Founding of the U.S. Naval Academy
To improve the then-unsatisfactory methods of instructing midshipmen, George Bancroft—historian, educator, and secretary of the navy—founded the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on this day in 1845. 1845.
The Netherlands Antilles—formerly an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of a group of five islands in the Caribbean Sea—was officially dissolved. 2010.
American filmmaker Orson Welles—who notably wrote, directed, produced, and acted in Citizen Kane (1941), one of the most influential films of all time—died at age 70. 1985.
Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned from office and pleaded no contest to the charge of failing to report $29,500 in income while governor of Maryland. 1973.
Fiji gained independence from Great Britain. 1973.
The British spy film From Russia with Love premiered in London; the second film in the James Bond franchise, it is considered one of the best in the series. 1963.
The American classic Giant had its world premiere; the saga was especially notable for being the last movie of James Dean, who died in a car accident shortly after filming was completed. 1956.
American pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, among the first creators of modern jazz, was born. 1917.
A group of revolutionaries launched an uprising in Wuchang, China, which many regard as the formal beginning of the Chinese Revolution, a nationalist democratic revolt that overthrew the Qing dynasty. 1911.
English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton, the largest satellite of the planet Neptune. 1846.
