1895
Annie Londonberry (also known as Annie Kopchovsky) was the first woman to complete a round-the-world trip on a bicycle. It took her 15 months to complete, but when she returned there was $10,000 for her to claim. In today’s money, that would be almost $300,000.
1940
Four teenagers in France followed their dog as it followed an interesting scent down a large hole. Their dog ended up leading them to 17,000 year old cave paintings now called the “Lascaux Cave Paintings.”
1958
All-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas was integrated after direct orders from the U.S. Supreme Court.
1959
The Soviet Union launched “Luna 2,” the first spacecraft to impact the moon. Interestingly, the Soviets rigged the spacecraft to release sodium gas, so movement can be observed from Earth.
1964
Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars,” starring Clint Eastwood, premiered and set the precedent for the spaghetti western film genre.
1990
“Les Miserables” opened at Cirkus Theater in Stockholm, Sweden. The French novel, first published in 1862, delve into the drama, violence and even architecture of historical France.
1992
A tense tennis match between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang lasted five hours and 26 minutes, and ended when Edberg defeated Chang with scores of 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, and 6-4. This match remains the longest sports match in US history.
2005
Hong Kong Disneyland opened in Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island. It is Hong Kong’s largest theme park and the last of the Disneyland theme park locations.