Mariner 4 took the first deep space photographs of Mars in 1965. Boston discontinued its racially segregated school bus system in 1999. Hank Aaron hit his 500th home run in 1968. MP3s were introduced in 1995. The George Washington Carver National Monument was established in 1943. Billy the Kid was killed in 1881. The US government removed high-value dollar notes from circulation in 1969. The government admitted the existence of Area 51 in 2003. The Storming of the Bastille occurred in 1789. Gerald R. Ford, the 38th US president, was born in 1913.
The first photographs of Mars were taken by the US space probe Mariner 4. (1965) Mariner 4 was the fourth probe in a series of ten exploratory probes launched: Mariner 1-10. The goal of the series was to fly over and photograph planets. The photographs Mariner 4 returned of the surface of Mars were the first deep space photographs ever taken of another planet. The Mariner 4 mission cost approximately $83.2 million United States Dollars (USD), and the entire Mariner series cost approximately $554 million USD. NASA cut communication with Mariner 4 on December 21, 1967.
The city of Boston, Massachusetts has discontinued its racially segregated school bus system. (1999) Although the Brown v. Board of Education taken by the US Supreme Court in 1954 to end segregation in schools, Boston has continued to consider race when assigning children to schools. On this day, the Boston School Committee voted 5-2 to end the practice out of fear of a federal lawsuit for discrimination against white students. The decision comes 25 years after a federal judge ordered the Boston school system to desegregate its schools, resulting in forced busing to schools outside a student’s home area and racial consideration for student placement. Eventually, the situation led to white students being denied access to certain schools. A race-neutral admissions policy was enacted the following school year.
Hank Aaron hits home run number 500. (1968) Aaron, considered one of the greatest major league baseball players in history, hit at least 24 home runs per season from 1955 to 1973 and is the only player to hit more than 30 home runs per season more than 15 times. His career-high 755 home runs is second only to Barry Bonds, who has 762. Aaron still holds the record for career runs batted in at 2,297 and most career extra valid bases at 1,477.
MP3s were introduced. (1995) The .mp3 file extension was chosen by a team at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. The first MP3 software player, Winplay3, was introduced that year in September, allowing people to listen to MP3 files on their PCs.
The first national monument in the United States was established in honor of a black man. (1943) The George Washington Carver National Monument was founded by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Not only was it the first U.S. National Monument to honor a black man, but also the first to honor a non-president. The monument honored George Washington Carver, famous for his work with alternative sustainable agriculture.
Billy the Kid was killed. (1881) Born Henry McCarty, Billy the Kid was a famous gunslinger and outlaw of the American Old West. He was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in New Mexico after escaping from prison, where he was serving his sentence until his death sentence was carried out by hanging.
The US government has removed the $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 US dollar notes from circulation. (1969) $500 USD note featured William McKinley; the $1,000 USD bill featured Grover Cleveland; the $5,000 USD bill featured James Madison; and the $10,000 USD bill featured Salmon P. Chase. There was also a $100,000 USD Gold Certificate in 1934 that featured Woodrow Wilson.
The US government has admitted that “Area 51” exists. (2003) “Area 51” is a secret US military base in southern Nevada that is primarily used to develop and test experimental military aircraft and weapons. The secrets surrounding government activity in the area have lent themselves to many theories involving government conspiracies and UFOs.
French citizens storm the Bastille and free seven prisoners. (1789) “The Storming of the Bastille” during the French Revolution, although it freed only seven prisoners, represents the resistance of the people to the French authorities. The day is celebrated in France as “Fete de la Federation” – known as Bastille Day in English.
United States President Gerald R. Ford is born. (1913) Ford was the 38th president of the United States. He was born as Leslie Lynch King Jr., but was later renamed by an adopted stepfather.
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