The Black Thursday crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression, while the 2008 Black Friday crash affected most Western stock markets. The UN was born in 1945, Truman declared an end to the war with Germany in 1951, and Eisenhower pledged military support to South Vietnam in 1954. Other events include the first transcontinental telegraph message in 1861, the end of the Thirty Years War and Holy Roman Empire in 1648, the first photo of Earth from space in 1946, the adoption of the 40-hour work week in 1940, and the retirement of the Concorde in 2003.
The Black Thursday crash has occurred in the US stock market. (1929) The incident was followed the following week by Black Monday and Black Tuesday. This period was one of the major turning points in the stock market which ultimately led to the Great Depression in the United States. Called Black Friday in Europe due to the time difference, the crash also affected most of the stock markets of Western nations. On the same day in 2008, there was another crash, also called Black Friday, in which most of the world’s stock markets experienced the largest declines in history, averaging more than 10%.
The United Nations is born. (1945) Just two months after the end of World War II, the United Nations Charter was ratified by 29 of the 50 countries that signed it in June of that year.
US President Harry S. Truman officially declared an end to the war with Germany. (1951) Although the fighting of World War II had ended in 1945 – and most Americans believed the war was over by that point – no peace treaty had been signed between the United States and Germany. The treaty was largely in limbo because the fate of Berlin had not yet been decided.
US President Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly pledged US military support to South Vietnam. (1954) The decision ultimately led to the start of the Vietnam War a year later.
US President Abraham Lincoln received the first transcontinental message sent by telegraph to the United States. (1861) This cutting-edge technology ended the Pony Express.
The first person went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. (1901) A 63-year-old woman was the first to take the plunge locked in a barrel. Annie Edson Taylor, a school teacher, wasn’t the first person to go over the falls, however: One man survived a jump off one of the falls in 1829. Annie survived her 20-minute journey in a barrel of pickles with only minor bumps and bruises. Trekking the falls is illegal in both Canada and the United States.
The Thirty Years War ended, as did the Holy Roman Empire. (1648) With the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia, France established itself as the superior power in the West; Spain lost control over the Netherlands, which gained independence; and the Baltic was conquered by Sweden. The principles of state sovereignty that were established through the treaty led to today’s nation-state systems.
The first photo of the Earth from space has been taken. (1946) The unmanned V-2 rocket, which had launched from New Mexico on this day, took the picture using remote equipment attached to a black and white 35mm camera.
The United States has officially adopted the 40-hour work week. (1940) While not entirely uniform across industries or even across the United States, the 40-hour week remains largely the norm.
The Concorde supersonic jet aircraft made its last flight. (2003) The jet traveled between New York City and London, England at twice the speed of sound. Concorde had been in service since 1976 and eventually retired due to low ticket sales and higher grocery costs.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
