Ford signed an agreement with the USSR (1929). Deep Throat’s identity was revealed (2005). The first federal copyright law was passed (1790). BBC banned Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen (1977). Seinfeld debuted (1990). Titanic was launched (1911). The first stone of the Pont Neuf was laid (1578). Theatrical productions were banned in Pennsylvania (1759). Eric Rudolph was arrested (2003). Walt Whitman was born (1819).
Ford Motor Company has signed an agreement with the USSR. (1929) The agreement was not only industrially significant, but also politically significant: the United States had not yet officially recognized the USSR, and the Ford agreement was seen as a huge step forward in linking the USSR to the Western world peacefully.
Deep Throat’s identity has been revealed. (2005) Deep Throat was the FBI confidential informant for Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein as they broke the Watergate scandal. Deep Throat’s identity was revealed in Vanity Fair and confirmed by Woodward and Bernstein on this day.
The first federal copyright law was passed in the United States. (1790) The Copyright Act of 1790 was passed on this day, less than two years after the United States Constitution was ratified. While most states already had some form of copyright laws on their books, this was the first federal statute and it laid the groundwork for subsequent copyright legislation.
The BBC has banned a Sex Pistols single. (1977) BBC banned counter-culture rant God Save the Queen, which was already making waves since it was released around the time of Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee. It was considered “in very bad taste,” but was extremely popular with young people and sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Seinfeld debuted. (1990) Considered by many to be the consummate sitcom of the ’90s, Seinfeld was a slow start, but by 1993 it had become one of the most watched shows in America. When it concluded in 1998, nearly 80 million viewers watched the final episode, and commercial time during the program went for over $1 million United States Dollars (USD) for 30 seconds.
The Titanic has been launched. (1911) The luxury liner was launched on this day, just two years after construction began. Her first and only voyage took place the following April, when she was famously sunk by an iceberg.
The first stone of the Pont Neuf was laid. (1578) Henry III laid the foundation stone for the bridge, which outlived all of its contemporaries to become the oldest bridge in Paris. It has gone on to become a busy market area in Paris and is now a popular tourist destination.
All theatrical productions were banned in Pennsylvania. (1759) The province of Pennsylvania repeatedly banned theatrical productions due to their association with prostitution and indecency, but the laws were continually repealed by the British government.
The bomber Eric Rudolph has been arrested. (2003) Rudolph had bombed several abortion clinics, then disappeared into the woods of western North Carolina while a massive FBI manhunt was underway. Eventually he was arrested outside a grocery store after living in the woods for more than five years.
Walt Whitman is born. (1819) Whitman is regarded as one of America’s greatest and most innovative poets, and many of his poems, especially Oh Captain, My Captain, are still being learned by many American schoolchildren.
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