Today in history

1610 Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter’s moons. He named them Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. 1782 The Bank of North America opened in Philadelphia. It was the first commercial bank in the United States. 1785 French aeronaut/balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard successfully made the first air-crossing of the English Channel from the English coast to France. 1789 Americans voted for the electors that would choose George Washington to be the first U.S. president. 1887 Thomas Stevens completed the first worldwide bicycle trip. He started his trip in April 1884. Stevens and his bike traveled 13,500 miles in almost three years time. 1894 W.K. Dickson received a patent for motion picture film. 1896 The “Fannie Farmer Cookbook” was published. 1904 The distress signal “CQD” was established. Two years later “SOS” became the radio distress signal because it was quicker to send by wireless radio. 1926 George Burns and Gracie Allen were married. 1927 Transatlantic telephone service began between New York and London. 31 calls were made on this first day. 1927 In Hinckley IL, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game. 1929 The debut of “Buck Rogers 2429 A.D.” occurred in newspapers around the U.S. The title of the comic strip was later changed to “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.” 1949 The announcement of the first photograph of genes was shown at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. 1953 U.S. President Harry Truman announced the development of the hydrogen bomb. 1954 The Duoscopic TV receiver was unveiled this day. The TV set allowed the watching of two different shows at the same time. 1959 The United States recognized Fidel Castro’s new government in Cuba. 1968 The cost of a U.S. first class stamp was raised to 6 cents. 1975 OPEC agreed to raise crude oil prices by 10%, which began a time of world economic inflation. 1990 The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public. The accelerated rate of “leaning” raised fears for the safety of its visitors.