Today:
1542: Spain passed the “New Laws,” intended to protect Indigenous peoples in the Americas from enslavement.
1718: The pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, was killed off the coast of North Carolina by a British naval force.
1859: The first edition of Charles Darwin’s controversial and groundbreaking book, On the Origin of Species, was offered for sale to the trade.
1906: The “SOS” distress signal was officially adopted at the International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin.
1928: Maurice Ravel’s orchestral work, Boléro, was first performed publicly in Paris.
1943: Lebanon officially gained independence from French administration.
1963: U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States later that day.
1975: Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain two days after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
1990: Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1995: Toy Story, the first feature-length film entirely computer-animated, was released by Pixar.