1. On this day in 1775: The USS Alfred became the first
vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes). The
flag was hoisted by John Paul Jones.
2. On this day in 1804: At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,
Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French, the first French
Emperor in a thousand years.
3. On this day in 1816: The first savings bank in the
U.S., the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, was opened for business.
4. On this day in 1901: Gillette patented the KC
Gillette Razor. It was first razor to feature a permanent handle and disposable
double-edge razor blades.
5. On this day in 1942: During the Manhattan Project,
a team led by Enrico Fermi initiated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain
reaction.
6. On this day in 1970: The United States
Environmental Protection Agency began its operations.
7. On this day in 1971: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah,
Dubai, and Umm al-Quwain formed the United Arab Emirates.
8. On this day in 1982: 1st permanent
artificial heart was successfully implanted (University of Utah) in retired
dentist Barney Clark. He lived 112 days with Jarvic-7 heart.
9. On this day in 1989: V.P. Singh was sworn in as prime
minister of India.
10. On this day in 1991: Canada and Poland became the first
nations on Earth to recognize the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet
Union.
11. On this day in 1993: STS-61 – NASA launched the
Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
12. On this day in 2010: NASA announced the discovery
of a new arsenic-based life form.
