2014 The cabinet of Israel approves a bill stating that the nation is both a democratic state and the Jewish homeland; the bill is meant to address political pressure from groups that deny or ignore Israel�s Jewish identity 2014 In a potential attempt to claim sovereignty, China is building an island in the South China Sea in an area claimed by several nations; sources speculate that the island may be used to support an airstrip and military activities 2013 A special episode of the British science fiction program 'Doctor Who' called, 'The Day of the Doctor' broadcasts simultaneously to 94 countries in celebration of the show's 50th Anniversary; the broadcast earned a Guinness World Record for the largest ever simulcast of a TV drama 2013 Pop band One Direction hosts 1D Day, a day consisting of a record, 7.5 hour-long socially interactive live-stream on YouTube and Google+ Hangout including live band performances and celebrity guests; the event was an unprecedented use of social media 2012 President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi causes a call for large protests after he passed a degree giving himself sweeping new powers 2012 In Surrey, England, a message found on the leg of a pigeon from WWII stumps GCHQ code-breakers, who say the message hidden in the code may never be revealed 2011 The U.S. declares it will no longer observe the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe 2011 The European Space Agency makes contact with the Fobos-Grunt probe 48 hours after the spacecraft's window for launch to Mars closes 2010 For the first time in ten years, Burmese pro-Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is reunited with her son 2010 An additional 23 soldiers from the Bangladesh Rifles are sentenced to imprisonment for mutiny in February 2009 1997 Annika Sorenstam wins ITT LPGA Tour Championship 1997 Jana Novotna (Czechoslovakia) beats Mary Pierce (France) in Chase Tennis Champ 1996 Irebe Skliva, 18, of Greece, crowned 46th Miss World 1993 "Angels in America-Perestroika" opens at Walter Kerr New York City for 216 performances 1992 "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" opens at Booth New York City for 232 performances 1992 10,000,000 cellular telephone sold 1991 A day before he dies, Freddie Mercury, 45, confirms he has AIDS 1991 Evander Holyfield TKOs Bert Cooper in 7 for heavyweight boxing title 1991 Martin Lopez-Zubero swims world record 200m backstroke (1:56.57) 1991 Sacramento Kings ends NBA's longest road losing streak at 43 games 1991 Sam's Town Bowling Invitational won by Lorrie Nichols 1991 Brigham Young Ty Detmer finishes NCAA career with record 4,031 yards passed in a season and 15,031 for career 1990 Model Cheryl Tiegs marries actor Tony Peck 1990 Test Cricket debut of Saeed Anwar (Pak vs. WI), scores 0 and 0 1989 Pilots Union give up sympathy strike against Eastern Airlines 1989 Xenophobia Zolotas sworn in as premier of Greece 1988 France performs nuclear test 1988 Wayne Gretzky scores his 600th NHL goal 1988 Yankees sign free agent 2nd-baseman Steve Sax to 3-year contract 1985 58 die as Egyptian commandos storm hijack Egyptair jet in Malta 1985 Retired CIA analyst Larry Wu-tai Chin, arrested of spying for China 1984 Limited-over International cricket debut for Wasim Akram, vs. New Zealand 1984 Test Cricket debut of David Boon age 23 and Bob Holland age 38 (v WI) 1984 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. 1984 Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie passes (472 yards), including game ending 48 yard touchdown (Hail Mary Pass) to end game and beat Miami 47-45 1983 Soyuz T-9 lands 1983 U.S.S.R. leave weapon disarmament talks 1982 Challenger moves to Vandenberg AFB and mated for STS-6 1982 FCC drops limits on duration and frequency of TV ads 1982 New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars play to an 8-8 tie 1980 4,800 die in series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy 1980 68th CFL Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos defeats Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 48-10 1980 National Black Independent Party forms 1979 Pink Floyd's "The Wall" released, sells 6 million copies in 2 weeks 1977 "Jesus Christ Superstar" opens at Longacre Theater New York City for 96 performances 1977 European weather satellite Meteosat 1 launched from Cape Canaveral 1976 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1976 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. 1975 63rd CFL Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos defeats Montreal Alouettes, 9-8 1975 Bob Thomas of Chicago Bears kicks 55-yard field goal 1975 Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Greater Ft. Myers Golf Classic 1974 60 Ethiopia government officials executed 1971 China People's Republic seated in United Nations Security Council 1971 Danny Murtaugh, manager of world champ Pirates, announces retirement 1970 KNCT TV channel 46 in Belton/Killeen, Texas (PBS) begins broadcasting 1968 "Noel Coward's Sweet Potato" closes at Booth New York City after 36 performances 1968 Milwaukee Bucks make their 1st NBA trade, giving Bob Love and Bob Weiss to Chicago Bulls for Flynn Robinson 1966 Chicago outfielder Tommie Agee is voted AL Rookie of Year 1965 31st Heisman Trophy Award: Mike Garrett, Southern California (RB) 1965 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1964 "Bajour" opens at Shubert Theater New York City for 232 performances 1964 Beatles release "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" 1964 Vatican abolished Latin as official language of Roman Catholic liturgy 1963 "Doctor Who," the long-running British sci-fi series debuts in England 1963 "Tambourines to Glory" closes at Little Theater New York City after 24 performances 1963 Horatio Alger Society founded 1963 John F. Kennedy's body, lay in repose in East Room of White House 1963 Lyndon Baines Johnson proclaims Nov 25 a day of national mourning (for John F. Kennedy) 1962 Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills is named NL's MVP 1960 Dodgers outfielder Frank Howard is voted NL Rookie of Year 1960 Tinseltown dedicated its Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd 1960 Tiros 2, a weather satellite is launched 1959 "Fiorello!" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 796 performances 1955 British transfer Cocos (Keeling) Is in Indian Ocean to Australia 1953 KVFD (now KTIN) TV channel 21 in Ft. Dodge, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast 1953 WJBF TV channel 6 in Augusta, Georgia (ABC) begins broadcasting 1950 Howard Swanson's "Short Symphony," premieres 1948 Dr. Frank G Back (New York City) patents lens to provide zoom effects 1947 French government of Schumann, forms 1947 Washington Redskin Sammy Baugh passes for 6 touchdowns vs Chi Cards (45-21) 1946 "Gypsy Lady" closes at Century Theater New York City after 79 performances 1946 34th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Winn Blue Bombers, 28-6 1946 French Navy fire in Haiphong Vietnam, kills 6,000 1945 Most U.S. wartime rationing of foods, including meat and butter, ends 1944 U.S. 7th army under General Patch conquers Straatsburg 1943 1st printing of illegal "Warheid" 1943 British Forces Broadcasting Service begins operation 1943 U.S. forces take control of Tarawa, Gilbert Island and Makin from Japanese 1943 Phils owner William D. Cox is permanently banned from baseball for having bet on his own team 1942 3rd and 5th Romanian army corp surrenders 1942 Coast Guard Woman's Auxiliary (SPARS) authorized 1942 Colonel General Von Paul asks Hitler to surrender 1942 German 4th and 6th Army surrounded at Stalingrad 1942 Japan bombs Port Darwin, Australia 1942 Poon Lim set adrift for 133 days after his boat is torpedoed 1942 Russian 21st Army recaptures Kalatsj at Don 1942 Steward Poon Lim begins floating in a raft 133 days 1941 German troops conquer Klin, at NW of Moscow 1940 1st edition of illegal "The Truth" publishes 1940 Romania signs Driemogendheden pact 1939 Nazi Governor of Poland Hans Frank requires Jews to wear a blue star 1937 Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy," premieres in New York City 1937 Emile Janson becomes Belgian premier 1937 John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," premieres in New York City 1936 1st issue of Life, picture magazine created by Henry R Luce 1936 Life magazine hit newsstands 1931 Nationally Crisis Committee forms in Hague 1930 New York Giant Hap Moran runs 91 yards for a TD from a scrimmage 1926 Noel Coward's "This Was a Man," premieres in New York City 1923 German army commander General Von Seeckt bans NSDAP and KPD 1923 Germany's Stresemann government falls to SPD 1921 President Harding signs Willis Campell Act (anti-beer bill) forbidding doctors prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1912 Hamilton Alerts suspended by ORFU for refusing to field a full team in a replay of a protested game 1911 Post Hospital at Presidio, San Francisco renamed Letterman General Hospital 1909 7.17" (18.2 cm) of rainfall, Rattlesnake Creek, Idaho (state rec) 1909 Wright Brothers forms million dollar corp to manufacture airplanes 1906 Joseph Smith, leader of the Mormon Church, convicted of polygamy 1905 Henry Watson Furness, an Indiana physican, named minister of Haiti 1904 3rd Olympic games close in St. Louis 1903 Enrico Caruso U.S. debut (Metropolitan Opera House, New York) in "Rigoletto" 1899 1st jukebox (Palais Royal Hotel, SF) 1899 Battle at Belmont, Cape colony: general Methuen beats Farmers 1897 Andrew J Beard invents "jerry coupler," to connect railroad cars 1897 Pencil sharpener patented by J L Love 1892 Battle of Lomani Congo: Belgian unit beats Arabs, 1000-3000 killed 1892 P de Coubertin launches plan for Modern Olympic Games 1889 Debut of 1st jukebox (Palais Royale Saloon, San Francisco) 1887 Notre Dame loses its 1st football game 8-0 to Michigan 1887 Opera "Trumpeter of Sackingen" 1st American production (New York City) 1885 Amsterdam police attack meeting of social-democrats united 1876 Columbia, Harvard and Princeton form Intercollegiate Football Association 1871 Railway bridge over Dutch Deep opens 1868 Louis Ducos du Hauron patents trichrome color photo process 1864 Battle at Ball's Ferry Georgia (30 casualties) 1863 Battle of Chattanooga and Orchard Knob, Tennessee begins 1863 Patent granted for a process of making color photographs 1852 Just past midnight, a sharp jolt causes Lake Merced to drop 30' (9m) 1848 Female Medical Educational Society forms in Boston 1835 Henry Burden patents Horseshoe manufacturing machine (Troy New York) 1834 Hector Berlioz's "Harold in Italy," premieres 1832 French take Antwerp in liberation of Belgium 1783 Annapolis Maryland, becomes U.S. capital (until June 1784) 1765 People of Frederick County Md refuse to pay England's Stamp tax 1744 English premier John Carteret resigns 1705 Nicholas Rowe's "Ulysses," premieres in London 1700 Cardinal Francesco Albani elected Pope Clemens XI 1584 English parliament throws out Jesuits 1577 Water Geuzen under Captain Slope enter Amsterdam 1556 King Philip II confers with Dutch financial experts 1334 St. Clemens Flood: Dike breaks at Flemish/Zeeuwse/Dutch coast 1165 Pope Alexander III returns from exile to Rome
