This Day in History Class

The pan-African holiday Kwanzaa, created by Maulana Karenga, was celebrated for the first time beginning this day in 1966. 

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On this day in 1867, Scottish mathematician and scientist Mary Somerville was born. 

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The comet that Edmond Halley had calculated to return appeared as in the night sky as predicted on this day in 1758.

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On this day in 1831, the Baptist War, also known as the Christmas Rebellion, began in Jamaica. 

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Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber performed "Stille Nacht" for the first time at a Christmas Eve mass in Austria on this day in 1818. 

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On this day in 1826, rowdy cadets at West Point incited a drunken riot known as the Eggnog Riot. Learn more about the incident in an episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class.

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Richard Herrick received a kidney from his twin brother on this day in 1954. 

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On this day in 1972, survivors who were stranded in the Andes Mountains after their flight crashed were rescued. 

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Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted of selling military secrets to Germany on this day in 1894.

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On this day in 1885, Itō Hirobumi became the first prime minister of Japan. 

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