Astronomers discovered Sedna, one of the most distant objects in the solar system
The dwarf planet was found beyond the Kuiper Belt, taking about 11,400 years to orbit the Sun. Its surface temperature never rises above -240°C, makin...
November 14 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2003
1971
Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet when it reached Mars
NASA's Mariner 9 entered Martian orbit and began mapping 70% of the planet's surface over the course of a year. It discovered the first evidence of wa...
1969
Apollo 12 launched from Cape Kennedy, carrying the second manned mission to the Moon
MajorSeconds after liftoff, the Saturn V rocket was struck by lightning twice, causing temporary power loss to the spacecraft. Quick thinking by astronauts...
1963
The island of Surtsey emerged from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Iceland
A volcanic eruption on the ocean floor created a brand new island that eventually grew to over a square mile. Scientists designated it a nature reserv...
1954
Great Britain's post-war food rationing finally ended when meat and bacon came off ration
Nine years after World War II ended, British citizens could finally buy meat without ration books for the first time since 1940. Rationing had actuall...
1940
Nazi Germany launched a devastating air raid on Coventry, destroying the medieval cathedral
MajorThe Luftwaffe dropped 500 tons of explosives and 30,000 incendiaries on Coventry in Operation Mondscheinsonate. The 14th-century cathedral was reduced...
1922
The BBC broadcast its first news bulletin, apologizing that there was no news to report
On the same day as its inaugural broadcast, the BBC's first news bulletin famously consisted of the announcer stating there was no news and suggesting...
1922
The BBC began its first radio broadcast from London
MajorThe British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) transmitted its first official broadcast from Marconi House in London. The first voice heard was...
1910
Eugene Ely performed the first airplane takeoff from a ship, flying a Curtiss biplane off the USS Birmingham
The pilot flew off a temporary wooden platform built on the cruiser's deck in Norfolk, Virginia. His wheels touched the water briefly after leaving th...
1889
Journalist Nellie Bly departed New York to attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days
Inspired by Jules Verne's novel, Bly set out to beat the fictional Phileas Fogg's record. Traveling by steamship, train, and even sampan, she complete...
1851
Herman Melville's novel 'Moby-Dick' was published in the United States
MajorThe epic tale of Captain Ahab's obsessive quest for the white whale was initially a commercial failure, selling only 3,200 copies during Melville's li...
1770
James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia
The Scottish explorer reached Lake Tana and the Blue Nile's origin after an arduous journey through East Africa. When he returned to Britain and publi...