First thermonuclear bomb tested by the United States
On this day in 1952 on an atoll of the Marshall Islands, Edward Teller and other American scientists tested the first thermonuclear bomb, its power resulting from an uncontrolled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. 1952.
James Cameron‘s Titanic, a drama about the doomed ocean liner, had its first public screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival; the movie would become one of the highest grossing of all time, and it made Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet international stars. 1997.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its Wind spacecraft on a mission that would include a “halo orbit” between the Sun and Earth to explore the space environment there. 1994.
The Maastricht Treaty entered into force, thereby establishing the European Union. 1993.
Antigua and Barbuda achieved independence from the United Kingdom, with Vere Bird serving as the first prime minister. 1981.
The Grand National Assembly, at the behest of Kemal Atatürk, voted to abolish the sultanate of Turkey. 1922.
For the first time, the general public was able to view Michelangelo‘s fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace; the artwork is among the greatest achievements in Western painting. 1512.
