This Day in History Class

The "discovery" of the Piltdown Man was announced on this day in 1912. / On this day in 1892, Tchaikovsky's now-famous ballet "The Nutcracker" premiered. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The observance of Saturnalia begins on December 17, although we don't know precisely which year the first Saturnalia was observed. / On this day in 1790, the Aztec sun stone, a circular stone marked by carvings of calendar signs and images related to the Aztec creation myth, was rediscovered in Mexico City. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com...

American colonists in Boston protested British rule with the Boston Tea Party incident on this day in 1773. / On this day in 755, Chinese General An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor, marking the beginning of the An Lushan Rebellion against the Tang dynasty. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sitting Bull, the Hunkpapa Lakota leader and seminal Native American figure, was killed at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation on this day in 1890. / Filipino revolutionary Emilio Jacinto was born on this day in 1875. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roald Amundsen and his expedition became the first people to reach the South Pole, beating Robert Falcon Scott's expedition, on this day in 1911. / On this day in 1948, two engineers from DuMont Laboratories received a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ibn Battuta, one of the most accomplished travelers of the medieval Islamic world, completed his travelogue known as the Rihla, or Journey, on this day in 1355. / On this day, Ella Baker - an organizer in the Civil Rights Movement who worked with the NAACP, SNCC, and SCLC - was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

The Oaks Colliery exploded on this day in 1866. / On this day in 1899, Dr. George F. Grant, a dentist, received the first ever patent for a golf tee. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louis XVI was indicted for treason on this day in 1792. / On this day in 1978, a group of robbers affiliated with organized crime stole around $6 million in cash and jewelry from the JFK International Airport in New York. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japan's 300 Million Yen Robbery took place on this day in 1968. / On this day in 1907, riots incited by pro-vivisection medical students in London peaked. The conflict centered around the vivisection of a brown dog, its resulting death, and a memorial erected in its honor. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cretan Autonomous State was established on this day in 1898 under the Julian calendar. By the Gregorian calendar, it was December 21. / On this day in 1979, members of the Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication signed a statement that declared that smallpox had been eradicated worldwide. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnys...

Christina of Sweden was born on this day in 1626. In the new-style calendar, she was born Dec. 18. / On this day, French sculptor Camille Claudel was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on this day in 1941, bringing the United States into World War II. / On this day in 1963, instant replay debuted in the CBS broadcast of the Army-Navy college football game in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Halifax Disaster occurred on this day in 1917. / On this day in 1912, the now-iconic bust of Nefertiti was unearthed in Egypt. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mary Celeste was spotted adrift on this day in 1872. / On this day in 1952, a toxic smog that killed thousands of people descended on London. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rainer Maria Rilke was born on this day in 1875. / On this day in 1865, Edith Cavell - a nurse who helped Allied soldiers escape Belgium during World War I - was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The trial of the Kapenguria Six began on this day in 1952. / On this day in 1854, miners seeking reforms in Victoria, Australia, rebelled against colonial authorities. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Monroe Doctrine was articulated in an address to Congress on this day in 1823. / On this day in 1984, a leak in a storage tank at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, triggered one of the worst industrial disasters in the world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus on this day in 1955. / On this day in 1952, the New York Daily News announced Christine Jorgensen's gender confirmation surgery. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth I delivered her "Golden Speech" on this day in 1601. / On this day in 1954, a meteorite hit and bruised a woman in Alabama. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Zong Massacre began on this day in 1781. / On this day in 1847, a group of Cayuse tribespeople killed 13 people at the Whitman Mission, as they believed that physician and religious leader Marcus Whitman was deliberately spreading measles. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were convicted of piracy on this day in 1720. / On this day in 1967, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell became the first person to detect a radio pulsar. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Moscone and Harvey Milk were assassinated on this day in 1978. / On this day in 1810, Theodore Hook the sent a multitude of goods and service providers to the home of Mrs. Tottenham at 54 Berners Street in London as a prank. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Archaeologists entered the tomb of King Tutankhamun on this day in 1922. / On this day in 1977, a Southern Television news broadcast was interrupted by a cryptic voice claiming to be an alien and advocating for peace on Earth. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mirabal Sisters were assassinated in the Dominican Republic on this day in 1960. / On this day in 1975, Robert S. Ledley was awarded the first U.S. patent for a whole-body X-ray scanner. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man known as D.B. Cooper parachuted out of an airplane and was never seen again on this day in 1971. / On this day in 1914, physical therapist and inventor Bessie Blount was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.