Edison demonstrated the light bulb (1879), East India Company received its charter (1600), first use of the breathalyzer (1938), Panama Canal handed over to Panama (1999), GM earned $1 billion in a year (1955), US left UNESCO (1984), London Eye opened (1999), ‘Iolani Palace completed (1879), Bank of North America founded (1781), window tax introduced in Britain (1695).
Thomas Edison publicly demonstrated the incandescent light bulb. (1879) The demonstration took place in Menlo Park, New Jersey. The event was so popular that special trains were scheduled so that enough people could get to the demonstration.
The East India Company has received its charter. (1600) The firm would go on to be enormously influential in British foreign policy. It was also a major supplier of opium to China and developed a monopoly on trade with the Orient.
The “drunkometer”, predecessor of the breathalyzer, was used for the first time. (1938) Dr. Rolla N. Harge had invented the breathalyzer several years earlier, but on this day it was practically first used by the Indianapolis police. The breathalyzer worked by blowing the person up in a balloon. The air would mix with a chemical solution. The darker the result, the more alcohol the person has in their system.
The Panama Canal was handed over to Panama. (1999) The canal has long been a valuable political and commercial tool, as it was one of the fastest ways to reach the Atlantic from the Pacific, and vice versa, by boat. It was originally finished in 1914 after over 40 years of work and over 25,000 casualties. Considered an example of high-quality American engineering, it took more than 20 years of protest before America agreed to hand over control of the canal to Panama.
American automaker GM became the first company to earn more than $1 billion US dollars (USD) in one year. (1955) It also went on to become the world’s largest employer, even as economic woes in the early 2000s drove it into bankruptcy.
The United States left the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (1984) US President Reagan stated that the “leftist” leanings of the organizations were not in line with US policies. The US departure kicked off an exodus – the UK and Singapore quickly followed, and several other nations threatened to leave as well.
The London Eye has opened. (1999) The great Ferris wheel, also called the Millennium Wheel, was built to celebrate the turn of the millennium. It has gone on to become a popular London landmark and attracts thousands of tourists a year.
The ‘Iolani Palace – the only palace in the United States – has been completed. (1879) Built for the Hawaiian monarchs King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani, ‘Iolani Palace continued to house the Hawaiian government until 1969. It has since been converted into a museum and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
The first American bank is born. (1781) The Bank of North America was incorporated in Pennsylvania and was the first central bank in America. It was also one of the first three banks to trade shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
A window tax has begun in Britain. (1695) The tax applied to all buildings except cottages and lasted until 1851. More than $3 million dollars in window taxes were collected over the years.
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