2014 Event 17-year-old Katie Ledecky, the current world record holder for fastest 400-meter freestyle, breaks her own record at the Pan Pacific championships 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama proposes vast expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine Reserve, increasing the protected ocean area to over 780,000 square miles within nautical boundaries of U.S. Pacific territories 2012 Event A Union Pacific train strikes a parade float in Midland, Teas, killing four people and injuring 17 others 2012 Event Parts of Australia and the South Pacific witness a total solar eclipse, with Cairns being the most populated city to experience this rare event 2012 Event According to the U.S. Hurricane Center, Hurricane Bud has formed off of the Pacific Ocean's coast of Mexico, and has reached category two strength 2012 Event People in East Asia, the North Pacific and the Western United States have the opportunity today to view a rare annular solar eclipse 2012 Event The Government of Fiji takes over controlling interest in Australia's Qantas airline subsidiary Air Pacific 2011 Event Sendai, a major 9.0 earthquake strikes offshore of Japan's Miyagi Prefecture; 10-meter high tsunami's are produced near its epicenter, reaching land through the Pacific ocean 2010 Event Experts believe three Russian satellites that failed to reach orbit after launching from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome have crashed into the Pacific Ocean 2009 Event A Sri Lankan migrant ship seized off of Canada's Pacific Coast, carried 76 suspected Sri Lankan immigrants 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 2004 Event Earthquake, greatest in over 40 years, strikes the Pacific Ocean near Sumatra, triggering a massive Indian Ocean tsunami, killing as many as 266,000 in coastal regions of Asia and Africa 2001 Event Russian Mir space station is crashed into the Pacific during a controlled re-entry 1998 Event 19th U.S. Senior Golf Open ends at Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, California 1996 Death Peter Bird, ocean rower, first person to cross the Pacific ocean solo, trip from San Francisco to Great Barrier Reef, lasted 294 days, dies at age 49 at sea during an attempt to row across the Pacific 1995 Event Steve Fossett completes 1st air balloon over Pacific Ocean (9600 km) 1994 Event Large meteorite falls near Kusaie, Pacific Ocean 1991 Event John Brodie wins Security Pacific Senior Golf Classic 1991 Event 386 yards and scored 7 touchdowns as the Aztecs beat Pacific 55-34 1991 Event A new cancer drug is announced, which can only be found in bark of a rare tree in the Pacific Northwest 1990 Event Meteorite explodes above Pacific Ocean 1989 Event U.S. Boeing 747 loses parts of roof over Pacific, 9 die 1987 Event 43 die in Pacific Southwest Airline crash in California (man shot pilots) 1987 Event Pacific Southwest crashes near Los Angeles, kills 43 1981 Event 1st balloon crossing of Pacific is completed, Double Eagle V 1981 Event Palau, Trust Territory of Pacific Islands, becomes self-governing 1979 Event Marshall Islands (in Pacific) become self-governing 1977 Birthday Iva Majoli, Zagreb Croatia, tennis star, 1996 Pan Pacific 1976 Event "Pacific Overtures" closes at Winter Garden New York City after 193 performances 1976 Event "Pacific Overtures" opens at Winter Garden Theater New York City for 193 performances 1976 Event Stephen Sondheim's musical "Pacific Overtures," premieres in New York City 1973 Birthday John Baldwin, Jr., born in Dallas, Texas, figure skater, 1996 SW Pacific Sr champ 1973 Event 3-man crew of Skylab 3 make safe splashdown in Pacific after 59 days 1973 Event France performs nuclear Test at Muruora Atoll un the Pacific 1972 Event "Pacific Paradise" closes at Palace Theater New York City after 5 performances 1972 Event "Pacific Paradise" opens at Palace Theater New York City for 5 performances 1971 Death Thomas C Hart, U.S. admiral/commander (Pacific Fleet), dies at 94 1971 Birthday Chuck Adams, born in Pacific Palisades, California, tennis star, 1989 USTA Boys 1969 Event Sharon Sites Adams, 39, becomes 1st lady to solo sail the Pacific 1969 Event Nuclear test at Pacific Ocean 1968 Event Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Pacific Ladies Golf Classic 1968 Death Douglas Evans, actor (South Pacific Trail), dies in Hollywood 1967 Event Pacific Northwest Sports awarded AL expansion franchise (Seattle) 1967 Event Clifford Ann Creed wins LPGA Pacific Golf Classic 1966 Event 1st Pacific communications satellite launched, Intelsat 2 1966 Event Mickey Wright wins LPGA Pacific Ladies' Golf Classic 1966 Event Canadian Pacific airliner explodes on landing at Tokyo, 64 die 1965 Event Nuclear test at Pacific Ocean 1964 Event U.S. performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean 1964 Death Douglas MacArthur, U.S. general (Pacific theater-WW II), dies at 84 1962 Event Pacific Science Center opens at Seattle Center 1962 Event U.S. performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean 1962 Event U.S. Super-Constellation disappears above Pacific Ocean, kills 167 1962 Death LeRoy B Shield, U.S. pianist/composer (Union Pacific Suite), dies at 68 1960 Birthday Randy Stoklos, Pacific Palisades California, beach volleyballer 1996 Olympics 1960 Birthday Paul Humphreys, rock synthesizer, OMD-Crush, Pacific Age 1960 Event Bathosphere "Trieste" reach bottom of Pacific (10,900 m) 1959 Event Rare Pacific hurricane kills 2,000 in Western Mexico 1959 Death William "Bull" F Halsey, U.S. Vice-Admiral (WW II Pacific), dies 1958 Event Southern Pacific Bay ferries stop running 1958 Event South Pacific soundtrack album goes to #1 and stays #1 for 31 weeks 1957 Event SF Seals (Pacific Coast League) play their last game 1956 Birthday James H Newman, Trust Territory of Pacific, PhD/Astronaut, STS-51, 69 1955 Event U.S. performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean 1954 Event "South Pacific" closes at Majestic Theater New York City after 1928 performances 1952 Event 1st hydrogen device exploded at Eniwetok Atoll in Pacific 1952 Event WW II Pacific peace treaty takes effect 1951 Event Lefty O'Doul's all-stars, including Joe DiMaggio and Billy Martin, lose 3-1 to Pacific League all-star team (Japan) 1950 Event Pulitzer prize awarded to Rodgers and Hammerstein (South Pacific) 1950 Event 4th Tony Awards: Cocktail Party and South Pacific win 1949 Event "South Pacific" opens at Majestic Theater New York City for 1928 performances 1947 Event Pacific Coast League application for major league status rejected 1947 Event U.S. begins administering Trust Territory of Pacific Islands 1947 Birthday Peter Bird, born in Britain, ocean rower, first person to cross the Pacific ocean solo, trip from San Francisco to Great Barrier Reef, lasted 294 days 1946 Event Noel Cowards musical "Pacific 1860," premieres in London 1945 Event After delivering the Atomic Bomb across the Pacific, the cruiser USS Indianapolis is torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine 1945 Event Largest operation in Pacific war, 1,500 U.S. Navy ships bomb Okinawa 1944 Event U.S. forces begin invasion of Saipan in Pacific 1943 Event Battle of Komandorski Islands, Pacific Ocean 1943 Event USS Chicago sinks in Pacific Ocean 1942 Event 1st American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is 1942 Event 1st American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 1942 Event 1st around world flight, Pan Am "Pacific Clipper" 1939 Event U.S. and U.K. agree on joint control of Canton and Enderbury Island in the Pacific 1937 Event Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappear over Pacific Ocean 1937 Death Fred L Noonan, U.S. navigator, disappeared over Pacific Ocean 1937 Event 1st commercial flight across Pacific, Pan Am 1935 Event 1st commercial crossing of Pacific by plane (China Clipper) 1935 Event Pacific Assoc of AAU votes not to participate in Berlin Olympics 1935 Event Great airship, USS Macon, crashes into Pacific Ocean 1934 Event New York Yankees buy Joe DiMaggio from San Francisco Seals (Pacific Coast League) 1934 Event Union Pacific tests light-weight high-speed passenger train, Omaha 1933 Event Joe Dimaggio ends 61 game hitting streak in Pacific Coast League 1933 Event Highest recorded sea wave (not tsunami), 34 m, in Pacific hurricane 1932 Birthday Adrian Swire, British aircraft magnate, Cathay Pacific 1931 Birthday John Kerr, New York City, actor, South Pacific, Peyton Place, Pit and Pendulum 1931 Birthday Mitzi Gaynor, born in Chicago, Illinois, actress/vocalist, Les Girls, South Pacific 1928 Event Charles Kingsford-Smith and Charles Ulm are 1st to fly across the Pacific when they end their flight from California to Brisbane 1928 Event 1st aerial cross of Pacific takes off from Oakland 1927 Birthday John Swire, British aircraft magnate, Cathay Pacific 1926 Birthday Geoffrey Caston, vice chancellor, University of South Pacific 1926 Event Tokelau (Union) Islands in South Pacific transfers to New Zealand 1921 Event U.S., France, Japan and British Empire sign a Pacific Treaty 1920 Event Japan receives League of Nations mandate over Pacific islands 1916 Event Boeing Co (Pacific Aero) formed by William Boeing in Seattle Wash 1916 Event Britain proclaims Gilbert and Ellice Is colony in Pacific 1915 Event Panama Pacific International Exposition opens 1915 Event U.S. government mints 1st $50 gold pieces, for Panama Pacific Expo 1913 Event Gamboa Dam in Panama blown up; Atlantic and Pacific waters mix 1913 Birthday Jeff Morrow, New York City, actor, Bart-Union Pacific, Temperatures Rising 1912 Death George Darwin, theorized Moon was pulled out of Pacific Ocean, dies 1912 Event South Pacific RR offers to bring Liberty Bell to Exposition, free 1908 Birthday Joshua Logan, Broadway producer, South Pacific 1907 Birthday James A. Michener, New York City, writer, South Pacific, Hawaii, Space 1906 Birthday Kam Tong, actor, Across the Pacific, Flower Drum Song 1904 Birthday Keye Luke, born in Canton, China, actor, Across the Pacific, Yangtse Incident 1904 Birthday Douglas Evans, actor, South Pacific Trail 1903 Event Pacific Cable (SF, Hawaii, Guam, Phil) opens, President TR sends message 1903 Birthday James S. Russell, U.S. pilot/admiral, WW II Pacific Ocean 1899 Event U.S. takes possession of Wake Island in Pacific 1892 Birthday Ezio Pinza, Rome, Italy, bass singer, South Pacific, RCA Victor Show 1891 Event 1st great train robbery by Dalton Gang (Southern Pacific #17) 1889 Event Union Pacific begins daily through service, Chicago-Portland and SF 1889 Event Astronomical Society of Pacific holds 1st meeting in San Francisco 1885 Event Canadian Pacific Railway completed at Craigellachie 1885 Birthday Chester Nimitz, U.S. Admiral, commanded Pacific fleet in WW II 1883 Event Northern Pacific RR's last spike driven at Independence Creek, Mont 1882 Birthday William "Bull" F Halsey, U.S. Vice-Admiral, WW II Pacific 1882 Event Pacific Stock Exchange opens (as Local Security Board) 1876 Event Southern Pacific line from LA to San Francisco completed 1875 Event "Pacific" collides with "Orpheus" off Cape Flattery Wash, 236 dies 1875 Event Pacific Stock Exchange formally opens 1875 Event Pacific Stock Exchange opens 1870 Event Ground broken for Northern Pacific Railway near Duluth, Minn 1867 Event U.S. occupies Midway Islands in Pacific 1863 Event Congress authorizes track width of 4'8" for Union Pacific Railroad 1862 Event U.S. begins construction of Central Pacific Railroad 1858 Event Regular mail to Pacific coast begins 1857 Event U.S. Army, Pacific Div HQ permanently forms at Presidio 1856 Event Steamer Pacific lost 1834 Event HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin sails Pacific Ocean 1832 Birthday H H Bancroft, historian, publisher, History of Pacific States 1822 Birthday Charles S Crocker, President of Central and South Pacific Railroad 1813 Event 1st U.S. flag flown in battle on the Pacific, frigate Essex 1811 Event 1st U.S. colonists on Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment, WA 1810 Event John Jacob Astor organizes Pacific Fur Co (Astoria, Oregon) 1806 Event Lewis and Clark return to St. Louis from Pacific Northwest 1806 Event Lewis and Clark reach Pacific coast 1805 Event Lewis and Clark reach Pacific Ocean, 1st Americans to cross continent 1805 Event Lewis and Clark 1st sights Pacific Ocean 1804 Event Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis for Pacific Coast 1788 Event 1st British ship built on Pacific coast begun at Nootka Sound 1776 Event Captain Cook begins 3rd and last trip to Pacific (South Sea) 1776 Event Captain Cook departs with Resolution for 3rd trip to Pacific Ocean 1768 Event Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth with Endeavour to Pacific Ocean 1757 Birthday George Vancouver, surveyed Pacific coast from San Francisco to Vancouver I 1700 Event Pacific Island of New Britain discovered 1579 Event Francis Drake leaves San Francisco to cross Pacific Ocean 1573 Event 1st European, Francis Drake sees the Pacific (from Panama) 1520 Event Ferdinand Magellan begins crossing Pacific Ocean 1520 Event Ferdinand Magellen arrives at Tierra Del Fuego (Pacific Ocean) 1513 Event Vasco Nunez de Balboa is 1st European to see Pacific Ocean
