An Australian man legally changed his name to "Nintendo Switch" before the console's release
In a publicity stunt for a local radio station, the man formerly known as Riley Holden changed his legal name to match Nintendo's upcoming gaming cons...
Historical Events
2016
2001
A 25-year-old stockbroker paid $1.7 million for a slice of wedding cake from Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1981 wedding
The buyer was a mystery bidder who purchased the 20-year-old piece of cake, complete with royal coat of arms in icing. The cake had been preserved in...
1995
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Kobe, Japan, killing over 6,000 people
MajorThe Great Hanshin earthquake devastated Japan's sixth-largest city in just 20 seconds. The disaster exposed flaws in Japan's supposedly earthquake-pro...
1984
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that home video recording of television programs was legal
The Betamax case ended with a 5-4 decision that recording TV shows for personal use was fair use, not copyright infringement. Hollywood studios had ar...
1961
President Eisenhower delivered his farewell address warning about the "military-industrial complex"
MajorIn one of the most famous presidential speeches ever given, the former five-star general cautioned Americans about the growing power of defense contra...
1950
The Brink's robbery took place in Boston, with thieves stealing $2.7 million in the "crime of the century"
Eleven men wearing masks pulled off what was then the largest cash robbery in U.S. history. Despite the perfect execution, all but one of the robbers...
1946
The United Nations Security Council held its first session in London
MajorThe newly formed UN's most powerful body convened for the first time, with five permanent members holding veto power. This moment marked the beginning...
1929
Popeye the Sailor Man made his first appearance in a comic strip
The spinach-eating, pipe-smoking sailor debuted in E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre comic strip as a minor character. He became so popular that he took ov...
1920
Prohibition began in the United States, banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol
MajorThe 18th Amendment took effect, launching the "Noble Experiment" that would last 13 years. Instead of reducing crime, it created a massive black marke...
1912
British explorer Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen had beaten him by 34 days
After months of brutal Antarctic conditions, Scott's team arrived at the pole exhausted and demoralized to find a Norwegian flag already there. Tragic...
1893
The United States Marine Band performed at the inauguration of Hawaii's final monarch, Queen Liliuokalani
In an ironic twist of fate, an American military band played at the coronation ceremony of the queen who would be overthrown by American interests jus...
1706
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts
MajorOne of America's Founding Fathers entered the world as the 15th child of 17 siblings. He would go on to become a polymath, inventor, diplomat, and the...