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1956

Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.

Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.

1947

First case of a computer bug being found: A moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University.

First case of a computer bug being found: A moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University.

1940

George Stibitz pioneers the first remote operation of a computer.

George Stibitz pioneers the first remote operation of a computer.

1850

California is admitted as the thirty-first U.S. state.

California is admitted as the thirty-first U.S. state.

1839

John Herschel takes the first glass plate photograph.

John Herschel takes the first glass plate photograph.

1588

Thomas Cavendish in his ship Desire enters Plymouth and completes the first deliberately planned voyage of…

Thomas Cavendish in his ship Desire enters Plymouth and completes the first deliberately planned voyage of circumnavigation.

1999

The first banknotes of the Portrait Series of the Singapore dollar were introduced by the Board of Commissioners of…

The first banknotes of the Portrait Series of the Singapore dollar were introduced by the Board of Commissioners of Currency.

1957

U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights bill since…

U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction.

2024

Polaris Dawn, the first private crewed spaceflight to involve a spacewalk, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center…

Polaris Dawn, the first private crewed spaceflight to involve a spacewalk, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

1724

Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, a chorale cantata based on a…

Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, a chorale cantata based on a passion hymn by Johann Rist.

1607

Edward Maria Wingfield is ousted as first president of the governing council of the Colony of Virginia; he is replaced…

Edward Maria Wingfield is ousted as first president of the governing council of the Colony of Virginia; he is replaced by John Ratcliffe.

1089

The first synod of pope Urban II starts in Melfi, with seventy bishops and twelve abbots in attendance. The synod…

The first synod of pope Urban II starts in Melfi, with seventy bishops and twelve abbots in attendance. The synod issues several decrees about church law and deals with the relation with the Greek par�

1842

Letitia Christian Tyler, American wife of John Tyler, 11th First Lady of the United States (born 1790)

Letitia Christian Tyler, American wife of John Tyler, 11th First Lady of the United States (born 1790)

210 BC

Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China (born 259 BC)

Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China (born 259 BC)

1724

Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, a chorale cantata based on a…

Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, a chorale cantata based on a passion hymn by Johann Rist.

1789

Alexander Hamilton is appointed the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Alexander Hamilton is appointed the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

0

Enkutatash falls on this day if it is not a leap year. Celebrated on the first day of Mäskäräm. (Ethiopia, Eritrea,…

Enkutatash falls on this day if it is not a leap year. Celebrated on the first day of Mäskäräm. (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rastafari)

1995

Mir EO-19, the first expedition to the Russian space station Mir launched on an American Space Shuttle, returned to…

Mir EO-19, the first expedition to the Russian space station Mir launched on an American Space Shuttle, returned to Earth after approximately 75 days in space.

1789

Alexander Hamilton (pictured), co-writer of The Federalist Papers, became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

Alexander Hamilton (pictured), co-writer of The Federalist Papers, became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

1297

First War of Scottish Independence: Scottish forces under Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated English troops at…

First War of Scottish Independence: Scottish forces under Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated English troops at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on the River Forth.