1791 Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris
1796 Napoléon Bonaparte is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French Army in Italy
1807 US Congress bans the slave trade within the US, effective January 1, 1808
1888 The Convention of Constantinople signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace
1946 Ho Chi Minh elected President of North Vietnam
1956 Morocco tears up the Treaty of Fez, declaring independence from France
1970 White government of Rhodesia declares itself a republic
2002 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: US conventional forces first deployed as part of Operation Anaconda
HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY
TODAY IN FILM & TV
1933 “king kong” film directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Fay Wray premieres at Radio City Music Hall and RKO Roxy in NYC
1965 One of the most popular musical films of all time, “The Sound of Music”, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, premieres (Academy Awards Best Picture – 1966)
TODAY IN SPORT
1962 Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points, most ever by an NBA player in a single game, in Warriors’ 169-147 win over NY Knicks in Hershey; 36-of-63 from field, 28-of-32 from free-throw line
DO YOU KNOW THIS FACT ABOUT TODAY?
1882 Queen Victoria narrowly escapes assassination when Roderick Maclean shoots at her while boarding a train in Windsor
WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS FACT ABOUT TODAY?
2016 Longest non-stop scheduled commercial flight by distance, Emirates A380 flies 14,200km (8,824 miles) Dubai to Auckland in 17 hours, 15 minutes
