2015 Event Philae, the comet lander that was deposited on Comet 67P last year, has awoken after several months in hibernation due to low power; scientists hope that the lander's power will last long enough for them to download data 2015 Event Seth Blatter, president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), resigns five days after his re-election to a fifth term; several FIFA officials were recently arrested in a corruption scandal, but Blatter has not been charged 2015 Event Flooding from recent heavy rains in Texas has resulted in over 200 rescues and at least 27 deaths to date; several people have also been reported missing 2014 Event The last protest camp has been removed in Hong Kong; activists staged several camps to demand the right to free elections rather than control of candidates and elections by the Chinese government 2014 Event NASA successfully tests its unmanned Orion spaceship for potential human flight over 3,500 miles from Earth; several years and more tests will be needed before the vessel is ready for human travel, potentially paving the way for manned trips to Mars 2014 Event Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and several former government officials have been cleared of murder charges stemming from the killing of over 200 protesters during uprisings in 2011 that resulted in Mubarak's resignation 2014 Event 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 2014 Event The Vatican will install showers for the homeless in public restrooms on the grounds of St. Peter's Square; Archbishop Konrad Krajewski has also requested several local parishes around Rome to do the same 2014 Event Several nations have pledged financial support to rebuild Gaza after destruction resulting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the summer; commitments include an immediate $212 million U.S. donation and a $1 billion pledge from Qatar 2014 Event Julia Pierson, the first female director of the U.S. Secret Service, resigns after an 18-month tenure during which several security breaches occurred, including the recent daytime intrusion of the White House by a man armed with a knife 2014 Event Greenpeace releases its annual energy efficiency report praising several Internet companies, including Apple, which scored poorly a couple of years ago; Amazon was noted as lagging behind in use of renewable energy for its data centers 2014 Event Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, claims that his decision to leak classified NSA documents about mining emails and telephone call logs, has resulted in several significant threats to his life 2013 Event Austrian researchers successfully grew 'cerebral organoids' or mini-brains, containing several distinct regions of the brain; the mini-brains will help scientists understand how brains develop, and what causes schizophrenia and autism 2013 Event A training exercise emergency causes two U.S. marine harrier jets to drop several hundred unarmed bombs on the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site 2013 Event The Skagit River bridge over Interstate 5 collapses in the U.S. town of Mount Vernon, Washington; several vehicles plunge into the river, but there are no fatalities 2013 Event Scientist identify genetic links between several psychiatric disorders: ADHD, bipolar disorder, autism, depression, schizophrenia 2013 Event In the wake of several anti-Semitic and racist posts on Twitter, a French court orders the company to reveal personal information about its users 2012 Event Several European countries protest against unemployment and austerity measures; Spain and Portugal hold the largest protests, with Greece, Italy and Belgium holding smaller ones 2012 Event U.S. pastor Billy Graham is hospitalized for several days at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina due to bronchitis; he recently suffered pneumonia in November, 2011 2012 Event Funding disputes lead several of Bosnia's cultural institutions to close 2011 Event In Tibet, several acts of self-immolation prompt exiled Tibetans in India to urge the Chinese government to end its repressive policies restricting the Tibetan's religious freedom 2011 Event The Southern United States experiences a heat alert for fourteen states; several dozen heat-related deaths occurred since July 2011 Event The U.S. state of Arizona has an enormous wildfire covering almost 500 square miles; it is not contained and is sending smoke across several other states 2011 Event Shortages caused by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami cause Toyota to close several plants in Europe 2011 Event Tunisia's youth protest for several days over political grievances and social problems including the job market and purchase power 2009 Event Eight people are killed, several injured, after gunmen attack a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketeers in Lahore, Pakistan 2004 Event Train fire and explosion in Ryongchon, North Korea kills at least 160 and levels several buildings 2003 Death Joan Kroc, philanthropist/former baseball team owner, started Peace Institutes at several universities, dies at 75 1999 Death Wilt Chamberlain, "Wilt ""The Stilt"" Chamberlain", basketball great/sometime actor, Record-smashing basketball player who scored over 70 points in several pro games, dies at 63 1996 Event NFL/Heisman Trophy Winner Mike Rozier, is shot several times 1984 Death Richard Basehart, actor (Rage), dies following several strokes at 70 1982 Event 46 kids and 7 adults die as 2 buses and several cars collide in France 1982 Death Taisen Deshimaru, founder of several Zen centers in France, dies at 67 1965 Event Several Arab nations break ties with West Germany after it established diplomatic relations with Israel 1963 Event U.S.S.R. informs John F. Kennedy it's withdrawing several thousand troops from Cuba 1952 Birthday Trevor Chappell, cricketer, bro of several Aussie underarm bowler 1939 Birthday Leo Brouwer, born in Havana, Cuba, Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida, composer, conductor, guitarist, studied under Vincent Persichetti, Stefan Wolpe, composed solo guitar pieces, over 40 film scores, and several guitar concertos 1919 Birthday John Michael Hayes, born in Massachusetts, screenwriter, scripted several famous Alfred Hitchcock films 1914 Birthday Taisen Deshimaru, Saga City Japan, found several Zen centers in France 1912 Event Columbia University approves plans for awarding the Pulitzer Prize in several categories The award is established by Joseph Pulitzer 1903 Event Richard Pearse flies monoplane several hundred yards (New Zealand) 1885 Event John Ward and several teammates secretly form Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players, 1st baseball union 1875 Event White Democrats kill several blacks in terrorist attacks in Vicksburg 1865 Event Several Confederate veterans form Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tn 1839 Event 1st opium war - 2 British frigates engage several Chinese junks 1623 Event Fire at Plymouth, Massachusetts destroys several buildings
