The Nazis invaded Poland, starting World War II. The first US subway opened in Boston. Japanese-Americans were detained in camps. The first female telephone operator was hired. A Russian fighter jet shot down a passenger plane. The SR-71 Blackbird set a flight time record. A Trip to the Moon debuted. The Great Hinckley Fire killed over 400 people. The Great Kanto Earthquake killed over 150,000 people in Japan.
The Nazis invaded Poland, starting World War II. (1939) The Germans started bombing the capital Warsaw without any warning and without a declaration of war. The attack resulted in a global battle that lasted until 1945.
The first subway in the United States opened in Boston, Massachusetts. (1897) The Tremont Street subway carried more than 100,000 passengers in a short 3.5-minute underground ride on its first day of operation. The subway tunnels were gradually expanded, connecting more and more parts of the city. The Tremont Street subway is now a National Historic Landmark.
A wartime order to detain Japanese and Japanese-Americans was confirmed in Sacramento, California. (1942) More than 110,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans were held captive in War Relocation Camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Most of those detained – more than 60% – were US citizens.
Alexander Graham Bell has hired the world’s first female telephone operator. (1878) Bell recruited Emma Nut to work for the Boston Telephone Dispatch Company – she worked a 54-hour week for $10 US Dollars (USD) a month. Initially the telephone companies hired young boys as operators, but they had to discontinue the practice because the boys showed a lack of responsibility and played too many pranks.
The first Japanese player to join Major League Baseball. (1964) Masanori Murakami pitched for the San Francisco Giants until 1966, when he returned home to play baseball in Japan.
A Russian fighter jet shot down a Boeing 747 passenger plane, killing 269 people. (1983) Korean Airlines plane mistakenly entered Soviet airspace en route to Seoul from New York. When the fighter pilots were unable to establish communication with the Korean Airlines pilots, they shot down the plane.
A world record flight time was set between New York City and London, England. (1974) SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 aircraft completed the flight in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 56.4 seconds, setting a record that has stood for over 35 years.
The world’s first sci-fi film, A Trip to the Moon, debuted in France. (1902) Silent film was 14 minutes long and used advanced animation techniques for the time.
Hinckley, Minnesota is flattened by the Great Hinckley Fire. (1894) Forest fire, caused by a drought, killed more than 400 people. In total, more than 300,000 acres (about 1,214 square kilometers) of land burned, causing more than $25 million in damages.
An earthquake hit Japan, killing more than 150,000 people. (1923) The 7.9 magnitude “Great Kanto Earthquake” destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama, causing over $1 billion in damage.
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