The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in London
Peter Jackson's epic adaptation launched one of cinema's most successful franchises, ultimately winning 17 Academy Awards across the trilogy. The film...
Historical Events
2001
1998
President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives
MajorClinton became only the second U.S. president to be impeached, facing charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the Monica Lewinsky sca...
1984
Britain and China signed a historic agreement that would hand Hong Kong back to China in 1997
MajorThe Sino-British Joint Declaration ended 155 years of British colonial rule and established the 'one country, two systems' framework. The agreement gu...
1974
Nelson Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st Vice President of the United States
Rockefeller became the second unelected Vice President in U.S. history under the 25th Amendment, following Gerald Ford. The wealthy heir served under...
1972
Apollo 17 astronauts returned to Earth, marking the end of the Apollo moon landing program
MajorEugene Cernan became the last person to walk on the moon, a record that still stands over 50 years later. The crew spent three days on the lunar surfa...
1960
Fire destroyed the USS Constellation aircraft carrier while under construction in Brooklyn, killing 50 workers
The massive fire started in a storage area and quickly spread through the ship's interior, creating deadly smoke conditions. It was one of the worst s...
1958
The USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched
This revolutionary warship could operate for years without refueling and became known as the 'Big E.' It served for an incredible 51 years before bein...
1946
War broke out between France and the Viet Minh in Vietnam, beginning the First Indochina War
MajorThe conflict started when Viet Minh forces attacked French colonial positions in Hanoi. This war would last eight years and end with France's defeat a...
1932
The BBC first broadcast a program from its new Broadcasting House in London
The iconic art deco building became the home of BBC Radio and featured a revolutionary design with soundproof studios and state-of-the-art equipment....
1843
Charles Dickens published 'A Christmas Carol' in London
MajorThe beloved novella was written in just six weeks and sold out its first edition by Christmas Eve. Dickens wrote it partly to address social injustice...
1777
General George Washington led the Continental Army into winter quarters at Valley Forge
MajorWhat followed was one of the most brutal winters in American military history, with over 2,000 soldiers dying from disease, cold, and starvation. Desp...
1776
Thomas Paine published the first 'American Crisis' essay beginning with 'These are the times that try men's souls'
MajorDuring the darkest days of the American Revolution, Paine's stirring pamphlet was read aloud to Washington's freezing troops before they crossed the D...
1154
Henry II became King of England at age 21, founding the Plantagenet dynasty
Henry inherited not just England but a massive empire stretching from Scotland to the Pyrenees, making him more powerful than the King of France. His...