Yuri Andropov replied to American student Samantha Smith’s letter about nuclear war, inviting her to visit the USSR. The name “America” was first used on a map in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. Robert Noyce patented an improved integrated circuit design. Truman opened the White House bowling alley, and New York issued the first US license plates. Robinson Crusoe was published, and the Battle of Gallipoli began. The guillotine was first used, and US and USSR forces met on the Elbe River. Ground was broken for the Suez Canal.
USSR leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American student. (1983) Smith had written a letter to Andropov as part of a class assignment in which she expressed her fear of nuclear war. To her surprise, she received a personal reply and an invitation to visit the USSR, which she did as a “goodwill ambassador”.
The name “America” was first used on a map. (1507) German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller decided to use the name “America” to refer to the continent in honor of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first to prove that the Americas were actually separate continents from Asia.
Robert Noyce has obtained a patent for an integrated circuit. (1961) Integrated circuits are considered one of the most important inventions of the 20th century and are used in everything from computers to cell phones. Noyce’s patented design was an improvement on one that his colleague, Jack Kilby, had patented six months earlier.
Truman opened the White House bowling alley. (1947) Truman officially opened the White House two-lane bowling alley on this day. Although Truman himself was not a great bowler, other White House staffers formed a bowling team and even competed in national events.
New York became the first state to issue license plates in the United States. (1901) Unlike in modern times, most license plates were not government issued; rather, people have made their own. Early license plates were often made from porcelain, leather, or cardboard.
Robinson Crusoe is published. (1719) Although the book is Daniel Defoe’s best-known work, he didn’t actually write fiction until his sixties. The book is based on the experiences of a Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk.
The Battle of Gallipoli begins. (1915) The massive invasion of Gallipoli was an ill-fated attempt by the Allied forces to pull the Ottoman Empire out of World War I. The battle lasted on and off for almost a year before the allies were forced to withdraw.
The guillotine was used for the first time. (1792) The iconic method of execution in the French Revolution began a few years earlier with the execution of a highwayman named Nicolas J Pelletier. Eyewitness accounts report that the crowd at the execution were dissatisfied with the guillotine as they found it too “clinically effective” and therefore not enjoyable enough.
US and USSR forces met on the Elbe River. (1945) The meeting of the two armies was largely symbolic, but was considered a strong sign of the fall of Nazi Germany, since the forces had now divided Germany in two.
Ground has been broken for the Suez Canal. (1859) The Suez Canal took ten years to complete, but quickly became an important shipping route, as it was the first route that allowed people to sail to Asia without bypassing Africa.
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