The Stamp Act caused riots in America (1765). The Beatles released their first album (1963). The Equal Rights Amendment passed Congress (1972) but failed to be ratified. The laser was patented (1960). Gambling was outlawed in Massachusetts (1630). The Arab League was formed (1945). The London bullion market reopened (1954). Pentium chips were released (1993). Polygamy was outlawed in America (1882). Grand Coulee Dam generated electricity (1941).
The British passed the Stamp Act. (1765) Intended to help raise funds for the British war against the French in the Americas, the Stamp Act was notoriously unpopular with American colonialists and led to widespread riots. Although it was eventually repealed, the act and the settlers’ response to it was one of the first events in the building up of the revolution.
The Beatles’ first album was released in the UK. (1963) Please Please Me topped the UK charts in two months and stayed there for 30 weeks, and was ranked in the top 50 of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
The Equal Rights Amendment passed Congress. (1972) The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed by suffragettes in 1923 as a means of outlawing discrimination based on gender, and had a resurgence in popularity in 1960s and 1970s feminism. However, the amendment failed to get enough states to ratify it, and it continued to be proposed and re-proposed throughout the 21st century.
The laser was first patented. (1960) Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes were awarded the first patent for a laser, although their patent was contested for 28 years by Gordon Gould, who had applied for a patent for a type of laser the previous year, although the his application had been rejected by the patent office.
Possession of dice, cards, and table games was outlawed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (1630) Although the Puritan chiefs of the colony had nothing against gambling in particular, they believed that it promoted idleness, and therefore banned it, together with singing and dancing, and Sunday walks which were “unnecessary” .
The Arab League was born. (1945) The League remains perhaps the most powerful force in the Middle East and has its own common market. Most in the West are familiar with the Arab League for attacking – and being rejected by – Israel when it was created in 1948.
The London bullion market has reopened. (1954) The market had been closed since 1939 due to World War II but recovered quickly on reopening and remains a major financial institution in London.
The first modern Pentium chips hit the market. (1993) Very fast for their time, the chips could operate at up to 60 MHz speeds with a 64-bit data path.
Polygamy has been outlawed in America. (1882) The Edmunds Act made bigamous and illicit cohabitation a crime and also prohibited polygamists from voting and holding political office. More than 1,300 men were imprisoned under the act, although their wives were not prosecuted.
Grand Coulee Dam began generating electricity. (1941) At the time of its construction, it was the largest concrete structure in the United States and was one of the sources of energy for researchers working on the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bomb.
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