1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).

1965 – The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.

2003 – Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

1692 – Bridget Bishop is the first person to go to trial in the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Found guilty, she is hanged on June 10.

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
And kicked off The Summer of Love.

I think that 1967 had more important and awesome new music than any year prior or since.  Prolly the best summer (year) of my life.  Everything was dialed in and I was in the perfect place.

 1967 in music

Two years ago today. We realized that Nigel might do just fine living in our house.    

1967 – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles is released.

1495 – Friar John Cor records the first known batch of Scotch whisky.

2002 – The Mars Odyssey finds signs of large ice deposits on the planet Mars.

1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.

1897 – Dracula, a novel by the Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.

1830 – American Genocide: The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later.

On This Date

On this date many things happened.
Governments were heaved into being, creeds
were repeated, maps and speeches given and believed.

There was quiet on this date. A little boy lived.
There was sleep, and one birdcall stitched all the way through.

On this date there was longing. Someone walked
through a room. One hand brushed loose crumbs into the other.
The earth received them out the side door on this date, on this day.

Annie Lighthart

1925 - One of the most underrated intellectuals and activist of the 20th century, Malcolm X was born.

—- 1985 Wilson Goode, mayor of Philadelphia drops a bomb on the home of MOVE members and "let the bunker burn"

1998 – Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.

1994 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.

1989 – Cedar Point opens Magnum XL-200, the first roller coaster to break the 200 ft height barrier, therefore spawning what is known as the "coaster wars".

1949 – EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, runs its first operation.

1940 – John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.