Lee surrendered in 1865, Germany invaded Norway and Denmark in 1940, the oldest audible recording was made in 1860, NASA introduced the first astronauts in 1959, the Chicago Eight pleaded not guilty in 1969, Mark Twain received his steamboat pilot’s license in 1859, the first Freedom Ride took place in 1947, the first indoor baseball game was played in 1965, Iraqis beheaded a statue of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and scientist Gregory Pincus was born in 1903.
Robert E. Lee surrendered. (1865) Lee delivered approximately 30,000 soldiers to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. Though the numerous minor battles were fought after the surrender, the civil war essentially ended on this day.
Germany invaded Norway and Denmark. (1940) Both countries fell almost immediately, greatly expanding Hitler’s empire, which at the time consisted only of Germany and Poland.
The oldest audible recording of a human voice has been made. (1860) Recording was done on a machine called a photoautograph, which was the first device that could directly transcribe sound. The recording was made by the French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and consists of about ten seconds of a person singing Au Claire de Lune.
NASA introduced the first astronauts to the public. (1959) There were seven men, including John Glenn and Gus Grissom, who were chosen from a group of test pilots to work on Project Mercury, which was America’s first manned space program. The “Mercury Seven” were overnight celebrities, despite the fact that the Mercury program itself was not particularly successful.
The Chicago Eight pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to incite a riot. (1969) The eight included well-known activists Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin and BobSeale, among others. They were accused of trying to incite a riot at the Democratic national convention in 1968. The trial turned into a major media circus and served more as a platform for the defendants to spread their views than anything else.
Mark Twain received his steamboat pilot’s license. (1859) Although Twain is much better known as a writer, he also worked as a steamboat operator, journalist and editor, among other things. It was during his time as a steamboat pilot that he picked up his pseudonym Mark Twain, which comes from river slang.
The first Freedom Ride took place. (1947) The Journey of Reconciliation was the forerunner of the many freedom rides of the 1960s, and was undertaken to bring attention to a recent ban on racial segregation on interstate travel.
The first indoor baseball game was played. (1965) The Astrodome opened on this day and the first indoor baseball game was held. It was preceded by a performance by Judy Garland and the Supremes, which helped draw a crowd of bosses.
Iraqis beheaded a statue of Saddam Hussein. (2003) Jubilant crowds took to the streets days after Hussein’s regime was overthrown and a statue of Hussein was toppled and beheaded.
Scientist Gregory Pincus is born. (1903) Although most people don’t know about Pincus, many use the results of his experiments: the birth control pill.
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