John Lennon’s killer was sentenced to prison. The British burned Washington DC in 1814. Amelia Earhart flew nonstop across the US in 1932. Captain Matthew Webb swam across the English Channel in 1875. Maria Teresa de Filippis raced in a Formula car in 1958. The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1456. Mikhail Gorbachev resigned in 1991. Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006. Hurricane Andrew caused damage in Florida in 1992. Vesuvius erupted in 79, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit in 1960.
John Lennon’s killer was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. (1981) Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times as he stood in front of his apartment building with his wife, Yoko Ono, on December 8, 1980.
The British Burned Washington DC (1814) In a War of 1812 battle that became known as “The Burning of Washington,” the British Army captured Washington DC and set fire to many buildings, including the Capitol and the White House.
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly over the United States nonstop. (1932) Earhart flew from Los Angeles, California to Newark, New Jersey. The flight, which takes about 5 hours today, took Earhart about 19 hours.
Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to successfully swim across the English Channel. (1875) Webb’s first attempt to swim the channel on August 12 was thwarted by bad weather. His successful swim lasted 21 hours and 45 minutes. Subsequent swimmers successfully swam across the English Channel in less than 7 hours.
The first woman raced in a 1958 Formula car race. (XNUMX) Maria Teresa de Filippis of Italy raced in a Maserati in Oporto in the Portuguese Grand Prix. Unfortunately, she had to abandon the race due to engine problems.
Printing of the Gutenberg Bible has been completed. (1456) The Gutenberg Bible was the first edition of the Bible created by a mobile printing press.
Mikhail Gorbachev has resigned as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. (1991) Gorbachev’s reform efforts (i.e. demokratizatsiya (democratization), glasnost (opening), perestroika (restructuring), and uskoreniye (acceleration)) contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union.
Pluto has been demoted from “planet” status to mere “dwarf planet” status. (2006) The demotion was declared by the International Astronomical Union. The dwarf planet can, however, lay claim to the status of the second largest known dwarf planet. The largest dwarf planet is Eris.
Hurricane Andrew struck Florida, killing 65 and causing $26.5 billion in damage. (1992) Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane, was the third most powerful hurricane to strike the United States in the 20th century and was the second costliest in US history.
Vesuvius erupts, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. (79) The volcanic eruption killed more than 20,000 people.
The lowest temperature in world history has been recorded. (1960) Temperatures measured at the Vostok Research Station in Antarctica dropped to -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-89.2 degrees Celsius).
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