1.
On this day in 1520: After navigating through a strait at the southern end of
South America, three ships under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean and became the first European ships to sail
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
2.
On this day in 1814: The Times in London was for the first time printed by
automatic, steam-powered presses built by the German inventors Friedrich Koenig
and Andreas Friedrich Bauer, signaling the beginning of the availability of
newspapers to a mass audience.
3.
On this day in 1821: Panama declared independence from Spain and joined Gran
Colombia.
4.
On this day in 1893: New Zealand became the first country in which women vote
in a national election.
5.
On this day in 1912: Albania declared it's Independence from Turkey. Albania is
a country in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the
northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the
south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west and on the
Ionian Sea to the southwest.
6.
On this day in 1919: American-born Lady Astor was elected the first female
member of the British Parliament.
7.
On this day in 1958: Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon became
autonomous republics within the French Community.
8.
On this day in 1960: Mauritania became independent of France. Mauritania is a
country in the Maghreb region of western North Africa. It is bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean to the west, by Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara in the north,
by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal
in the southwest.
9.
On this day in 1964: The U.S. launched the space probe Mariner IV from Cape
Kennedy on a course set for Mars.
10.
On this day in 1975: East Timor declared its independence from Portugal. East
Timor is a country in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is one of only two
predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being the
Philippines.
11.
On this day in 1983: The space shuttle Columbia took off with the STS-9
Spacelab in its cargo bay.
12.
On this day in 2013: The launch of the 'Yu Tu', China's first lunar vehicle,
was scheduled to take place at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center before
December 10, 2013.
