- 1520 – Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition reaches Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America.
- 1700 – The opera “Agrippina” by George Frideric Handel premieres in Venice, Italy.
- 1703 – The first Eddystone Lighthouse in England is destroyed in a storm.
- 1839 – The Daguerreotype camera, the first practical photographic process, is patented by Louis Daguerre in France.
- 1940 – “Fantasia,” Walt Disney’s animated film combining classical music and animation, is released in the United States.
- 1895 – Alfred Nobel signs his last will, donating his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes.
- 1927 – Arthur Eddington announces the first experimental confirmation of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
- 1942 – The French navy scuttles its fleet in Toulon to prevent them from falling into German hands during World War II.
- 1966 – The Beatles release their album titled “Magical Mystery Tour” in the United Kingdom.
- 1971 – The Soviet Union’s Mars 2 spacecraft becomes the first human-made object to reach the surface of Mars.
- 1989 – “The Little Mermaid,” Disney’s 28th animated film, is released in theaters.
- 1990 – The Hubble Space Telescope captures its first photograph in space.
- 2001 – The remains of the first World Trade Center victims are identified using advanced DNA technology.
- 2001 – “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” film adaptation, directed by Chris Columbus, is released in the United Kingdom.
- 2003 – NASA launches the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, sending two rovers named Spirit and Opportunity to explore the Martian surface.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1701 – Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer and physicist, who developed the Celsius temperature scale.
- 1896 – Roman Vishniac, Russian-American photographer and biologist, known for documenting Eastern European Jewish communities before World War II.
- 1940 – Bruce Lee, Hong Kong-American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker, renowned for his influential role in popularizing martial arts films.
- 1960 – Kenneth Branagh, Northern Irish actor, director, and screenwriter, known for his Shakespearean adaptations and portrayal of detective Hercule Poirot.
- 1976 – Jaleel White, American actor, best known for his role as Steve Urkel in the sitcom “Family Matters.”