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Edison made the first sound recording in 1877. The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the US in 1865. Spain became a constitutional monarchy in 1978. The first Encyclopedia Britannica was published in 1768. The Washington Monument was completed in 1884. Saddam Hussein released foreign hostages in 1990. Nefertiti’s bust was discovered in 1912. The Washington Post was first published in 1877. The Maltese Falcon was auctioned for $398,590 USD in 1994. The US ban on James Joyce’s Ulysses was lifted in 1933.
Edison demonstrated the first sound recording. (1877) His recitation of Mary Had a Little Lamb was the first recording of the human voice. It was recorded on a cylinder wrapped in foil. He later said of the experience, “I’ve never been so surprised in my life.”
The 13th amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States. (1865) Although Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had theoretically freed slaves two years earlier, it was not until states did not ratify the Thirteenth Amendment that slavery officially became illegal.
Spanish voters approved a new constitution, ending decades of dictatorship. (1978) The constitution was approved through a referendum which transformed Spain into a constitutional monarchy with the intention of preventing leaders like Franco from returning to power.
The first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica went on sale (1768) The Scots Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell decided to publish a conservative encyclopedia in response to the French Diderot’s Encyclopedia, which was considered heretical at the time. The first Encyclopaedia Britannica was produced in 100 “issues” or chapters, which were then bound into three volumes.
The Washington Monument has been completed. (1884) The monument measured 555 feet 5 1/8 inches (about 170 meters) and was the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower surpassed it in 1889.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announced he would release all foreign hostages in Kuwait and Iraq. (1990) Citing changes in US foreign policy, Hussein released over 800 American, Japanese and Kuwaiti hostages.
The bust of Nefertiti has been discovered. (1912) The iconic bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti in her high headdress was discovered by German archaeologists in a sculptor’s workshop and has become a cultural symbol of Egypt.
The first edition of The Washington Post is published. (1877) The original Post was published six days a week. It added a Sunday paper in 1900, making it the first paper to publish seven days a week.
The Maltese Falcon has been auctioned. (1994) Christie’s auction house in London auctioned off the fifty-pound (approx. 22 kg) statuette used in Humphrey Bogart’s 1941 film of the same name for $398,590 United States Dollars (USD).
US ban on James Joyce’s Ulysses has been lifted. (1933) The book had been banned on grounds of indecency since 1921, and several magazine publishers were fined for attempting to publish serial versions of the book, including one which attempted to publish it as erotica. The ban only served to make the book more desirable to American readers, and visitors to Paris regularly brought back copies for their friends. The first authorized copy of Ulysses was published in the United States the year after the ban was lifted.
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