The NYSE was founded in 1817, the February Revolution began in Russia in 1917, Philips demonstrated the first CD in 1979, John Casor became the first legally recognized slave in America in 1654, the Daytona Beach Road Course held its first stock car race in 1936, “Axis Sally” was tried for treason in 1949, Ronald Reagan called the USSR an “evil empire” in 1983, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy aired its first radio episode in 1978, Anna Bonny was born in 1702, and the Suez Canal reopened in 1957 after being closed for a year.
The modern New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is founded. (1817) Although stockbrokers had operated on Wall Street since the late 1700s, the modern institution of the NYSE was founded on this day. It has gone on to become one of the largest players in the world economy and is known for the exclusivity of its venues, which allow traders to work directly on the NYSE.
The February Revolution began in Russia. (1917) The February Revolution – so named because Russia was still on the Julian calendar system at the time – began when riots broke out in Petrograd over food shortages. More than 100,000 people were involved and three days later Tsar Nicholas abdicated.
Philips first publicly demonstrated the compact disc. (1979) The CD was an instant hit, although it only became available in the United States in 1983. As of 2007, more than 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide.
John Casor became the first legally recognized slave in America. (1654) Casor had come to America as an indentured servant and had indeed earned his freedom, but his owner, Anthony Johnson, refused to recognize the agreement and had him declared a slave for life. Though Casor tried to fight slavery through the courts, he ended up serving Johnson for the rest of his life in the beginning of a tradition that would go on for more than 200 years.
The Daytona Beach Road Course held its first oval-shaped stock car race. (1936) Now a staple of NASCAR fans everywhere, the Daytona race was a success from the start. By the time the ticket collectors arrived at the course for the first race, fans had already stormed the grandstands and the race could not even be finished as the track was so degraded that the sandy corners became impassable.
Mildred Elizabeth Gillars, also known as “Axis Sally”, was tried for treason. (1949) Gillars was a noted propagandist who alternated between trying to make American forces homesick and broadcasting music. She was sentenced to 10-30 years in prison and was finally released in 1961.
Ronald Reagan called the USSR an “evil empire”. (1983) While some found his rhetoric inspiring, it was also criticized as exaggerated. It was a sign of Reagan’s general policy of “peace through strength,” in which he promised to use the US military to fight communism in third world countries.
The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy airs. (1978) The hugely popular book series was made into an equally popular radio series which was first broadcast on the BBC on this day. The recordings were so popular that they were later released on LP for sale, and have been replayed several times since.
Anna Bonny was born. (1702) Bonny was a female pirate who, along with fellow pirate Mary Read and Captain Jack Rackham, made a name for herself in the Caribbean. Both Bonny and Read were caught and scheduled to be executed, but claimed to be pregnant and thus got a reprieve. Read died in prison, but it is unknown what happened to Bonny.
Egypt has reopened the Suez Canal. (1957) The canal, which served as an important shipping route from Europe to the Middle East, had been closed since the Israeli occupation of Egypt. It reopened on this day after being closed for a year and was so full of rubbish that it took weeks of cleaning before it was passable again.
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