Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed in 1968. The Apple II computer went on sale in 1977, selling millions. Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog scandalized America in 1956. Five people were diagnosed with AIDS in 1981. Constantinople burned in 1870. The US abandoned the gold standard in 1933. Edward, Duke of Windsor died in 1972. The US draft began in 1917 and ended in 1973. Ronald Reagan died in 2004. Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped in 2002. Tropical Storm Allison caused $5.5 billion in damage in Texas in 2001. Uncle Tom’s Cabin launched in 1851 and the Frontenac steamboat was launched in 1817.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot. (1968) Senator Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California and died the next day. The killer, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, was immediately arrested for the shooting. He was sentenced to life in Pleasant Valley State Prison in California.
The first personal computer, the Apple II, went on sale. (1977) Introduced at the West Coast Computer Faire in California, the Apple II sold between five and six million machines before its production ended in 1993.
American musician Elvis Presley debuted his single Hound Dog. (1956) Performance of the song debuted on The Milton Berle Show. In more conservative times in America, the public was scandalized by Elvis’ erotic hip movements. In his second performance on the show that night, he was only televised from the waist up.
Five people in Los Angeles were diagnosed with what would come to be known as AIDS. (1981) Patients were first diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia which was reported in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Constantinople, Türkiye, burned. (1870) The fire, which leveled much of the town, began when a young girl tripped, sending a burning coal she was carrying flying onto a nearby roof. About 3,000 homes were destroyed and 900 people died.
The United States has abandoned the gold standard. (1933) The US Congress passed a resolution stating that creditors could not claim payment in gold. When the Great Depression caused people to hoard gold, President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to avoid a financial collapse. To prevent people from withdrawing gold from banks, he instituted a moratorium and on April 13, 1933, required all coins and gold certificates to be converted into other forms of money.
Edward, Duke of Windsor died. (1972) After his father’s death in 1936, Edward became king. Edward wanted to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson and was forced to choose between being her husband and being king. He chose the former and abdicated, leaving England with its new title, Duke of Windsor.
The US project has begun. (1917) Called “Army Registration Day,” the draft drafted men between the ages of 21 and 30 to serve in the US Army. In 1918, the age range increased from 18 to 45. The US project ended in 1973, transitioning to a volunteer military force.
US President Ronald Reagan has died. (2004) After a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, the 40th president of the United States died at his home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 93.
Elizabeth Smart has been kidnapped. (2002) A 14-year-old girl was taken from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was found nine months after her imprisoned by kidnappers Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee in one of the most publicized kidnappings to date. Both kidnappers were found unfit to stand trial. Wanda Barzee was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Tropical Storm Allison, one of the costliest tropical storms in US history, struck land in Texas, near Houston. (2001) Caused more than US$5.5 billion in damage.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti-slavery series by Harriet Beecher Stowe, launched in the National Era newspaper. (1851) Also called Life Among the Lowly, the series became a novel published in 1852.
The Frontenac, the first steamboat on the Great Lakes, is launched. (1817) Steamboat ran on Lake Ontario and Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was sold for scrap in 1827, but burnt down in arson before it could be broken up.
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