On this day

1906

1911

1912

1915

1930

1964

1969

1970

1972

1983

1992

1993

1997

1998

– The 1906 Summer Olympics, not now recognized as part of the official Olympic Games, open in Athens.

– Tsinghua University, one of mainland China’s leading universities, is founded.

– Pravda, the “voice” of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.

– The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.

– The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.

– The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair opens for its first season.

– British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston wins the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race and completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.

– The first Earth Day is celebrated.

– Vietnam War: Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.

– The German magazine Der Stern claims that the “Hitler Diaries” had been found in wreckage in East Germany; the diaries are subsequently revealed to be forgeries.

– In an explosion in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless.

– Version 1.0 of the Mosaic web browser is released.

– Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria – 93 villagers killed.

– Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.