Jim Jones led a mass murder-suicide of over 900 members of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Railroads established time zones in North America in 1883, later becoming law in 1918. The first push-button telephone was commercially available in 1963. Spain became a democracy in 1976 after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. William Tell shot an apple off his son’s head in 1307. The Louvre opened in Paris in 1793. Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon with synchronized sound, debuted in 1928. President Reagan signed a bill allowing drug traffickers who commit murder to be sentenced to death in 1988. The US House ratified NAFTA in 1993. The first book printed on a printing press in England was produced by William Caxton in 1477.
Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple, led more than 900 people in a mass murder-suicide. (1978) The cult group lived in Jonestown, Guyana. Jones encouraged all members to drink a cyanide-containing substance after five people were killed, including US Congressman Leo Ryan, who was visiting the area as part of a congressional investigation into the group. 913 people were found dead, including 276 children.
Railroads in the United States and Canada have established time zones for the North American continent. (1883) Railroad controllers insisted that time zones were needed to avoid confusion as more people and goods were moved across the continent. Many cities adopted the new zones, but the confusion continued until March 19, 1918, when the US Congress passed the Standard Time Act, establishing the zones as law.
The first push-button telephone became commercially available. (1963) Telephone button technology existed in 1941, but has not been made commercially available to date. The first telephones of this type were manufactured by Bell Telephone Laboratories. Early adopters of the touch-tone service had to pay extra for the cutting-edge technology.
Spain has lost its dictator government and has become a democracy. (1976) The Spanish Parliament passed a bill ending the 37-year dictatorship and replacing it with a democratic government format. The last dictator, Francisco Franco, had died the previous year on November 20, and motions were enacted to move towards a democracy.
Swiss crossbow expert William Tell shot an apple off his son’s head. (1307) After being accused of an affront against Albrecht Gessler, the ruler of his city of Altdorf, Tell was arrested. Gessler told him that he must shoot an apple off his son’s head or he and his son would be executed. When Tell readied his shot, he took out two crossbow bolts. After successfully shooting the apple off his son’s head, Gessler asked him why he had removed two bolts. Tell explained that if he missed and killed his son, he planned to kill him with the other.
The Louvre has opened in Paris. (1793) The Louvre is one of the largest art museums in the world and ranks as the most visited. The museum houses more than 35,000 works of art in more than 650,000 square feet (about 60,000 square meters) of space.
Debuted the first cartoon to be successfully synchronized with sound. (1928) The cartoon, Steamboat Willie, was a Disney cartoon production that featured Mickey and Minnie Mouse in their third film appearance. The film had its premiere in New York City.
US President Ronald Reagan has established a new law that allows drug traffickers who commit murder to be sentenced to death. (1988) The bill signed by President Reagan also created the position of drug czar in the US government. The bill was part of the larger War on Drugs campaign.
The US House of Representatives ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). (1993) Agreement established world’s largest trading bloc by GDP. The agreement was signed by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The first book to be printed on a printing press in England was produced. (1477) Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres was produced by an English merchant and printer named William Caxton. The modern system of printing books on printing presses was invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440.
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