The New York Public Library was dedicated in 1911, Bonnie and Clyde were killed in 1934, Henry VIII’s first marriage was annulled in 1533, and the accordion was patented in 1829. The second defenestration of Prague took place in 1618, Girolamo Savonarola was burned alive in 1498, the first version of Java was released in 1995, Sergeant William Harvey Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1900, the North West Mounted Police was established in 1873, and Douglas Fairbanks was born in 1883.
The New York Public Library was dedicated. (1911) New York landmark – and the largest marble structure in the United States – was dedicated on this day by President William Taft. More than 40,000 people used it the first day after it opened.
Bonnie and Clyde have been killed. (1934) Police kill notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde in Louisiana in a dramatic shootout. The two criminals were heavily fictionalized in the American media, with many seeing them as Robin Hood-like figures.
Henry VIII’s first marriage was annulled. (1533) Henry VIII had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon declared void when she did not bear him a son. He quickly married Anne Boleyn, but that didn’t last either, and had four other wives before her death.
The accordion has been patented. (1829) Austrian instrument maker Cyrill Demian patented the accordion on this day. Although an accordion-like instrument, the Handäoline, had been patented several years earlier, the modern accordion was the one Demian patented.
The second defenestration of Prague took place. (1618) Several Protestants defenestrated, i.e. threw out of a window, several senior leaders of the Bohemian government. The act started the Thirty Years’ War, which engulfed much of Europe and is considered one of the most destructive wars in European history.
Girolamo Savonarola was burned alive. (1498) Savonarola was a religious fanatic who incited riots and mass burnings of books, luxuries and “vanity” in several Italian cities. Eventually he was excommunicated and then executed.
The first version of the Java programming language has been released. (1995) Java quickly became the programming language of choice for programming web pages and heavily influenced the PHP language.
Sergeant William Harvey Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor. (1900) Carney was a soldier in the Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving the Union flag during a fierce battle, despite himself being badly wounded. His actions predate any other African American Medal of Honor recipient, even though he didn’t get his medal until nearly 40 years after the battle.
The North West Mounted Police was established. (1873) The Northwest Mounted Police was one of the first police forces in the Northwest Territories – now Alberta and Saskatchewan – and the predecessor of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as the Mounties.
Douglas Fairbanks was born. (1883) Fairbanks was an incredibly popular early movie star, along with his wife, Mary Pickford. The two founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin and were also instrumental in founding the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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