This Day in History Class

On this day in 1979, in celebration of Margaret Thatcher’s election victory, members of the Conservative Party took out a newspaper ad proclaiming, “May The Fourth Be With You, Maggie." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1978, marketing manager Gary Thuerk sent the first unsolicited mass email, or as it’s better known today, “spam.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1933, Scottish newspaper The Inverness Courier published an account of a local couple who claimed to have seen the legendary Loch Ness Monster. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1967, Aretha Franklin's hit song "Respect" was released as a single on the Atlantic Records label. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1962, armed with nearly 800 pounds of explosives, a team of firefighters led by Red Adair extinguished a massive natural gas well fire in the Sahara Desert. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1667, English poet John Milton entered into an agreement to publish his epic poem Paradise Lost. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1778, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington rode more than 40 miles overnight to warn American militiamen of an impending British attack. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1983, the Kremlin released a letter from Soviet leader Yuri Andropov to Samantha Smith, an 11-year-old American girl who was anxious about the threat of nuclear war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1964, the second New York World's Fair opened at Flushing Meadows Park in the Queens borough of New York City.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, a 26-year-old New Yorker named Rosie Ruiz cheated her way to victory at the 84th annual Boston Marathon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1841, Edgar Allan Poe published “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a tale widely considered to be the first modern detective story.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1927, stage actress Mae West was found guilty of crimes of obscenity and sentenced to 10 days in a women’s prison in New York City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1915, French pilot Lieutenant Roland Garros was captured by German forces during an attack on occupied Belgium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1924, publisher Rand McNally released the first of its famous guide books, the Rand McNally Auto Chum.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1881, a gunfight at a saloon in downtown El Paso, Texas, left four men dead in five seconds.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1360, a sudden storm killed a thousand English soldiers while they were camped outside the gates of Chartres, France. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1985, the chief veterinarian of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a famous circus animal alleged to be a unicorn was, in fact, a goat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1870, Lord Muncaster of Britain and four other tourists were captured in Marathon, Greece, by a gang of outlaws.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth for the top spot on baseball’s all-time list. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1795, the basis for the metric system was officially defined and adopted by the revolutionary government of France. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1980, Post-it Notes were sold in U.S. stores for the first time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1943, ten miles off the coast of Brazil, a family of fishermen rescued the sole survivor of a German U-boat attack. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1841, President William Henry Harrison died after serving only 32 days in office. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1957, as an April Fools Day prank, the British Broadcasting Corporation aired a made-up report about harvesting spaghetti from trees. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein's groundbreaking musical "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway at St. James Theatre. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.