“If you don’t know history, it’s as if you were born yesterday. If you were born yesterday then any leader can tell you anything.”
Howard Zinn, American historian
1. The Hindenburg zeppelin filled with hydrogen went up in flames
On this day in history in 1937 The Hindenburg zeppelin filled with hydrogen went up in flames. The footage showing a colossal fireball engulfing the German airship during a landing attempt in Lakehurst, NJ, has become iconic for the end of the zeppelin era. 35 lives were lost in the crash.
2. Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes
On this day in history in 1954 Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. The British athlete took 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds to cover 1609 meters. The current record by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj stands at 3:43.13 (as at February 2014).
3. A massive earthquake hit northeast Italy
On this day in history in 1976 A massive earthquake hit northeast Italy. 939 people died and 157,000 were left homeless in Italy’s worst earthquake, which measured 6.5 on the Richter scale.
4. The Channel Tunnel linking the United Kingdom with France was opened
On this day in history in 1994 The Channel Tunnel linking the United Kingdom with France was opened. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand inaugurated the “Chunnel”. It measures just over 50 km (31 mi) and is the tunnel with the world’s longest undersea portion.
5. The final episode of Friends was aired
On this day in history in 2004 The final episode of Friends was aired. The immensely popular sitcom about Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross had been produced since 1994. The final episode “The Last One” was watched by 52 million viewers.
