This Day in History – 23rd November

Every day has been a significant one in the foibles of History. Let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 23rd of November”.

1654 Blaise Pascal sees the “Night of Fire”

French mathematician, scientist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal experiences an intense, mystical vision that marks him for life.

1852 Lake Merced drops 30 feet 

Just past midnight, a sharp jolt likely caused by heavy rains causes Lake Merced, California, to drop 30 feet (9m).

1863 Patent granted for a process of making colour photographs

Ducos du Hauron was the son of a tax collector. He did not build but got a patent of a device for taking and projecting motion pictures. Four years later, he got a patent on a process for making colour photographs.

1904 1st US Olympic Games close in St. Louis

There have been several Summer Olympic Games in the US, but the 1904 Olympics were notable for the strangeness of one of its events – the marathon. It was held on a particularly hot day, and intentional restriction was put on the access to water. The winner of the event, Thomas Hicks, had been given a dose of common rat poison with brandy to stimulate his nervous system, and would probably be dead if he hadn’t been immediately given the right treatment.

1909 Wright Brothers form a million-dollar corporation to manufacture airplanes

The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright Brothers, in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York with the intention of capitalizing on their invention of the practical airplane.

1921 Anti-beer bill comes into limelight

US President Warren G. Harding signs Willis Campell Act (anti-beer bill) forbidding doctors prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes.

1979 Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” released, sells 6 million copies in 2 weeks

The Wall is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band “Pink Floyd”. With over 30 million copies sold, it is the second best-selling album in the band’s name. Listen to the track here.

1984 “A Christmas Carol” premieres

Directed by Clive Donner starring George C. Scott and written by Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” premieres in the UK, on this day in History.

1996 The Republic of Angola officially joins the World Trade Organization.

A country located in southwestern Africa finally submits its trade policy to join the World Trade Organization(WTO), an international organization established to supervise and liberalize world trade.

2001 Ratification of the Convention on Cybercrime in Budapest, Hungary.

As of July 2016, the non–Council of Europe states that have ratified the treaty are Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Israel, Japan, Mauritius, Panama, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

2008 Rihanna & Chris Brown win 35th American Music Awards

In addition, Brown was named favourite male artist in both the soul/R&B and pop/rock categories. His then-girlfriend, Rihanna, won those categories for the women, beating Keys in both races.

2011 Arab Spring

After 11 months of protests in Yemen, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh signs a deal to transfer power to the vice president, in exchange for legal immunity.

2018 US Federal Climate report finds climate change will reduce the economy

The US Federal Climate report finds climate change will reduce the economy by 10% by 2100 with $141 billion costs from heat-related deaths, $118 billion from sea level rise.

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