:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1991 (34 years ago):

Poland become the first nation to recognize the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union.

#OTD
December 2, 2025 at 8:01 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1993 (32 years ago):

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed by police in Medellín.

#OTD
December 2, 2025 at 6:00 AM
📅 #OnThisDay in 1988 (37 years ago):

World AIDS Day is proclaimed worldwide by the UN member states.

#OTD
December 1, 2025 at 10:01 AM