Today:
1492: Rodrigo de Borja is elected as Pope Alexander VI.
1675: Construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London begins.
1786: Captain Francis Light lands on Penang Island in Malaysia, establishing the British colony of George Town.
1929: Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career.
1934: The first federal prisoners arrive at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
1942: Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for their frequency-hopping spread spectrum invention, a precursor to modern wireless communication.
1952: King Talal of Jordan abdicates due to mental illness, and his son Hussein becomes king.
1965: Riots break out in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, leading to six days of violence.
1999: A total solar eclipse occurs, visible across Europe and parts of Asia, the last to be seen in the 20th century.
2020: Kamala Harris is announced as Joe Biden’s running mate, becoming the first Black and South Asian woman on a major party’s presidential ticket in the United States.
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