Today:
1498: Christopher Columbus, on his third voyage, becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.
1658: Aurangzeb is proclaimed Emperor of India.
1703: English novelist Daniel Defoe is put in the pillory for the crime of seditious libel.
1790: The first U.S. patent is issued to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer.
1792: The cornerstone of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is laid.
1919: The Weimar Constitution is adopted in Germany, establishing the Weimar Republic.
1930: The radio mystery program The Shadow airs for the first time.
1941: Hermann Göring instructs Reinhard Heydrich to prepare the “Final Solution,” marking the beginning of the Holocaust.
1964: The U.S. space probe Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon.
1971: Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.
Disclaimer: Snake does not fact check these items. In fact, he doesn’t even read them before posting. Often he doesn’t read them after posting. If you have a complaint, click here