1492 Christopher Columbus sights Cuba and claims it for Spain under the name “Juana”
1538 The first university in the New World, the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, is established on Hispaniola
1636 Harvard College (not yet named Harvard) is founded by vote of General Court of Massachusetts Bay with the primary purpose of preparing ministers and religious educators.
1646 Missionary John Eliot preaches the first worship service for Native Americans in their native language—in a wigwam at Nonantum, Massachusetts.
1746 Peruvian cities of Lima and Callao demolished by earthquake, 18,000 die
1892 Edith Warner arrives at Lagos, Nigeria, and is transferred to shore by hoists and derricks as if she were a bale of cotton. She will serve as a missionary in Nigeria for decades, often venturing where no white person had gone before.
1904 St Louis police try a new investigation method – fingerprints
1919 Volstead Act passed by US Congress, establishing prohibition, despite President Woodrow Wilson’s veto
1924 Miner M.de Bruin discovers the infant fossil skull, “Taung child” in a lime quarry in Taung, South Africa. Paleoanthropologist Raymond Dart identifies the fossil as a new hominin species, Australopithecus africanus.
1959 Fifteen hundred people attend a Pentecostal evangelistic meeting in Puerto Rico. Raimundo Jimenez preaches while his brother Eugenio prays for the sick, resulting in six thousand inquirers.
Today’s Historical Events
Today in Film & TV
1941 “How Green Was My Valley” based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, directed by John Ford and starring Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O’Hara premieres in New York (Best Picture 1942)
Today in Music
1961 “Fiorello!” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC starring Tom Bosley after 796 performances and a Pulitzer Prize
Today in Sport
1900 II Summer (Modern) Olympic Games, Paris, France: competition ends after 5 months; no opening or closing ceremonies conducted
Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know?
Statue of Liberty dedicated by US President Grover Cleveland, celebrated by first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City, on this day in 1886
Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe?
Research indicating Plague dates back to the Bronze age in skeletons 5,783 years old, published by University of Copenhagen team in “Cell”
