The first successful oil well was drilled in the US in 1859. The Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted only 45 minutes, the shortest war in history. The Heinkel He 178 became the world’s first jet aircraft in 1939. Krakatoa erupted in 1883, causing 36,000 deaths. Mariner 2 successfully reached Venus in 1962. Edmund Kemper killed his grandparents in 1964 and went on to kill eight other women. The Ostankino Tower caught fire in Moscow in 2000. The Rainbow Bridge connecting Tokyo and Odaiba Island was completed in 1993.
The first successful oil well was drilled in the United States. (1859) Oil well, which is also credited with being the world’s first successful commercial well, was drilled outside Titusville, Pennsylvania by Edwin L. Drake. The first wells in world history date back to 347 in China; they were dug about 800 feet deep with bamboo poles.
The shortest war in world history was fought. (1896) The Anglo-Zanzibar War between Zanzibar and the United Kingdom lasted 45 minutes. Zanzibari forces suffered 500 casualties; the British suffered only one.
The world’s first jet aircraft has taken to the skies. (1939) Erich Warsitz piloted the Heinkel He 178, the first turbojet aircraft. The jet was manufactured by the Heinkel company in Germany.
Krakatoa Volcano erupted, eventually causing 36,000 deaths. (1883) The eruption caused tidal waves that drowned the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia.
Mars has come closer to Earth than it has in 60,000 years. (2003) Mars made its closest pass approximately 35 million miles (56 million kilometers) from Earth. Since the planets have different orbits, the distance between the two varies. At its furthest away, Mars is about 250 million miles (401 million kilometers) from Earth.
NASA launched the Mariner 2 space probe on its way to Venus. (1962) The unmanned probe reached Venus in December of the same year. Mariner 2 was the first of the Mariner missions to be successful and was the first probe to successfully encounter another planet.
A new world land speed record has been set. (1937) George Eyston actually broke his own world speed record, reaching a speed of 345.49 miles per hour (556 kilometers per hour) in a Thunderbolt automobile. Eyston’s previous record was set in 1936 when he reached a speed of 311.42 miles per hour (501.18 kilometers per hour).
Serial killer Edmund Kemper killed his first victims, his grandparents, when he was 15. (1964) Kemper’s mother sent him to live with his grandparents because she mutilated her sister’s dolls. After killing his grandfather, he said: “I was just wondering what it would be like to shoot the grandmother.” After he was inexplicably released from a mental institution, Kemper went on to kill, maim and defile eight other women, including his mother. When he called the police to confess, they initially hung up, thinking it was a joke. Kemper was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
The fourth tallest tower in the world has caught fire. (2000) The Ostankino Tower in Moscow is the tallest tower in Europe, reaching a height of 1,770 feet (540 meters). Incredibly, the fire, which cut off all TV broadcasts in Moscow, killed just three people. The tower was eventually rebuilt.
The Rainbow Bridge connecting Tokyo and Odaiba Island for the first time has been completed. (1993) The suspension bridge is illuminated at night by solar energy in shades of red, white and green. The bridge spans 1,870 feet (570 meters) – the longest suspension bridge in the world spans 6,532 feet (1,991 meters).
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