Ford adopts 40-hour workweek (1926), Empire State Building dedicated (1931), Citizen Kane debuts (1941), Illuminati founded (1776), Hong Kong Police born (1844), Wedgwood company founded (1759), Naomi Uemura reaches North Pole alone (1978), All China Federation of Trade Unions born (1925), Amtrak begins service (1971), Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech (2003).
Ford Motor Company has adopted the 40-hour work week. (1926) Ford was the first major corporation in America to adopt the 40-hour workweek. Prior to their policy, the standard workweek was six days a week, and leisure time was considered a privilege for the wealthy.
The Empire State Building has been dedicated. (1931) Created to rival the Chrysler Building under construction in Manhattan, the Empire State Building was built in less than a year. At the time of its completion, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world.
Citizen Kane made his debut. (1941) Considered by many critics to be the best American film ever made, Citizen Kane was so controversial when it was released that some theaters refused to show it. Media mogul William Randolph Hearst, whom the film parodied, was so offended that he tried to block distribution of the film and to ban his newspapers from running advertisements for it. The film was booed at the Oscars and only became popular after its re-release.
The Illuminati was founded. (1776) The group was modeled on the Freemasons and formed to promote logic, science and reason as opposed to any kind of tradition or dogma. The group was almost immediately outlawed when people got the idea that it was trying to infiltrate governments, and has been a staple of conspiracy theorists ever since.
The Hong Kong Police is born. (1844) It was only the second modern police force to operate in the world, and it was the first to operate in Asia.
The Wedgwood company is founded. (1759) The company has grown into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of pottery and ceramics, and antiques now sell for tens of thousands of US dollars (USD).
Naomi Uemura became the first man to reach the North Pole alone. (1978) Uemura was a Japanese adventurer and was also the first person to solo raft the Amazon and climb Mount McKinley by himself.
The largest trade union in the world is born. (1925) The All China Federation of Trade Unions was China’s first and only trade union and went on to become the largest in the world, with over 130 million members.
Amtrak went into service. (1971) The company was formed to take over the majority of US intercity rail travel in hopes of reviving the industry. Despite the controversies surrounding its management, the company has shown steady passenger growth. Even so, the United States remains one of the countries with the lowest rates of intercity rail travel.
President Bush delivers his “Mission Accomplished” speech. (2003) Bush announced that “major combat operations in Iraq” had ended in a speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln on this day. The speech sparked much controversy in the following months as guerrilla operations continued in Iraq.
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