2015 Event Pope Francis becomes the first pope in history to speak to the U.S. Congress; the pontiff exhorted the lawmakers to work together to address climate change, immigration reform and other issues that have stalled due to strong political division 2015 Event Golfer Zach Johnson wins the British Open, becoming one of only six golfers in history to win at both the St. Andrews Old Course and the Augusta National course 2015 Event Novak Djokovic achieves his third Wimbledon title, winning over Roger Federer; if Federer won, he would have made history as the first to win eight Wimbledon titles 2015 Event The Confederate flag is removed from the South Carolina capitol grounds after the state government enacted a law to permanently remove it; the flag, part of U.S. Civil War history, is viewed by many as a symbol of racism 2015 Event Amazon.com joins eBay and others in removing Confederate flag items from its site after last week's shooting of nine African American church members; though part of U.S. Civil War history, the flag is also seen by many as a symbol of racism 2015 Event California Governor Jerry Brown mandates a 25% cut in water usage, the first required water restriction in the state's history, as severe drought continues; earlier calls for a voluntary 20% reduction were not met 2014 Event The European Space Agency makes history by landing a probe named Philae on the surface of a comet; scientists report that the probe anchors did not fire and that the vessel appears to have made two landings 2014 Event The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi for their work in advocating children's rights; 17-year-old Yousafzai, who was shot by Taliban in retaliation for her activism, is the youngest recipient in history 2014 Event The Buffalo Bills are being sold to businessman Terry Pegula for $1.4 billion, the highest price paid in history for an NFL team; previously owner Ralph Wilson, now deceased, paid $25,000 in 1959 2014 Event Rory McIlroy wins the PGA Championship, marking his fourth major championship; McIlroy is now one of only four players in golf history to reach this achievement by age 25 2014 Event 25-year-old Rory McIlroy wins the British Open, making history with his third championship win 2014 Event Japanese banks are promoting women to upper management levels for the first time in history; four women in the nation's top three banks have been promoted in the last year 2014 Event Oscar-winning film 'Frozen' beats 'Toy Story 3' over the weekend to become the highest-earning animated movie in history 2014 Event In the U.S., today's Mega Millions multistate lottery drawing has two winning tickets; the $400 million jackpot is the third largest in the game's history 2014 Event For the first time in history, millionaires made up the majority of Congress in 2012; The Center for Responsive Politics study reveals that of the 534 members, 268 had a net worth of $1 million or more 2014 Event Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Opportunity rover landing on Mars; NASA announces the rover has discovered clay minerals indicating water flowed on Mars early in the planet's history 2013 Event NASA completes a launch of the MAVEN, whose mission is to study Mars atmosphere in depth' the data from the MAVEN will help researchers construct a history of the climate on Mars and should help them understand how the water on Mars disappeared 2013 Event Individuals from the Imperial Petroleum company in Indianapolis, Indiana, face charges for the largest tax and securities fraud scheme in Indiana history 2013 Event NASA's Voyager 1 space probe makes history by advancing past the solar system - becoming the first man-made object to reach interstellar space 2013 Event Swimmer Diana Nyad makes history, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage 2013 Event Detroit, Michigan files the largest municipal bankruptcy in history; the city of Detroit seeks CHapter 9 bankruptcy protection and is $18.5 billion in debt 2013 Event The oldest European remains of a white man are discovered in Australia; the Manning River Skull may belong to a man born in 1650, predating the country's history that Captain James Cook was the first to land on Australia's east coast in 1770 2013 Event American actress Angelina Jolie announces she underwent elective double mastectomy surgery because she carried the BRCA1 gene and had a family history of breast cancer 2013 Event Born without a trachea, a 2-year-old Korean-Canadian child is the youngest patient in history to receive a bioengineered organ made from stem cells; she received the transplanted organ at the Children's Hospital of Illinois 2013 Event The FBI reports they have discovered who stole $580 million in masterpieces from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, the greatest art heist in American history 2013 Event For the first time in its history, the European Parliament rejects a European Union budget 2013 Event The United Kingdom's bond credit rating is downgraded for the first time in history; Moody's Investor's Service changed the bond credit rating from AAA to AA1 2013 Event European Bioinformatics Institute scientists have successfully stored audio and text on fragments of DNA, and retrieved them with 99.99% accuracy - the first time in history DNA has been used for data storage 2012 Event The 'Lamb of God', the first panels of the Ghent Altarpiece are secretly moved from Saint Bavo Cathedral for a five-year restoration at the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts; the panels are likely the most frequently stolen artwork in history 2012 Event Playing against the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox pitcher, Philip Humber, pitches the 21st perfect game in MLB history and the third perfect game in team history 2012 Event The Mega Millions jackpot in the U.S. reaches a world record in lottery history - $500 million dollars 2012 Event The movie 'John Carter' becomes one of the biggest losses in film history; Disney takes a $200 million writedown on the film 2012 Event The Euro zone experiences the highest unemployment level in its history: 10.7 per cent 2011 Event At the 2011 Melbourne Cup, the French-trained horse Dunaden wins the closest finish in the race's history 2011 Event Over 110 people are arrested in Queens, New York as part of the largest identity theft and retail crime ring in U.S. history 2011 Event Standard &: Poor's rating agency downgrades U.S. sovereign debt; the downgrade is the first in the history of the United States 2011 Event In Britain, a ticket holder wins 161,653,000 pounds, the largest EuroMillions jackpot in history 2011 Event Major League Baseball history is made when Derek Jeeter of the New York Yankees makes a home run off of the Tampa Bay Rays, becoming the 28th member of the 3,000 hit club 2011 Event The Wallow Fire becomes the largest wildfire in Arizona history; firefighters have contained 20% of the 469,407-acre fire 2011 Event Save the Children launches a campaign to help 400,000 children in Sri Lanka deal with the crisis following the worst floods in their history 2011 Event In one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, the New York Jets defeat the New England Patriots 2010 Event Naheed Nenshi, the first Muslim in Canada's history is elected mayor of Calgary in Alberta, Canada 2010 Event Shanghai's Expo 2010 attracts over 64 million people, a record-breaking number of visitors in the history of World's Fairs 2010 Event Sarah, Duchess of York, becomes the first Royal in history to suffer possible bankruptcy 2010 Event Russia's worst drought in history prompts Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to temporarily ban the export of flour and wheat 2010 Event Over 92,000 classified documents detailing incidents related to the war in Afghanistan are released by Wikileaks; this is the largest leak in U.S military history 2010 Event The largest manhunt in U.K. recent history ends when gunman Raoul Moat shoots and kills himself in a 6-hour standoff with police 2010 Event In volume, BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill has overtaken Ixtoc I to become the worst oceanic oil spill in U.S. recorded history 2010 Event The first democratic election in the history of Guinea is held 2010 Event BP CEO Tony Hayward testifies before the U.S. about the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster at the Deepwater Horizon rig that has caused the worst oil spill in U.S. history 2009 Event A solar eclipse, the longest in history, lasts up to 6 minutes and 38.8 seconds, over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean 2009 Event Melbourne, Australia records highest-ever temperature, sparking the deadliest brushfires in Australian history 2000 Death Sir Steven Runciman, historian, A History of the Crusuades, dies at 97 1998 Event 1st female ice hockey game in Olympic history Finland beats Sweden 6-0 1997 Event At age 25, Jeff Gordon is youngest winner in Daytona 500 history 1996 Event 4 women ordained priests in Jamaica, 1st in 330-year Anglican history 1996 Event 1st Opening Day in history in March takes place in Seattle 1995 Event Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history, 37.9" in 24 hours, Starting December 9th at 7 PM, breaks previous record of 25.3" in 1982 1995 Death Bobby Stokes, athlete, English footballer, scored the winning goal in 1976, Southampton F.C. vs. Manchester United, FA Cup Final, in the 83rd-minute, considered biggest upset in FA Cup Final history, dies at 44 1994 Event 11,000th home run in New York Yankees history, Matt Nokes 1994 Event 1,500th goal in Soccer World Cup history scored by Caceres of Argentina 1994 Event Anne P. Sidamon-Eristoff named chairwoman of Museum of National History 1993 Event Don Shula becomes winningest coach in NFL history 1992 Event Los Angeles Dodgers for 1st time in history clinch last place 1992 Event Scott Stevens is named 5th Captain in New Jersey Devils history 1992 Event Stefan Edberg beats Michael Chang in what is believed to be the longest match in U.S. Open history (5hr 26min) 1992 Event Eric Houston kills 4 in a California HS where he failed history 4 years prior 1992 Event NHL players begin 1st strike in 75-year history 1991 Event Nevada makes biggest comeback in NCAA football history, overcoming a 35-pt deficit in the 3rd quarter and rallying to beat Weber State 55-49 1991 Event Scorecard Harry, Space Appeal and Cafe Lex in 9th race at Belmont, creating 2nd triple dead heat in New York thoroughbred racing history 1991 Event Dennis Martinez pitches the 15th perfect game in baseball history 1991 Event Mount Unzen erupts in Japan, worst eruption in Japanese history 1991 Event Del Ballard, Jr. throws most famous gutter ball in PBA Tour history 1990 Event 1st time in New York Yankee history they are completely swept season series, Oakland A's beat them 12 games to 0 1990 Event Phil Bradley hits 18th inside-the-park home run in Oriole history 1990 Event Reds win running their record to 9-0, best start in club history 1990 Event Largest Art robbery in the history (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston), where 12 paintings valued at $100 million are stolen 1989 Event Largest parade in Bronx history honors 350th anniversary 1988 Event 108th U.S. Mens Tennis: Mats Wilander beats Ivan Lendl (64 46 63 57 64) in 4 hours 55 minutes - longest men's final in U.S. Open history 1988 Event Longest winless streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (15 games) 1987 Event South Africa longest mine strike in history ends 1987 Event Michael Andretti runs fastest Indy car race in history (171.49 MPH) 1987 Event Dow Jones Avg soared 664.7; 2nd biggest one-day gain in history 1986 Event Mrs Davina Thompson makse medical history by having the 1st heart, lung and liver transplant (Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England) 1986 Event Cleveland Browns becomes 1st team in NFL history to have a play reviewed by instant replay, Chicago 41, Browns 31 1984 Death Michel Foucault, philosoph (History of Sexuality), dies of AIDs at 57 1983 Event 4th largest snowfall in New York City history (18"(46 cm)) 1982 Event 60th hat trick in Islander history - Bryan Trottier 1981 Event Chrysler Corp reports largest corporate losses in U.S. history 1981 Event 50th hat trick in Islander history - John Tonelli scored 5 goals 1980 Death Amos Milburn, rocker, blues singer, pianist, played rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, important figure in the history of blues musicianship, dies at 52 1978 Event 30th hat trick in Islander history (Mike Bossy) 1978 Event "History of the American Film" closes at ANTA New York City after 21 performances 1978 Event "History of the American Film" opens at ANTA Theater New York City for 21 performances 1977 Event 20th hat trick in Islander history - Bobby Nystrom 1976 Event Al Bumbry hits 17th inside-the-park home run in Oriole history 1976 Birthday Nwankwo Kanu, born in Owerri, Nigeria, professional soccer player, member of the Igbo, UNICEF ambassador, most decorated soccer player in history 1974 Event Worst fire in Argentine history destroys 1.2 million acres 1972 Event Hurricane Agnes is costliest natural disaster in American history 1971 Event Worst hotel fire in history kills 163 at Taeyokale Hotel in Seoul 1971 Event Largest walk in crowd (31,626) in Baltimore Oriole history 1970 Event Hurricane "Celia" becomes most expensive Gulf storm in history 1969 Death Louise L de Vilmorin, French poet/author (History d'aimer), dies at 67 1969 Event Longest tennis match in Wimbledon history, Pancho Gonzalez beats Charles Pasarell in 112 game (5hr12m) marathon 1968 Event Yankees turn 21st triple-play in their history lose 4-3 to Twins 1967 Event Longest losing streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (10 games) 1966 Death Pieter C A Geyl, historian (History of Dutch Race), dies 1966 Event Bill Russell became 1st black coach in NBA history (Boston Celtics) 1965 Event Star of India returned to American Museum of Natural History 1964 Event Yankees clinch their 5th straight pennant, and 29th in club's history 1963 Event Historian Lee Allen says Indians-Senators game is 100,000th in history 1963 Event 7th largest snowfall in New York City history (42.4 cm, 16.7") 1962 Event Jack Reed's 22nd-inning home run wins longest New York Yankee game in history 1961 Birthday Tom Holt, born in London, author, British novelist, writes mythopoeic novels that parody mythology, history, literature 1961 Event 3rd place game is one of the wildest contests in NCAA Tournament history as St. Joseph's defeats Utah 127-120 in 4 overtimes 1961 Event 6th largest snowfall in New York City history (17.4" (44.2cm)) 1960 Birthday Bono, born in Dublin, Ireland, born Paul David Hewson, Irish musician, activist, lead vocalist for rock band U2, 54th most successful songwriter in U.K. singles chart history, activism includes Product Red and the ONE campaign 1960 Event 9th largest snowfall in New York City history, 14.5" 1959 Event 10th largest snowfall in New York City history (13.7") 1958 Birthday Viggo Mortensen, born in New York City, New York, actor, appeared in 'The Lord of the Rings' film trilogy, 'Eastern Promises', 'A History of Violence', 'Hidalgo' 1956 Birthday David Copperfield, born in Metuchen, New Jersey, illusionist, history's most successful commercial magician, sold over 40 million tickets, grossed over $1 billion 1956 Birthday Desmond Haynes, cricket, WI opener-greatest batsman in 1-day history 1955 Event Phils beat Cubs 1-0 in 15, ties longest shut out in Phillies history 1954 Event Longest undefeated streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (18 games) 1953 Birthday Johnny Clegg, born in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, Jonathan 'Johnny' Clegg, musician, recording artist, Grammy-Award nominee, mbaqanga, Afro-pop genres, formed and performed with Juluka band, formed Savuka band, popular figure in South African music history 1951 Birthday Bobby Stokes, born in Portsmouth, England, athlete, English footballer, scored the winning goal in 1976, Southampton F.C. vs. Manchester United, FA Cup Final, in the 83rd-minute, considered biggest upset in FA Cup Final history 1950 Event Indians' Luke Easter hits longest ball in Cleveland Stadium history, 477 feet, into upper deck, Section 4 1950 Event Jackie Robinson signs highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history 1948 Event 8th largest snowfall in New York City history (15.3") 1948 Birthday Diane Ackerman, born in Waukegan, Illinois, American poet, author and naturalist, wrote 'Wife of Light' and 'A Natural History of Love' 1946 Event Highest ridership in New York City subway history (8.8 million passengers) 1946 Event Attempt made to recall Mayor Lapham (1st time in San Francisco history) 1944 Event Longest shut out in Phillies history, Phils beat Braves 1-0 in 15 inn 1943 Event Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia's defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 were lost by Germany 1943 Death Beatrice Webb, sociologist, reformer, economist, co-authored 'History of Trade Unionism', 1894, co-founder of 'New Statesman' magazine, dies at age 85, in Liphook, England 1942 Birthday Neil Chalmers, director, National History Museum, London 1941 Birthday Baroness Hollis of Heigham, history lecturer, University of East Anglia 1941 Event 3rd largest snowfall in New York City history (18.1") 1940 Event Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson drew 1st number-158-in 1st peacetime military draft in U.S. history 1939 Birthday Bob James, born in Marshall, Missouri, rocker, smooth jazz, fusion, arranger, producer, wrote "Nautilus" and "Take Me To Mardi Gras", two of the most sampled songs in hip hop history 1937 Event 61,756, 2nd-largest crowd in Polo Grounds history, sees Dodgers ends Carl Hubbell's consecutive-game winning streak at 24 1936 Event Yankees sweep Indians, New York clinches pennant on earliest date in history 1935 Event Resident Institution for Social History (IISG) forms in Amsterdam 1935 Birthday Hubert Fichte, born in Germany, writer, columnist for magazine konkret, novelist, influenced by Marcel Proust, Hans henny Jahnn, Jean Genet, wrote novel Die Geschichte der Empfindlichkeit, translated as the history of sensibility 1934 Event Longest undefeated streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (18 games) 1930 Birthday Robert Buchanan, founder, Center for History of Tech Bath University 1927 Birthday Amos Milburn, born in Houston, Texas, rocker, blues singer, pianist, played rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, important figure in the history of blues musicianship 1926 Birthday Michel Foucault, French philosopher, History of Sexuality 1926 Event Carter Woodson wins Springarn Medal for research of Black history 1925 Event Longest win streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (9 games) 1924 Event History of Science Society organized at Boston 1921 Event Jim Conzelman takes over as coach of Rock Island Independents from Frank Coughlin-only mid-game coaching change in NFL history 1921 Birthday Margaret Gowing, professor, history, science 1920 Death Daniel Andersson, Swedish poet and writer (Polar History), dies at 32 1914 Event Boston Braves sweep Philadelphia A's, 1st sweep in World Series history 1910 Event 3 passenger trains buried at Steven's Pass in Cascade Range. 118 die. Worst snow slide in U.S. history 1906 Death Robert Rainy, minister, professor of Church history at New College, theological seminary, principal of New College, argued against Dean Stanley's Broad Church views, dies 1906 Birthday Alan J P Taylor, British historian, English history 1914-1915 1902 Birthday Roy Armstrong, English historian, History of Sussex 1901 Birthday Eric Voegelin, Germany, U.S. philosopher, Order and History 1900 Birthday Alexandre AM Stols [Chl van Halsbeke], publisher, History of Ecuador 1898 Birthday Allison Danzig, sports writer, Tennis Pictorial History 1898 Birthday Karl Bjarnhof, Danish blind journalist and writer, History of Sascha 1897 Event Possibly most severe quake in history strikes Assam India, shock waves felt over an area size of Europe (negligible death toll) 1896 Event 1st modern Olympic games open in Athens Greece, American, James Connolly, wins 1st Olympic gold medal in mod history 1895 Death Ernest H Baillon, French botanist (History of Plants), dies at 67 1894 Birthday Dirk J Bush, Dutch/US mathematician, Concise History of Mathematics 1893 Event 3rd worst hurricane in U.S. history kills 1,800 (Mississippi) 1893 Event For only time in history of U.S. Tennis championships, an event is held off the Eastern seaboard. Men's double championship in Chicago 1892 Birthday John Kieran, New York City, columnist/author, Natural History of New York City 1892 Birthday Edward H Carr, born in England, historian, History of Soviet Russia 1891 Death George Washington Williams, historian (History of Negro), dies at 41 1889 Birthday Arnold Toynbee, born in England, historian, Study of History 1888 Event 2nd largest snowfall in New York City history (21") 1887 Birthday Pieter C A Geyl, historian, History of the Dutch Tribe 1881 Event Natural History Museum of South Kensington England opens 1877 Death John Lothrop Motley, (History of United Netherlands), dies at 63 1876 Birthday Mary R. Beard, born in Indianapolis, historian, Woman as a Force in History 1876 Birthday Alfred L. Kroeber, Hoboken, New Jersey, author, Anthropologist looks at History 1876 Event 1st tie in NL history (Athletics and Louisville, 2-2 in 14) 1874 Death Jules Michelet, French historian (History of France), dies at 75 1872 Event 4th largest snowfall in New York City history (18") 1869 Event American Museum of Natural History opens (New York City) 1869 Death Alphonse MLP de Lamartine, French poet (History of Girondins), dies at 78 1862 Birthday Henri Pirenne, Belgian historian, History of Belgium 1858 Birthday Beatrice Webb, born in Gloucester, England, sociologist, reformer, economist, co-authored 'History of Trade Unionism', 1894, co-founder of 'New Statesman' magazine 1856 Birthday Gerrit Kalff, writer, history of Dutch writers 1855 Birthday James Edward Kelly, U.S., sculptor "Sculptor of American History" 1855 Birthday Peter J Blok, Dutch historian, History of the Dutch People 1844 Death Charles Nodier, French writer (History du chien the Brisquet), dies 1832 Birthday H H Bancroft, historian, publisher, History of Pacific States 1827 Birthday Ernest H Baillon, French botanist, History of Plants 1826 Birthday Robert Rainy, born in Glasgow, Scotland, minister, professor of Church history at New College, theological seminary, principal of New College, argued against Dean Stanley's Broad Church views 1824 Death Herman Muntinghe, theologist (History of Mankind), dies at 71 1819 Birthday Jean E "Adriaan" van Bevervoorde, journalist, History of Holland 1816 Birthday August W. Ambros, Austria musicologist, History of Music 1811 Birthday James Hall, U.S. geologist, Natural history of New York 1798 Birthday Jules Michelet, French historian, History of France, L'Amour 1798 Death Giacomo Casanova, writer, author, adventurer, book, 'Histoire de ma vie', or, 'History of My Life', profiles customs of 18th century European social life, dies at age 73 1795 Birthday Thomas Arnold, English educator/historian, History of Rome 1794 Birthday William Whewell, British philosopher, History of Inductive Science 1792 Birthday Archibald Alison, Scottish historian, History of Europe 1790 Death Jeremiah Carlton, laziest man in history, heir to a large fortune at 19 went to bed and stayed there for next 70 yrs, dies at 89 1779 Birthday Joseph Grimaldi, England, pantomimist, "greatest clown in history" 1773 Birthday James Mill, born in Scotland, philosopher and historian, History of British India 1752 Birthday Herman Muntinghe, Dutch theologist, History of Mankind 1743 Event 1st U.S. religious journal, The Christian History, published, Boston 1736 Birthday Jean-Sylvain, French historian, History of France 1727 Birthday Michel Adanson, French biologist, Natural History of Senegal 1725 Birthday Giacomo Casanova, writer, author, adventurer, book, 'Histoire de ma vie', or, 'History of My Life', profiles customs of 18th century European social life 1719 Birthday John Hawkins, born in England, wrote 1st history of music 1717 Birthday Johann J Winckelmann, German archaeologist, History of Ancient Art 1707 Birthday George-Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon, writer on natural history 1706 Death Pierre Bayle, French theologist (History of Criticism), dies at 59 1644 Death John Wtenbogaert, theologist (Kerckelicke history), dies at 87 1630 Event Governor John Winthrop begins "History of New England" 1608 Birthday Thomas Fuller, England, literary, History of the Holy War 1607 Event Annales Ecclesiastici (Scientific History of Catholicism) published 1501 Birthday Leonhard Fuchs, Germany, botanist, History of Plants
