This Day in History – 10th November

Hello there! Thank you for wanting to know more than you did yesterday. We have compiled a list of important and interesting events which happened on 10th November from all across the world. Happy reading!

• 1483 German theologian Martin Luther born: Martin Luther was a German theologian and played a key role in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. He was one of the initial reformers, alongside John Calvin and Henry VIII, who stepped up to the Catholic Church. He translated the Bible into the language of the people and wrote The 95 Theses. These are also known as The Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. He refused to retract his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521. This led to his ex-communication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.
• 1885 World’s First Motorcycle: Gottlieb Daimler invented the world’s first motorcycle along with his colleague Wilhelm Maybach on 10th November. This happened after they severed ties with the international combustion engine company Nikolaus A Otto in 1882. They made the combustion more suitable for transport and invented the Reitwagen or Riding Car. The engine was later on attached to a four-wheeler and also a boat. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was founded in 1890 and merged with Benz & Cie to form Daimler-Benz in 1926. Today, we know it as the world’s bestselling premier car company Mercedes-Benz.

• 1919 AK-47 inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov born: Russian general Mikhail Kalashnikov invented the AK-47 assault rifle, and its variants AKM and AK-74. The weapon’s low production costs, performance under harsh conditions and widespread availability have made it a popular and prolific weapon throughout history. The initials AK stand for ‘Avtomat Kalashnikova,’ Russian for automatic Kalashnikov.
• 1950 William Faulkner awarded the Nobel for Literature: American writer William Faulkner was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature on 10th November, along with the 1950 Prize to Bertrand Russell. He was acclaimed for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel. The Prize affected his private life and he became less driven than in his earlier years. Some of his famous works include The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary and Absalom, Absalom!

• 1960 English author Neil Gaiman born: English writer Neil Gaiman has authored several books like American Gods, Coraline, The Graveyard Books and the Sandman comic book series. He describes himself as a ‘feral child who was raised in libraries.’ He was been awarded various international awards including the World Fantasy Award, British SF Awards, Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many more.
• 1969 Sesame Street debuted: Aired in more than 120 countries, Sesame Street debuted today on PBS TV and went on to become the most widely viewed children’s program. It was created by Joan Ganz Cooney who wanted to use TV as a way to help little kids prepare for kindergarten. The show features the famous puppets Bert and Ernie, Oscar The Grouch, Cookie Monster, Kermit The Frog, Grover and Big Bird.

• 1990 ‘Home Alone’ premiered in Chicago: The Christmas American Comedy premiered in Chicago. It was written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It starred Macaulay Culkin. With a total gross of $476.7 million, it held the record for the highest-grossing live-action comedy ever, until it was overtaken by The Hangover Part II in 2011. The film was also nominated for two Academy Awards.
• 1990 Chandrasekhar became the 8th Prime Minister of India: Chandra Shekhar served as the eighth Prime Minister of India from November 1990 to June 1991.  He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress as a stop-gap arrangement to delay elections. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who never held any Government office. His government was largely seen as a ‘puppet’ and the government was formed with the fewest party MPs in the Lok Sabha.
• 2001 UN proclaimed World Science Day for Peace and Development: World Science Day for Peace and Development was established by the UN in 2001. Its aim was to highlight the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. This year UNESCO will organize an online roundtable on the theme of ‘Science for and with Society in dealing with COVID-19’.

• 10th November, 2014 ‘The Hunger Games Mockingjay – Part 1’ premiered in London: The blockbuster film was directed by Francis Lawrence and starred Jennifer Lawrence as The Mockingjay. Based on the books by Suzanne Collins, it was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2014. Although it has received mostly positive reviews, it’s the lowest-rated film among the Hunger Games franchise. Nevertheless, it was nominated for the Best Science Fiction Film at the 41st Saturn Awards. Its song ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ by Lorde was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 72nd Golden Globes.

ALSO READ: The Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins’ Revolution

• 2014 ‘Uptown Funk’ single released by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson: Uptown Funk is Mars’ and Ronson’s most successful to date. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks and the UK Singles Chart for 7 weeks. Its official music video is the sixth-most-viewed video on YouTube with over 3.9 billion views. It has some major accolades in its name including 2015 Billboard Song of the Year and 2016 Grammy Record Of The Year and Grammy Song of the Year.