This Day in History Class

On this day in 1618, two regents were thrown from a window in the Prague Castle, an incident now known as the Second Defenestration of Prague. / On this day in 1951, Tibet signed the Seventeen Point Agreement, which affirmed China's sovereignty over Tibet. There is controversy over the validity of the document and China's adherence to it.

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On this day in 1960, the largest earthquake in recorded history, a magnitude 9.5, hit off the coast of Chile. / On this day in 1915, an explosive eruption of Lassen Peak in northern California devastated the areas around the volcano.

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On this day in 1979, riots took place in San Francisco in the aftermath of the trial for Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk's assassination. / On this day in 1917, a fire tore through the city of Atlanta, displacing around 10,000 people and destroying nearly 2,000 buildings.

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On this day in 1932, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland on her first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first woman to complete such a trip. / On this day in 1902, Cuba gained independence from the U.S. after years of U.S. military occupation following the Spanish-American War.

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On this day in 1930, playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago. / On this day in 1780, the sky in New England and parts of Canada turned unusually dark in an event remembered as the "Dark Day."

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On this day in 1902, the Antikythera mechanism was discovered. / On this day in 1953, aviator Jackie Cochran became the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound.

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On this day in 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was held in Louisville. / On this day in 1954, groundwork began on the CERN site at Meyrin in Geneva, Switzerland.

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On this day in 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its first Academy Awards ceremony. / On this day in 1966, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the May 16 Notification, marking the start of the Cultural Revolution.

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On this day in 1928, Mickey and Minnie Mouse debuted in a test screening of the animated short "Plane Crazy." / On this day in 1903, mathematician and archaeologist Maria Reiche was born. Throughout her life, Reiche was dedicated to studying the Nazca Lines.

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On this day in 1948, the State of Israel was created. / On this day in 1878, a suit was brought against Daniel Spofford in Salem, Massachusetts, for allegedly practicing mesmerism on Lucretia Brown.

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