2019
US Ambassador Gordon Sondland testifies in impeachment inquiry that “We followed the president’s orders.” and that “everyone was in the loop” over Ukraine dealings.
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2019
Snakes lived with hind legs for 70 million years (Najash rionegrina), according to research from La Buitrera Palaeontological Area, Argentina, published in “Science Advances”.
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2019
Snake fossils found in Rio Negro Province, Argentina, showed snakes with hind legs that lived over 70 million years ago.
The species was named Najash rionegrina.
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2019
Oxford Dictionaries declared “climate emergency” as the word of the year for 2019.
The promotion led to the word being used 100 times more in just 12 months.
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2018
A 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi was declared unconstitutional.
It was determined to be against women’s constitutional rights.
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2017
The Georgia Dome in Atlanta was blown to smithereens in a controlled demolition.
The area was replaced with the $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz stadium.
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2015
English singer-songwriter Adele released her third studio album, “25.”
It won Album of the Year from both Billboard and The Grammys.
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2012
Toshiba rolled out a four-legged robot designed to clean up after nuclear disasters.
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2007
MTV and Harmonix released Rock Band for PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America.
Harmonix created the first two Guitar Hero games and already had the idea in mind for Rock Band when MTV Music bought them out. Unable to continue the Guitar Hero series, they created Rock Band.
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1998
Zarya, the first International Space Station module, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Otherwise known as the Functional Cargo Block, it was originally designed for the Russian MIR space station. It was crucial during the initial stages of the ISS, as it provided electrical power, guidance, propulsion, and storage. It was named Zarya, meaning “Dawn” in Russian, to celebrate the dawn of a new era of international cooperation.
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1947
Queen Elizabeth II married Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London.
The two were actually related to each other, both being Queen Victoria’s great-great-grandchildren. Despite this, the wedding went ahead as planned. They met when Elizabeth was just 13 and Philip was 18.
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1939
DC Comics released Flash Comics Issue 1, featuring Flash Gordon.
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1866
French inventor Pierre Lallement was awarded his patent for a pedal bicycle.
Lallement moved to Connecticut, USA, in July 1865, where he continued to develop his designs for a rotary crank bicycle. Lallement was funded by James Carroll and filed the first and only American patent application for the pedal-bicycle in April 1866.
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1805
Beethoven premiered Fidelio in Vienna, Austria, which was his only opera.
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1789
The American state of New Jersey was the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
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1695
Zumbi, the last of the Quilombo dos Palmares kings, was killed.
The Afro-Brazilian King Zumbi was known for his great powers and possibly immortality as he was believed to have been a demigod. He fought for the Palmares’ independence, and after many battles with the Brazillian Indian fighters, he was killed, then decapitated on this day.
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284 AD
Roman soldier Diocletian was appointed the new Roman Emperor after Roman Emperor Carus’s death.
Diocletian was born into a low-status family; however, he rose through military ranks and became a cavalry commander of Emperor Carus’s army. Following the death of Carus and his son Numerianus, the army named Diocletian the new emperor.
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