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The bubonic plague hit San Francisco in 1907, but was stopped after a rat-catching drive. Centralia, Pennsylvania has been burning since 1962. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia in 1994. The British Navy sank the Bismark in 1941. President Roosevelt declared an unlimited state of emergency on the same day. St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 and remained the capital of Russia until 1917. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. Disney’s The Three Little Pigs movie was released in 1933. Bob Dylan’s breakthrough album was released in 1963. The Chrysler building was inaugurated in 1930.
The bubonic plague has broken out in San Francisco. (1907) A sailor was diagnosed with the plague, which quickly spread throughout the city. Though several committees formed to stop it, the plague continued to spread until scientists discovered it was related to rats, and after a massive rat-catching drive, the city became plague-free.
A fire broke out in Centralia, Pennsylvania. (1962) Since the fire was burning underground, residents didn’t realize how bad it was for over ten years before fire sinkholes started opening up in people’s backyards. The city was mostly deserted over the next decade, and as of 2011, the fire was still burning.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia. (1994) Solzhenitsyn, a Nobel laureate, was sentenced to hard labor for criticizing the Stalinist regime, and was eventually expelled from the USSR in 1974. The USSR dropped all charges against him in 1990, and in 1994 he returned in Russia, where he lived until his death in 2008.
The British Navy sank the Bismark. (1941) The Bismark was a powerful German warship and Hitler had hoped to break Britain’s naval superiority with her. The British navy intercepted the boat and scuttled it on this day; over 2,000 German soldiers were killed.
President Franklin Roosevelt declared an unlimited state of emergency. (1941) Roosevelt outlined his plans for America should it become involved in World War II in a radio address on this day. It was part of a long and complex effort to sway American public opinion into favor of going to war, which paid off when things came to a head after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of that year .
St. Petersburg is founded. (1703) Peter the Great’s founding of St. Petersburg put Russia on the map as a major international player. It remained the capital of Russia until the 1917 Revolution when the capital was moved to Moscow, but it still remains a major European cultural centre.
The Golden Gate Bridge opens. (1937) The bridge was completed in just four years and, when completed, was the longest suspension bridge in the world.
Disney’s The Three Little Pigs movie is out. (1933) The film became a classic Disney cartoon, and was also the
debut of the song Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?, and has since been held in the Library of Congress for its cultural significance.
Bob Dylan’s breakthrough album is released. (1963) The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, with songs like Blowin’ in the Wind and Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right put Dylan on the charts and became the soundtrack to the 1960s counterculture.
Chrysler building inaugurated. (1930) The building was the tallest in the world when it opened, but held the status for only 18 months before the Empire State Building surpassed it in 1931.
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