1929 - October 29 - Black Tuesday - Stock market crash - The Great Depression Begins - It lasted until 1941 (WW2)
1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)
1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.
1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.
1963 - I Have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963.
June 17, 1972 – August 9, 1974 - Watergate Scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Members of President Richard Nixon's administration attempted to cover up their involvement. The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of several administration officials.
1973 - January 22 - Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179: The U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S.
1973 - March 29 - The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam
The cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper of Motorola. On April 3, 1973, he made the first handheld mobile phone call with the Motorola DynaTAC. This device weighed 2.5 pounds and was 10 inches long, offering 30 minutes of talk time and requiring 10 hours to charge. The first commercial cell phone was released in 1983, revolutionizing communication and leading to the modern smartphones we use today.
1981 - June 5 - First reported case of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
1986 - January 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger accident - The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.
1989 - The World Wide Web is invented at CERN (Tim Berners-Lee, UK)
2001 - September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Coordinated terrorist attacks by the extremist group al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, leading to significant changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy, including the War on Terror.
Obituary
DENNIS - Frank B. Pratt Sr., 91, died Saturday at Eagle Pond Rehabilitation and Living Center, Dennis.He was the husband of Marjorie (Aubertin) Pratt for 55 years.Mr. Pratt was born in Shrewsbury educated in Shrewsbury and Grafton. A Navy veteran of World War II, he served aboard the destroyer escort USS O'Neill in the Pacific theater.After his discharge, he was a police officer in the city of Worcester for 33 years. In 1970, he received the Col. Walter Scott Award for outstanding performance of duty, for his part in the capture of a felon wanted for bank robber the murder of a Boston police officer. After retiring, he moved to Dennis from Worcester in 1976.Mr. Pratt was an active member of Cape Cod Astronomical Society, the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association and the Worcester County Retired Police and Firefighters Association.Besides his wife, survivors include two sons, Frank B. Pratt Jr. of Hayward, Wis., and Ralph D. Pratt of Greene, R.I. a daughter, Ann E. Pratt of Statesboro,
Death — 200318 October 2003
Dennis, Massachusetts, USA
He died at the age of 91.
Birth — 1912
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