This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride to all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of History. Let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 8th of July”.
1497 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama departs on his first voyage, becoming the 1st European to reach India by sea
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama becomes the first European to reach India via the Atlantic Ocean when he arrives at Calicut on the Malabar Coast. Da Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, on this day in History, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and anchored at Malindi on the east coast of Africa.
1680 The first confirmed tornado in America kills a servant at Cambridge, Massachusetts
As per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, “The first confirmed true tornado in the United States touched down at Cambridge. The funnel was filled with “stones, bushes, boughs, and other things.” It unroofed a barn and snapped many large trees. A servant was killed.” It happened on this day in history.
Read more here.
1889 Wall Street Journal begins publishing
The Wall Street Journal was founded by Charles H. Dow, of Dow Jones & Company, primarily to cover business and financial news. The first issue was published on this day in history.
1896 The shortest tenure in Canadian history by a Prime Minister recorded
On this day in history, Charles Tupper resigns as Prime Minister of Canada after losing the June 23rd election, his 69-day term the shortest in Canadian history.
1913 The Erector Set is issued & becomes one of the most popular toys of all time
Alfred Carlton Gilbert’s patent for the Erector Set is issued, on this day in history. It becomes one of the most popular toys of all time.
1979 Voyager 2 takes 1st ever photo of Jupiter’s satellite Adrastea (J14)
Forty years ago, on this day in history, the Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Jupiter. Managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the Voyagers were a pair of spacecraft launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets.
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1999 “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” the 3rd book of the series by J. K. Rowling is published by Bloomsbury in the UK
On this day in History, Rowling publishes the third book of the Harry Potter series in the United Kingdom titled “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”. The book describes Sirius Black, the godfather of the Boy who Lived a.k.a Harry Potter.
2000 “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, the 4th book in the series by J. K. Rowling is published in the UK (Bloomsbury) and the US (Scholastic)
On this day in History, Rowling publishes the fourth book of the Harry Potter series in the United Kingdom titled “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. The book describes Harry’s journey towards becoming the Triwizard Tournament Champion culminated by the demise of Cedric Diggory, one of the most popular characters.
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