2021
The Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars.
Perseverance is the largest, most advanced rover NASA has sent to another world.
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2009
Queen Elizabeth II knighted English fantasy author Terry Pratchett.
After the ceremony, Pratchett said: “You can’t ask a fantasy writer not to want a knighthood. You know, for two pins, I’d get myself a horse and a sword.”
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1998
Opera singer Andrea Bocelli started his career in the production of “La bohème” in Cagliari.
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1986
Actor Yul Brynner starred in an anti-smoking ad campaign while dying of smoking-related lung cancer.
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1979
The Sahara Desert temperature dropped so low that some areas became covered in snow.
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1978
The first Ironman Triathlon was held in Kona, Hawaii, USA.
Participants endured a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride, and 26.2-mile marathon!
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1972
Capital punishment was declared unconstitutional in California, USA.
The California Supreme Court voted 6-1 against the death penalty, making it illegal in the state.
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1954
The first official Church of Scientology opened in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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1930
American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto.
The discovery was made at the Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
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1901
Winston Churchill gave his first speech in the British House of Commons.
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1885
Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in the United States.
Despite Twain being an American author, this sequel to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in the UK & Canada before it was published in the US.
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1503
Henry VIII, known then as Henry Tudor, established the title “The Prince of Wales.”
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