2015 Event Researchers discover a biofluorescent hawksbill sea turtle in waters off of the Solomon Islands; though biofluorescence has been observed in captive reptiles, this is the first occurrence seen in a wild reptile 2015 Event Pope Francis becomes the first pope in history to speak to the U.S. Congress; the pontiff exhorted the lawmakers to work together to address climate change, immigration reform and other issues that have stalled due to strong political division 2015 Event At the 67th Annual Emmy Awards, Viola Davis is the first black woman to win outstanding lead drama actress; Jon Hamm wins outstanding lead drama actor, Peter Dinklage wins best supporting actor, and 'Game of Thrones' wins for outstanding drama 2015 Event Serbian Novak Djokovic beats Swiss Roger Federer to win his second U.S. Men's Open title; a day earlier, Italian Flavia Pennetta beat fellow Italian Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Women's Open to win her first Grand Slam, then announced her retirement 2015 Event Barack Obama becomes the first U.S. president to address the African Union, which includes 54 nations as members; the president emphasized the importance of growing economies, reducing corruption, increasing education, and instituting democracy 2015 Event Jeffrey Webb pleads not guilty to bribery charges in the FIFA corruption case brought against 14 former officials; Webb is the first to be extradited to the U.S. to face the charges 2015 Event NASA's New Horizons probe reestablishes contact to transmit the first close photos of Pluto and its moons; the probe launched in 2006 and has traveled over 3 billion miles; it will continue transmitting data for the next 16 months 2015 Event Novak Djokovic achieves his third Wimbledon title, winning over Roger Federer; if Federer won, he would have made history as the first to win eight Wimbledon titles 2015 Event Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina, supports removal of the Confederate flag from state grounds; however, the state legislature must first overturn a law requiring the flag to be flown at the Confederate Soldier Monument 2015 Event Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, steps down after the company reports poor first quarter results; cofounder Jack Dorsey will step in as temporary CEO, but Costolo will keep his position on the board 2015 Event Juan Felipe Herrera, age 66, has been named by U.S. Congress as this year's national poet laureate; Herrera, who is the first Latino to be given the title, has served for the past three years as California poet laureate 2015 Event Prince Charles shakes hands with Gerry Adams, president of the Sinn Fein party, which was formerly part of the militant Irish Republican Army; Prince Charles is the first member of the British royal family to meet him 2015 Event Mohamed Morsi, the former Egyptian president who was the first to be democratically elected, has been given a death sentence for his role in a prison outbreak during the revolution of 2011 2015 Event British Prime Minister David Cameron is re-elected for five more years in a decisive victory that upset predictions of a close election and resulted in the first Conservative majority government since 1992 2015 Event U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro meet at the Summit of the Americas in Panama for talks aimed at thawing relations; the historic meeting marks the first interaction in decades between top leaders of the two nations 2015 Event California Governor Jerry Brown mandates a 25% cut in water usage, the first required water restriction in the state's history, as severe drought continues; earlier calls for a voluntary 20% reduction were not met 2015 Event Harper Lee will release her second novel, 'Go Set a Watchman,' after 55 years; Lee wrote this novel first, presenting Scout as an adult, but editors convinced Lee to write instead about Scout as a child, resulting in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' 2015 Event American rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson become the first to successfully free-climb the Dawn Wall face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a climb of 3,000 feet; the men started the climb on December 27th, 2014 2015 Event Divers have retrieved one of two black boxes from Air Asia Flight 8501, which crashed on December 28th during its flight from Indonesia to Singapore; the second black box has been found nearby, but debris must first be moved in order to access it 2014 Event Scottish health officials report the nation's first case of Ebola after diagnosing a health care worker returning from Sierra Leone; the worker did not manifest symptoms until her arrival in Scotland and is currently in stable condition 2014 Event Tension increases for New York City police after a man kills two officers to avenge the killing of two unarmed black men by police in recent weeks; police have been ordered to work in pairs and to consider their own safety first while on patrol 2014 Event 'The Battle of the Five Armies', the last film in 'The Hobbit' series, grosses over $90 million in its first five days of release, exceeding box office expectations of $75 million 2014 Event A 219-year-old time capsule is being excavated from beneath the cornerstone of the Massachusetts State House in Boston; the capsule, first found in 1855 and reburied, is likely the oldest in the U.S. 2014 Event The U.S. and China have agreed to cut greenhouse gases, with U.S. President Barack Obama setting a goal of at least a 26 percent reduction over 2005 levels by 2025; China's Xi Jinping is making the nation�s first commitment 2014 Event CEO Richard Branson says that Virgin Galactic will first determine the cause of a recent test space flight crash before deciding whether to continue developing commercial space travel 2014 Event A total of 111 people have been identified as having had contact with an Ebola-infected 2-year-old girl before her death in Mali, raising concerns of a potential new epidemic; the girl was the first confirmed Ebola case in the nation 2014 Event Kaci Hickox, the first person held under New Jersey's new quarantine provisions for those who have worked with Ebola patients, speaks out to protest the conditions of her confinement at a local hospital; Hickox has tested negative for the virus 2014 Event A 2-year-old girl is the first case of Ebola in Mali; the girl was brought to the country from Guinea after her mother's death 2014 Event Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to develop Ebola in the U.S., dies after 11 days in a Dallas hospital; he was sent home after an initial hospital visit despite stating he had been in West Africa, but he was admitted upon his return two days later 2014 Event Thomas Eric Duncan, the first patient hospitalized for Ebola in the U.S., slips from serious to critical condition in a Dallas hospital; 10 people who had been in close contact with the patient have been placed in isolation 2014 Event Julia Pierson, the first female director of the U.S. Secret Service, resigns after an 18-month tenure during which several security breaches occurred, including the recent daytime intrusion of the White House by a man armed with a knife 2014 Event A Liberian man has been identified as the first U.S. case of Ebola; the man was initially misdiagnosed at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, but the virus was found after he was hospitalized for his worsening condition 2014 Event Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, announce the birth of their first child, Charlotte, making grandparents of former U.S. presidential couple Bill and Hillary Clinton 2014 Event India has successfully launched a space probe into orbit around Mars on its first attempt, making it the first Asian country to orbit the planet; at $74 million, the spacecraft cost about 11% of the U.S. Maven, which reached Mars orbit two days prior 2014 Event Crowds line up at retailers across the U.S. as the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are offered for sale; buyers are seeking to be some of the first to own the devices, which may be shipped as late as November for those who pre-ordered online 2014 Event Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, announce that they are expecting their second child; baby Prince George celebrated his first birthday two months ago 2014 Event Legislators in California pass a ban on disposable plastic grocery bags; if approved by Governor Jerry Brown, the ban will be the first implemented across a state, though many cities across the U.S. already have such bans in place 2014 Event A 21-year-old man is the first reported case of Ebola in Senegal; the man had recent contact with Ebola victims from Guinea 2014 Event Tennis champion Serena Williams beats Karolina Pliskova in her first game since leaving the Wimbledon games on July 1st due to illness; Williams will undergo future medical tests to confirm whether the illness was caused by a virus 2014 Event 29-year-old Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali wins the Tour de France, becoming the first winner from Italy in 16 years; the victory makes Nibali one of only six cyclists to have won the Grand Tours of Italy, Spain and France 2014 Event The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 17,000 for the first time 2014 Event Vice Admiral Michelle Janine Howard is promoted to 4-star admiral, becoming the first woman to achieve the highest rank in the U.S. Navy 2014 Event The 'New York Times' fires its first female executive editor Jill Abramson after three years in the position; Abramson has been replaced by Dean Baquet, the newspaper's first African-American executive editor 2014 Event Japanese banks are promoting women to upper management levels for the first time in history; four women in the nation's top three banks have been promoted in the last year 2014 Event Vladimir Putin visits Crimea today for the first time since annexing the region; the visit coincides with a holiday celebrating the U.S.S.R. victory in the Second World War 2014 Event Dubai International Airport beat London Heathrow Airport in the first quarter of this year as the world's busiest international airport; Dubai Airport hopes to retain this position after a series of expansion projects are completed 2014 Event Pope Francis canonizes John XXIII and John Paul II; this is the first time that the Catholic Church has elected two former popes to sainthood in the same ceremony 2014 Event A fossil unearthed in China has been identified as a new pterosaur species; named Kryptodrakon progenitor, the fossil is the first of its kind to show traits of pterodactyls, giant flying reptiles 2014 Event Chelsea Clinton has announced that she and her husband Marc are expecting their first child in the fall; Chelsea is the only child of Bill and Hillary Clinton 2014 Event Google publicly offers Google Glass for the first time in a one-day online sale at $1,500 apiece 2014 Event Microsoft ends support for its Windows XP operating system; the system was first released in 2001 2014 Event Eight-month-old Prince George begins his first overseas royal tour with his parents, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge 2014 Event Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, makes the first visit to the U.K. as Irish head of state; his visit reciprocates that of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland in 2011 2014 Event Tiger Woods will miss the Masters Tournament for the first time in 20 years as he recovers from surgery for a pinched nerve 2014 Event Slovakia sets a new precedent by electing Andrej Kiska, a millionaire, as president; Mr. Kiska is the first president without ties to the Communist party to be elected since 1993, when the country was formed out of the breakup of Czechoslovakia 2014 Event A second dwarf planet is discovered between the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt, an area previously considered a no-man's land; the planet, 2012 VP-113, measures about 280 miles across; the first, Sedna, about 600 miles across, was discovered in 2003 2014 Event Kim Jong Un is re-elected as leader of North Korea with 100% of the vote; the election was the first since the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011 2014 Event Researchers report that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy can increase the risk of ADHD diagnoses as the babies mature; taking acetaminophen in the first trimester has the lowest risk at 9%, but there is a 63% likelihood of the condition in babies if the drug is taken in the last two trimesters 2014 Event Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins his second Daytona 500 race, 10 years after his first win, in a race postponed for hours by heavy rain 2014 Event Jimmy Fallon officially replaces Jay Leno in his first broadcast as host of 'The Tonight Show' 2014 Event American ice dancing pair Charlie White and Meryl Davis win the Olympic gold medal - the first gold won by the U.S. in this sport 2014 Event At Sochi, Russians Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov win the gold medal in pairs figure skating; the couple is the first to win on home ice since Ernst Baier and Maxi Herber won in 1936 2014 Event For the first time in history, millionaires made up the majority of Congress in 2012; The Center for Responsive Politics study reveals that of the 534 members, 268 had a net worth of $1 million or more 2014 Event Scientists from Australian National University observe the oldest star in the universe for the first time. The star, located 6,000 light years from Earth, serves as a fingerprint of the first stars in the universe; it is believed to be 13.7 billion years old 2014 Event Stanislas Wawrinka wins his first Grand Slam title when he beats Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final 2014 Event Western Nghe An, Vietnam, records its first snowfall 2014 Event Janet Yellen becomes the first woman to hold the post of chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve 2014 Event Former President Bill Clinton swears in New York's 109th Mayor, Bill de Blasio, the city's first Democratic mayor since 1993 2013 Event President Barack Obama and the First Family begin their 17-day Hawaiian vacation; this is the sixth year in a row the Obama's have visited family and friends on the island of Oahu for Christmas and New Year's 2013 Event Chilean voters elect President Michelle Bachelet in the country's presidential election; Bachelet served as the first female Chilean president in 2006 2013 Event China's first lunar rover, the Yutu, makes the first 'soft' landing on the moon since 1976; Yutu is the third robotic rover in existence 2013 Event U.S. automaker General Motors appoints Mary Barra CEO; she becomes the first female to become CEO of an automative company 2013 Event The launch of the 'Yu Tu', China's first lunar vehicle, is scheduled to take place at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center before December 10, 2013 2013 Event In Japan, the Nissan Leaf self-driving car completes its very first road test on the Sagami Expressway; it is the first self-driving car ever to be tested in Japan 2013 Event Pope Francis displays relics believed to be the bones of St. Peter at a mass in St. Peter's Square; the first time the bones have ever been shown to the public 2013 Event On the first day of its release, Sony's PlayStation 4 sells 1 million units in the U.S. and Canada; the PS4 launches in Europe November 29th, and Japan February 22, 2014 2013 Event During the first month of its release in October, the U.S. government reports that 106,185 people signed up for health insurance; only 26,794 signed up using the failed website, HealthCare.gov 2013 Event Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, becomes the first head of state to visit with Kim Jong-un in North Korea since he became Supreme Leader 2013 Event A railway under the sea, first proposed by Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid 150 years ago is completed; the sea tunnel, connecting Europe and Asia is the deepest submerged railway tunnel of its kind in the world 2013 Event The war-torn city of Deir Ezzor, Syria experiences the first outbreak of polio in 14 years, with 22 people suspected of having the viral disease 2013 Event The Australian Government institutes a legal challenge to same-sex marriage in its High Court in response to the Australian Capital Territory becoming the first territory in Australia to legalize same-sex marriage 2013 Event The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is found in tap water near New Orleans, the first time ever detected in the U.S. water supply 2013 Event NASA's Voyager 1 space probe makes history by advancing past the solar system - becoming the first man-made object to reach interstellar space 2013 Event The landscape painting, 'Sunset at Montmajour,' becomes the first full-sized Van Gogh painting to be confirmed since 1928; it is put on display at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum 2013 Event Swimmer Diana Nyad makes history, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage 2013 Event The first federal health study reporting on the use of sleeping pills reveals that 8.6 million Americans take prescription sleeping pills 2013 Event New Zealand's first same-sex marriages take place since the country's parliament passed the Marriage Equality Bill in April 2013 Event The olinguito becomes the first mammal to be discovered in the past 35 years; the adorabel creature is described as a mini-raccoon with a teddy bear face 2013 Event In London, the world's first bovine stem cells lab-grown burger is cooked and eaten at a news conference; one food expert said it was 'close to meat, but not that juicy' 2013 Event British cyclist Chris Froome wins his first time competing in the 2013 Tour de France 2013 Event Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, will welcome it's first McDonald's early next year; the site will be run by the son of Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Henry Nguyen 2013 Event NASA's New Horizons team releases the first high resolution view of Pluto's largest moon; Charon, which is as large as the state of Texas, is covered in ice 2013 Event Boston Marathon Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appears for the first time in court since his arrest April 19; he pleads not guilty to 30 charges, including using a weapon of mass destruction 2013 Event At the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, Andy Murray wins the Men's Singles after beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets; he becomes the first British man to win since Fred Perry's Wimbleton 1936 win 2013 Event Sabine Lisicki of Germany is defeated at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships; Marion Bartoli of France wins the Ladies' Singles Final, earning her first Grand Slam singles title 2013 Event The oldest European remains of a white man are discovered in Australia; the Manning River Skull may belong to a man born in 1650, predating the country's history that Captain James Cook was the first to land on Australia's east coast in 1770 2013 Event For the first time since 2010, gold falls below $1,200 per ounce 2013 Event The first human case of the H6N1 virus is discovered in Taiwan 2013 Event The first case of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome conavirus is announced in Italy 2013 Event The world's first plastic gun, produced by a 3-D printer by Defense Distributed fires successfully in Austin, Texas. Security officials fear plastic weapons would not be detected at airport screenings 2013 Event In Beijing, China, a seven-year old girl is confirmed as the first person in the country to catch the Influenza A virus subtype H7N9 bird flu 2013 Event Northwest Africa 7325, a green meteorite found in Morocco, 2012, may have originated on planet Mercury; if scientists are correct, this will be the first known meteorite from Mercury 2013 Event By a margin of 50-49, the U.S. Senate passes its first budget in four years 2013 Event Alfred Xuereb, an Honorary Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, is selected by Pope Francis' to become his first private secretary 2013 Event In Vatican City, Italy, Pope Francis delivers his first message at the Vatican, telling journalists wants "a poor Church, for the poor" 2013 Event For the first time in its history, the European Parliament rejects a European Union budget 2013 Event In Greenland, the Siumut party wins the parliamentary election, setting up Aleqa Hammond to become the country's first female Prime Minister 2013 Event Falkland Island residents complete the first day of a two day sovereignty referendum, determining whether the islands should remain a British overseas territory 2013 Event NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft transmits images that for the very first time, allow scientists to create a 3D reconstruction of ancient water channels below the surface of Mars 2013 Event The United Kingdom's bond credit rating is downgraded for the first time in history; Moody's Investor's Service changed the bond credit rating from AAA to AA1 2013 Event Estonia becomes the first country in the world to establish a national electric car charging network , with cars charging in less than 30 minutes 2013 Event In racing, Danica Patrick becomes the first woman at the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to win pole position 2013 Event Citing frail health, Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation effective February 28, 2013; he is the first Pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415 2013 Event For the first time since launching Google Maps, Google extends its data coverage of North Korea, filling in previously blank areas on most of the country with detailed maps that identify landmarks 2013 Event European Bioinformatics Institute scientists have successfully stored audio and text on fragments of DNA, and retrieved them with 99.99% accuracy - the first time in history DNA has been used for data storage 2013 Event For the first time since the Battle of Mogadishu, the U.S. announces it will officially recognize, and open diplomatic relations with, the new government of Somalia 2013 Event NASA scientists achieve a first in laser communication when they successfully beam a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft orbiting the Moon 2013 Event UK's oldest music retailer HMV calls in administrators after talks to rescue the company fail; the company which has over 4,500 employees, opened its first shop on Oxford Street in 1921 2013 Event Artist Paul Emsley unveils the first official portrait of Catherine Duchess of Cambridge 2013 Event For the first time since 1996, no candidates were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame 2012 Event In his first political speech, marking the five-year anniversary of his mother's death, ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, vows to maintain democracy and fight militancy 2012 Event Queen Elizabeth II shares her Christmas Message with her Commonwealth subjects, referencing the 'humbling' experience of her diamond jubilee celebrations and the 2012 Summer Olympics;the speech is the first to be broadcast in 3D 2012 Event United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II attends a meeting of the Cabinet for the first time, receiving a gift honoring her Diamond Jubilee; this was first time a Cabinet meeting was attended by a British monarch since the reign of Queen Victoria 2012 Event Outgoing U.S. Senator Jim DeMint is replaced by GOP Congressman Tim Scott, the first black senator from the South since 1881 2012 Event The U.N. condemns North Korea for launching a long-range Unha rocket; North Korea claims its purpose is to put its first satellite into space, but critics say the launch is a disguised ballistic missile test 2012 Event All members of the Commonwealth of Nations, who have the British Monarch as their head of state, agree to the Succession of the Crown Bill, enabling a female child, for the first time, to become monarch 2012 Event In ceremonies held at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, is officially inactivated after a 51-year U.S. Naval career 2012 Event Physics professor Enzo Di Fabrizio, of Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy, successfully takes the first direct photograph of DNA 2012 Event Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi and Thein Sein are listed first on 'Foreign Policy' magazine's 2012 Top 100 Global Thinkers 2012 Event The United Kingdom plans to create new private and public sector universities; these will be the first universities the country has created in decades 2012 Event Mikhail Korniyenko and Scott Kelly, veteran astronauts, are chosen to carry out the first year-long mission to the International Space Station in 2015 2012 Death Joseph Murray, a Nobel prize winner, plastic surgeon and the first person to perform a kidney transplantation, dies at age 93 2012 Event Burmese President Thein Sein and National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi meet U.S. President Barack Obama, the country's first visit from a sitting U.S. President 2012 Event Medical textbooks require rewriting after 39-year-old Canadian Scott Routley becomes the first person believed to be in a vegetative state to tell scientists he isn't in any pain 2012 Event Britain's MP Nadine Dorries is suspended from the Conservative Party after deciding to become the first politician to appear on a reality TV series 2012 Event Light from the first stars in the universe is detected by astronomers studying high-energy radiation data; the data suggests these stars existed as early as 500 million years after the 'big bang' 2012 Event The New York Stock Exchange is reopened after a two-day closure due to Hurricane Sandy; this was the market's first weather-related two-day closure since the late 19th century 2012 Event Noam Chomsky, a Jewish-American philosopher, linguist and human rights activist, visits Gaza for the first time, attending a seminar with Gazan thinkers and intellectuals 2012 Event The Libyan parliament passes a vote of no confidence for Mustafa A.G. Abushagur, the first elected Prime Minister of Libya; Abdurrahim El-Keib again takes over the post 2012 Event Venezuelans go to the polls to vote in the country's presidential election; President Hugo Chavez competes against Henrique Capriles Radonski of the opposing Justice First party 2012 Event For the first time, Curiosity, the Mars rover, discovers what could be determined as direct evidence of a fast-moving stream bed, a prior watersource, on Mars 2012 Event The 'Lamb of God', the first panels of the Ghent Altarpiece are secretly moved from Saint Bavo Cathedral for a five-year restoration at the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts; the panels are likely the most frequently stolen artwork in history 2012 Event The U.S. commemorates the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and for the first time no special security alert is issued on the anniversary of the attacks 2012 Event At the 2012 U.S. Open, Andy Murray of the U.K. wins the Men's Singles, defeating Serbia's Novak Djokovic; Murray becomes the first British player to win a Grand Slam singles title since Fred Perry 76 years ago 2012 Event For the first time, a browsable, analysable overview of four million functional elements of the human genome discovered to date, are made available to the public in the 'Encyclopedia of DNA Elements' 2012 Event Curiosity, the Mars rover, broadcasts its first audio recording of a human voice from the surface of another planet 2012 Event Lydia Ko, a 15-year old amateur golfer, wins the Canadian Women's Open; she is the youngest winner ever on the LPGA Tour and first amateur to win since JoAnne Carner in 1969 2012 Event Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person on the Moon, dies at age 82 2012 Event The United Kingdom's Treasury Committee of the House of Commons releases the first of two volumes reporting on the LIBOR fixing scandal 2012 Event For the first time since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the United States plans to help clean up herbicide Agent Orange from areas in Vietnam 2012 Event David Rudisha of Kenya becomes the first athlete at the 2012 Summer Olympics to set a new world track record and secures the 800m gold medal 2012 Event South Africa's Oscar Pistorius becomes the first amputee to compete at the Olympic Games in the 400 meters 2012 Event America's first female astronaut, Sally Ride, dies of pancreatic cancer at age 61 2012 Event After placing first in the 2012 Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins becomes the first British cyclist to win the famous competition 2012 Event The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves of Truvada, the first drug shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection 2012 Event In Egypt, protesters throw tomatoes and shoes at U.S. Secretary of State's motorcade during her first visit to the country since President Mohamed Mursi was elected 2012 Event The Rolling Stones, English rock band, celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of its first performance at the Marquee Club in Oxford Street, London 2012 Event France O'Grady is appointed the first female General Secretary by Britain's Trade Union Congress 2012 Event The first space-bound Orion spacecraft is unveiled in Cape Canaveral, FloridaFlorida by NASA and Lockheed Martin 2012 Event The weight loss drug lorcaserin is approved by the FDA, the first weight loss drug to be approved since 1999 2012 Event Elena Vesnina beats five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, in the first round at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships 2012 Event Egypt's voters go to the polls for a second round of voting in their first presidential election 2012 Event In Bulgaria, remains believed to be John the Baptist, are scientifically dated to be from the first century AD 2012 Event Swedish doctors perform the world's first stem cell assisted vein transplant on a 10-year old girl 2012 Event Israel announces it is deporting its first planeload of South Sudanese illegal migrants 2012 Event A solar plane, called The Solar Impulse, lands in Morocco after completing the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the Sun 2012 Event Madonna begins her MDNA Tour in Tel Aviv, Israel, the first of more than 65 cities she will perform at worldwide 2012 Event The first commercial spacecraft, SpaceX Dragon, docks with the International Space Station when it completes docking at 12:02pm EDT 2012 Event During the first three months of 2012, revised figures show that the U.K. economy shrunk by 0.3% 2012 Event Sarah West, a British naval officer Commander is appointed commander of HMS Portland, the Royal Navy frigate; she is the first female officer to take command of a major British warship 2012 Event Scientists in Kamchatka, Russia, report sighting the first adult white orca to be seen in the wild 2012 Event U.S. company Google, Inc., announces its 2012 first quarter earnings rose by more than 24%, and net profits increased to $8.14 billion 2012 Event The North Korean Workers party names Kin Jong Un First Secretary, with his father, Kim Jong IL delcared as the party's 'eternal' General Secretary 2012 Event The first deployment of U.S. Marines arrives in Australia's city of Darwin in the Northern Territory 2012 Event In Orlando, Golf pro Tiger Woods wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament; this is his first PGA Tour victory since 2009 2012 Event In Mexico, thousands in Guanajuato, come out to greet Pope Benedict XVI at the start of his first visit to Spanish-speaking Latin America 2012 Event The first comprehensive map of the debris field of the RMS Titanic is revealed 2012 Event IBM announces it is on the cusp of creating the world's first quantum computer 2012 Event In New Zealand's city of Christchurch, thousands of people commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake where 185 people died last year 2012 Event The Guardian proclaims 'The Guard' has won its first annual film award 2012 Event A children's story by James Joyce is published for the first time in Dublin; the story, 'The Cats of Copenhagen' is called an 'outrage' 2012 Event Josefina Vazquez Mota is the first woman ever endorsed by a major Mexican party to run for President of Mexico 2012 Event For the first time in nearly 17 years, Spain's unemployment number passes five million 2012 Event In Egypt, protesters commemorate the first anniversary of the revolution 2012 Event Finland holds the first round of its Presidential election 2012 Event Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez meets with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the first stop of Ahmadinejad's Latin American tour 2011 Event Tiger Woods wins the Chevron World Challenge, the first tournament he has won in over two years 2011 Event Scientists in New Britain discover the first orchid known to flower at night, Bulbophyllum nocturnum, over the cost of Papua New Guinea 2011 Event China makes its first orbital docking as its unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft successfully docks with the orbiting Tiangong 1 space station module 2011 Event In Mexico, Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson opens the world's first commercial spaceport, Spaceport America, with flights expected to being by 2013 2011 Event In Poland, the Polish People's Party coalition becomes the first government to be reelected since Poland transitioned to democracy in 1989 2011 Event Helle Thorning-Schmidt introduces the new coalition government, officially becoming Denmark's 41st and first female Prime Minister 2011 Event The 8th largest search engine in the world, Russia's Yandex, marks its first venture outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by expanding into Turkey 2011 Event In Berlin, Social Democrats do well in a state election; the Pirate Party enters a state parliament for the first time, with the Free Democrats achieving 2% of the vote 2011 Event NASA reveals its Space Launch System plan, intended to replace the Space Shuttle program with its first flight scheduled for 2017 2011 Event First Air fails in an attempt to land a Boeing 737 in poor conditions; 12 of 15 people die after the plane crashes near Canada's Resolute Bay 2011 Event New Zealand's highest mountain, the south ridge of Aoraki/Mount Cook, is renamed Hillary Ridge after Sir Edmund Hillary, first to conquer Mt. Everest 2011 Event Standard &: Poor's rating agency downgrades U.S. sovereign debt; the downgrade is the first in the history of the United States 2011 Event Thailand's parliament officially elects Yingluck Shinawatra as Prime Minister of Thailand; Yingluck is Thailand's first female Prime Minister 2011 Event Former Cuban President Fidel Castro makes his first appearance outside of Havana since leaving office in 2006, visiting a mausoleum in Artemisa 2011 Event Neptune completes its first orbit of the sun since the planet was discovered in 1846 2011 Event In Borneo a previously extinct rainbow toad is rediscovered by scientists; the sighting is the first since its extinction was declared in 1924 2011 Event In Bordeaux, France, and elderly woman becomes the first person to die from the recent e.coli outbreak 2011 Event Tropical Storm Arlene, the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season's first tropical storm, lands near Cabo Rojo and brings heavy rain to Mexico and southern Texas 2011 Event Pope Benedict XVI announces the launch of a new Vatican website, news.va; he also performs the first tweet ever made by a pope 2011 Event The first condemnation of discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people is issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council 2011 Event In the 2011 NBA Finals, he Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA title, winning 4 - 2 over the Miami Heat 2011 Event Li Na becomes the first Asian tennis player to win a major title winning the 2011 French Open; Li Na is from the People's Republic of China 2011 Event The Pope, Benedict XVI, becomes the first pontiff to participate in a televised interview session, pre-recorded for Italian television 2011 Event In a Schrodinger's cat experiment, researchers in Japan and Australia successfully teleport wave packets of light; this is the first transfer of quantum information from one point to another 2011 Event Kenya opens The Africa Carbon Exchange, the first carbon exchange in Africa to exchange carbon credits 2011 Event The first full face transplant is performed by surgeons at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts 2011 Event The Tokyo Stock Exchange falls more than five percent on the first day of trading following the 2011 Sendai earthquake 2011 Event For the first time since 1979 Iranian Revolution, two ships from the Iran Navy are sent through the Suez Canal 2011 Event North and South Korean officials meet for working-level military talks, the first Korean dialogue in eight months 2011 Event Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak appoints Omar Suleiman Vice President, the first office existing under the President in 30 years 2011 Event Lara Giddings becomes the first female Premier of the Australian state of Tasmania 2011 Event North Korea plans to host its first ever golf tournament on a course frequented by leader Kim Jong-il 2011 Event Haiti commemorates the first anniversary of the 2010 earthquake 2011 Event Brazil swears in Dilma Rousseff, its first female president 2010 Event The first snowfall in the last 128 years occurs in the U.S. city of Atlanta, Georgia; 500 flights are affected 2010 Event A male Algerian is fined by a court in Nice for insulting the French national flag; this was the first such penalty ever to be administered 2010 Event The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology announces it has developed the first ever spherical robot with telescopic arms 2010 Event The first ever HIV infection is announced in the Cook Islands 2010 Event The Leaf, one of the first mass market electric cars is launched by Nissan 2010 Event For the first time in ten years, Burmese pro-Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is reunited with her son 2010 Event Germany holds its first pirate trial in 400 years, placing ten Somalia�s on trial for attacking a German ship 2010 Event Jimmy Johnson becomes the first driver ever to win five straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships 2010 Event Alaska's State Senator Lisa Murkowski becomes the first write-in candidate to successfully win an election since 1954 2010 Event The Paris Masters final is won by Sweden's Robin Soderling, a first major win for the player, now ranked fourth in the world of tennis 2010 Event The People's Republic of China announces it is taking its first census in ten years 2010 Event The first black mayor of a town in the former Eastern Bloc of Europe, Peter Bossman, becomes Mayor of Piran, Slovenia 2010 Event Over 250 people die as a result of the cholera outbreak in the 2010 Haitian cholera outbreak; cholera is detected for the first time in Port-au-Prince 2010 Event Naheed Nenshi, the first Muslim in Canada's history is elected mayor of Calgary in Alberta, Canada 2010 Event Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop, is canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Square 2010 Event Florencio Avalos, the first of 33 miners trapped underground in the 2010 Copiapo mining accident is rescued from the mine 2010 Event The first dedicated 3D TV channel in Europe, Sky 3D, launches in the UK 2010 Event For the first time in two years, South Korea and North Korea reach an agreement to hold working-level military talks 2010 Event The Medal of Honor is awarded for the first time since the Vietnam War; U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the medal for his actions during the War in Afghanistan 2010 Event In Chile, 33 miners trapped half a mile beneath the surface make contact with their families for the first time in three weeks since the incidentally 2010 Event Sumatra's Sinabung volcano erupts for the first time in 400 years, killing one and causing Indonesia to evacuate thousands of people 2010 Event Sarah, Duchess of York, becomes the first Royal in history to suffer possible bankruptcy 2010 Event The first democratic election in the history of Guinea is held 2010 Event The inquiry into Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland, 1972, determined British paratroopers first the first shot without warning, and concocted lies to cover up their acts 2010 Event Scientists at the Craig J. Venter Institute announce they have successfully created the world's first artificial lifeform by transplanting a synthesized genome into an existing cell 2010 Event Alphalara itadori, a Japanese insect that combats invasive Japanese knotweed, is the first biocontrol agent approved by the European Union 2010 Event The Vatican approves of Australian Mary MacKillop as their first saint for canonization 2010 Event The Queen Mary 2 makes her first port call in China at the Port of Shanghai, since her maiden voyage in 2004 2010 Event Men's freestyle skiing moguls competitor, Alexandre Bilodeau, wins the first gold medal Canada has ever won on home soil at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics 2010 Death Florence Green, the last known female First World War veteran who served with the Women's RAF in 1918, dies at 108 2010 Event Australian researchers discover the first plane taken to Antarctica in 1912 2009 Event For the first time in 17 years, North Korea raises the value of its currency 2009 Event Kosovo holds its first local election since declaring independence from Serbia 2009 Event The "swine flu", the H1N1 influenza strain is the first condition deemed a global pandemic since the Hong Kong flu of 1967 - 1968 2009 Event Iran launches first domestically made satellite, Omid, into orbit 2008 Event Bhutan holds it's first public election 2008 Event Oil reaches $100 per barrel for the first time 2006 Event Dow closes above 12,000 for the first time 2006 Event North Korea conducts first atomic weapons test 2006 Event Dow closes above 11,800 for the first time 2006 Event Stephen Harper, wins the election in Canada and is the first conservative Prime Minister in 12 years 2005 Event First human face transplant is performed in France 2005 Event Shuttle Discovery STS-114 launches, first flight since Columbia disaster 2005 Event Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse, France 2005 Event Steve Fossett flies the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to a world record by completing the first non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around the world 2005 Event Parliamentary elections in Iraq, the first since 1958 2004 Death Vaughn Meader, comic/musician, The First Family, dies at 62 2004 Death Joseph James Zimmerman, inventor, invented the first electronic telephone answering machine in 1948, dies at 91 2004 Death J. J. Jackson, DJ/VJ, first VJ on MTV, dies at 62 2004 Death Olivia Goldsmith, writer, The First Wives Club, dies at 54 2003 Death Gertrude Ederle, swimming celebrity/teacher, first woman, and fifth person, to swim the English Channel, dies at 97 2003 Death Althea Gibson, tennis/golf great, first black woman to win Wimbledon, dies at 76 2003 Death Maynard Jackson, lawyer/mayor, first black mayor of Atlanta, dies at 65 2003 Death Ilan Ramon, astronaut, first Israeli in space, mission specialist on Columbia, STS-107, dies at 48 2003 Death Kalpana Chawla, astronaut, first Asian Indian woman in space, payload specialist on the Columbia, STS-107, dies at 41 2002 Death Joseph Nathan Kane, trivia expert, Famous First Facts, dies at 103 2002 Death "General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr", Air Force General, first black general in the Air Force, dies at 89 2001 Death Dr. Christiaan Barnard, surgeon, ", performed the first heart transplant, South Africa 1967, ", dies at 78 2001 Event Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist by paying $20 million to fly on a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station. 2001 Event Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft becomes first vehicle to land on an asteroid (433 Eros) 2000 Death Gwendolyn Brooks, poet, first black American to win a Pulitzer Prize, dies at 83 2000 Event Hilary Clinton is the first former First Lady elected to the Senate 1999 Death Joe Adcock, first baseman, outfielder, played for Cincinnati Reds dies 1998 Death Tom Bradley, mayor, first black mayor of LA, dies at 80 1998 Death Cary Middlecoff, professional golfer with what is currently known as the PGA Tour in the 1940s, University of Mississippi's first golf All-American 1939, dies in Memphis, Tennessee at age 77 1998 Event President Bill Clinton testifies before a grand jury investigating his conduct (first president to do so), and admits an 'inappropriate relationship' with Monica Lewinsky 1998 Death Alan Shepard, astronaut, first American in space, dies at 74 1998 Event First Lady Hilary Clinton blames charges that President Clinton had affairs part of a vast right-wing conspiracy 1997 Death Dawn Steel, film maker, first woman to head a major Hollywood studio, responsible for 'Flashdance', 'Fatal Attraction', dies at 51 1997 Death Diana, Princess of Wales, first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, mother of Princes William and Harry, noted for philanthropy, dies in Paris, at age 36, killed in a car crash 1997 Death Mary Louise Smith, first woman to chair the Republican National Committee, dies at 82 1997 Event First of America Senior Golf Classic 1997 Death Michael Dorris, writer, scholar, first unmarried man to adopt child, Raynold Abel, wrote about Reynold in 'The Broken Cord', commits suicide in Concord, New Hampshire, at age 52 1996 Event Liselotte Neumann wins First Bank Edina Realty LPGA Golf Classic 1996 Death Peter Bird, ocean rower, first person to cross the Pacific ocean solo, trip from San Francisco to Great Barrier Reef, lasted 294 days, dies at age 49 at sea during an attempt to row across the Pacific 1995 Death Phyllis Hyman, Phyllis Linda Hyman, soul singer, songwriter, actress, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, disco genres, first solo Top Ten Hit, 'Can't We Fall In Love Again', received Tony-nomination for Broadway musical, Sophisticated Ladies, dies from suicide at 45 1994 Death Jackie Kennedy, First Lady 1994 Death Agatha Uwilingiyimana, Prime Minister of Rwanda (first female prime minister in Africa), assassinated, the day after President Habyarimana's plane was shot down, killing him and the president of Burundi 1992 Birthday Miley Ray Cyrus, pop-rock singer, actress, 100 Most Influential People in the World list, Time magazine, 2008, star of Disney's 'Hannah Montana', debut album, 'Meet Miley Cyrus' had first top ten single, 'See You Again' 1991 Event Monica Seles ends Steffi Graf's streak of 186 weeks ranked first 1987 Birthday Blake Lively, born in Tarzana, California, actress, first role, Bridget, 'The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants', cast in CW television network series 'Gossip Girl', has appeared on covers of magazines Seventeen, Vogue 1986 Event 6th Golden Raspberry Awards: Rambo: First Blood Part II wins 1986 Death Ned Calmer, TV host (In the First Person), dies at 78 1983 Birthday Jessica Lynch, born in Palatine, West Virginia, former Private First Class in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, captured by Iraqis, recovered by special ops forces 1982 Death Hans Selye, endocrinologist, first to demonstrate the existence of biological stress, began stress research in 1926, published 7 popular books, 1,700 research papers, 15 monographs, dies in Montreal, Canada 1982 Birthday Kelly Clarkson, born in Fort Worth, Texas, singer, songwriter, winner of first season of 'American Idol' television series, hits include, 'Thankful', 'Because of You' 1981 Death Jessie Matthews, actress (Gangway, First a Girl), dies at 74 1979 Event On a flight to Austin, TX, Daniel Okrent sketches out the first 1979 Birthday Matt Nagle, born in Massachusetts, quadriplegic, first to use brain-computer interface to control movement 1978 Event First dedicated oceanographic satellite, SEASAT 1, launched 1973 Birthday Mark Larsen, born in Denmark, jockey, rode "Vetrotex" to victory in his first Danish Derby, son of Ole Larsen 1973 Birthday David Blaine, born in Brooklyn, New York, illusionist, endurance artist, considered a modern-day Houdini, first television special titled, 'David Blaine; Street Magic' 1972 Event Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Quality First Golf Classic 1971 Birthday Selena, born Selena Quintanilla-Perez, born in Lake Jackson, Texas, Mexican American singer, called 'The Queen of Tejano music', released first album at age 12 1968 Event "Her First Roman" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater New York City after 17 performances 1968 Birthday Tony Hawk, professional skateboarder, completed the first 2.5-revolution aerial spin, the 900, licensed the 'Tony Hawk' videogame series 1967 Event Edward Brooke, born in Washington, D.C, Senator-R-Massachusetts 1967 - 1979, first African American to be elected to the Senate 1966 Death Bobby Fuller, rocker, singer, guitarist, most famous single titled, I Fought the Law, written by Sonny Curtis, first top 40 hit, Let Her Dance, influences include The Beatles, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, found dead at 22 1966 Birthday Shabba Ranks, born in Sturgetown, St. Ann, Jamaica, born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon, reggae singer, recording artist, sex symbol, popular dancehall DJ, toaster, successful U.S. crossover artist, became first Grammy-Award winning dancehall artist 1965 Birthday Troy Neel, born in Freeport, Texas, professional baseball player, first baseman, hitter, played for Oakland Athletics, Orix BlueWave team in Japan 1965 Birthday Kevin James, born in Stony Brook, New York, actor, comedian, appeared on ''The Late Show with David Letterman', films include, 'Hitch', 'Grown Ups', '50 First Dates' 1964 Birthday Etsuko Inoue, born in Japan, professional tennis player, first to win women's tennis competition at the Asian Games, 1982 1964 Birthday Michelle Obama, born in Chicago, Illinois, maiden name, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, first African-American First Lady of the United States, husband to Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, employed by Sidley Austin law firm and University of Chicago Medical Center 1961 Birthday Randy Milligan, born in San Diego, California, professional baseball player, first baseman, played for New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds 1961 Birthday Joan Delk, born in Tampa, Florida, LPGA golfer, 1995 First Bank Edina Realty-66th 1961 Birthday Diana, Princess of Wales, born in Park House, England, first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, mother of Princes William and Harry, noted for philanthropy 1960 Birthday Andy Van Slyke, born in Utica, New York, professional baseball player, outfielder, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, coached first base for the Detroit Tigers 1959 Event "First Impressions" closes at Alvin Theater New York City after 84 performances 1958 Event First 2 F-27 Fokker's Friendships delivered on Aer Lingus 1958 Death Douglas Mawson, Antarctic explorer, geologist, member, Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, among first to reach South Magnetic Pole, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage, in Brighton, South Australia, at age 76 1958 Birthday Ian Woosnam, born in Oswestry, England, nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Wee Welshman', 'Woosers', Welsh, professional golfer, played first European Tour, 1979, won Swiss Open, 1982, number one in Official World Golf Rankings in 1991, awarded O.B.E. 2007 New Years Honors List 1957 Birthday Bernhard Langer, born in Anhausen, West Germany, professional golfer, two-time Masters champion, ranked as the world's first official number one player in 1986 1957 Birthday Faith Daniels, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, news anchor, CBS News, at age 27 was one of the youngest national news anchors ever, first journalist to host daily talk show, A Closer Look, 1991 1956 Birthday David Caruso, born in Forest Hills, New York, actor, producer, known for television series, 'CSI: Miami', appeared in films, 'First Blood', 'China Girl', 'An Officer and a Gentleman' 1955 Birthday Bill Koch, born in Brattleboro, Vermont, skier, first U.S. world-class cross-country skier, won 1982 Cross-country skiing World Cup 1955 Birthday Cary Middlecoff, born in Halls, Tennessee, professional golfer with what is currently known as the PGA Tour in the 1940s, University of Mississippi's first golf All-American 1939 1954 Birthday Annette Guest, U.S. singer, First Choice 1954 Birthday Sarah Lundy, born in America, horse trainer, won Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Downs, 1993, first female trainer to saddle a horse in the Belmont Stakes 1954 Birthday Sonia Sotomayor, born in the Bronx, New York City, first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, third female Supreme Court justice 1953 Birthday Warren Cromartie, born in Miami Beach, Florida, professional baseball player, outfielder, first baseman, played with the Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos 1953 Birthday Benazir Bhutto, born in Pakistan, first woman elected prime minister, chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) 1953 Birthday Jules Shear, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, musician, singer, performed with The Funky Kings, Raisins in the Sun, created, hosted, first 13 episodes of MTV series, Unplugged, song, All Through the Night, recorded by Cyndi Lauper, ranked number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, co-wrote title track for Everything's Different Now album, with Matthew Sweet 1952 Birthday Dave Collins, born in Rapid City, South Dakota, professional baseball player, outfielder, first base coach for the Florida Marlins 1951 Birthday Al Greenwood, keyboardist, Foreigner-Feels Like the First Time 1951 Birthday Chris Smith, born in Barnet, London, Christopher Robert 'Chris' Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, politician, Labor Party, Her Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council, Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury, Cabinet minister, first openly gay MP member, HIV positive 1951 Birthday Sally Ride, born in Encino, California, physicist, astronaut, first American woman crewmember in space on the Challenger, founded NASA's Office of Exploration 1951 Birthday Barry Goudreau, born in America, guitarist, vocalist, original guitarist for Boston, the rock band, recorded his first solo LP using Brad Delp and Fran Cosmo, and Sib Hashian 1951 Birthday Phil Neal, born in Irchester, Northamptonshire, professional soccer player, manger, right fullback, appeared in the first five of Liverpool's European Cup finals 1951 Birthday Benny Ayala, born in Yauco, Puerto Rico, Benigno Ayala Felix, Major League Baseball player, played outfield, first base, designated hitter for New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals 1950 Birthday Wally Lamb, born in America, author, novelist, featured in Oprah's Book Club, books include 'The Hour I First Believed' 'I'll Fly Away: Further Testimonies from the Women of York Prison', 'She's Come Undone', 'I Know This Much is True' 1950 Birthday Phyllis Hyman, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phyllis Linda Hyman, soul singer, songwriter, actress, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, disco genres, first solo Top Ten Hit, 'Can't We Fall In Love Again', received Tony-nomination for Broadway musical, Sophisticated Ladies 1950 Birthday Clarence Ellis, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, football player, safety, played with National Football League's Atlanta Falcons, drafted in first round of 1972 NFL Draft 1950 Birthday Rochelle Fleming, U.S. soul vocalist, First Choice, Smarty Pants 1947 Birthday Terry Williams, rocker, First Edition 1947 Birthday Dominique Sanda, born in Paris, France, actress, 1900, First Love 1947 Birthday Peter Bird, born in Britain, ocean rower, first person to cross the Pacific ocean solo, trip from San Francisco to Great Barrier Reef, lasted 294 days 1946 Birthday Laura Bush, American First Lady 1946 Birthday Dawn Steel, born in America, film maker, first woman to head a major Hollywood studio, responsible for 'Flashdance', 'Fatal Attraction' 1945 Birthday Khaleda Zia, born in Dinajpur District, India, first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh 1991 - 1996, listed in Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World 2006 1945 Birthday Michael Dorris, born in Louisville, Kentucky, writer, scholar, first unmarried man to adopt child, Raynold Abel, wrote about Reynold in 'The Broken Cord' 1944 Birthday Ted Templeman, born in Santa Cruz, musician, record producer, guitarist, vocalist, drummer, produced 'The Doobie Brothers' for Warner Brothers, 'Montrose', Carly Simon's 'Another Passenger', Van Halen's first album 1943 Birthday Tarja Halonen, born in Kallio, Finland, politician, lawyer, Social Democratic Party, first female President of Finland 1943 Birthday Burt Rutan, born in Estacada, Oregon, Elbert Leander Burt Rutan, inventor, aerospace engineer, created the Voyager, the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and SpaceShipOne, which entered space two times in fourteen days 1942 Birthday Bobby Fuller, born in Baytown, Texas, rocker, singer, guitarist, most famous single titled, I Fought the Law, written by Sonny Curtis, first top 40 hit, Let Her Dance, influences include The Beatles, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran 1941 Death Juanita Spellini, first women executed in California 1941 Birthday Marina Ripa, Rome, Italy, countess/writer, My First 40 Years 1941 Birthday Micki Grant, born in Chicago, Illinois, composer, singer, soprano, actress, writer, composer, appeared on NBC's Another World, became first African-American cast member of a daytime soap opera 1941 Birthday Imants Kalnins, born in Riga, Latvia, composer, wrote six symphonies, first composer of intellectual rock music, Latvia's most important composer 1940 Birthday Mary Rose Oakar, born in Cleveland, Ohio, politician, first Democratic woman elected to U.S. Congress, member, U.S. House of Representatives 1939 Birthday O. V. Wright, born in Leno, Tennessee, singer, sang gospel, considered southern soul artist, first pop recording, 'That's How Strong My Love Is' 1938 Birthday David Borden, born in Boston, Massachusetts, composer, minimalist music, jazz pianist, founded Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company, the world's first synthesizer ensemble, wrote vocal, chamber ensemble, music, style similar to Phillip Glass, Terry Riley 1937 Birthday Jim Hunt, born in Wilson, North Carolina, politician, Democratic Party, first and only four-term Governor of North Carolina 1976 - 2001 1936 Birthday Wally Amos, born in Tallahassee, Florida, actor, speaker, co-wrote, 'The Power in You', founder, 'Famous Amos' chocolate chip cookie brand, first African-American talent agent, represented Diana Ross & the Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel 1934 Birthday Ramon Sender, born in Madrid, Spain, composer, co-founder, San Francisco Tape Music Center, co-designed the first west coast synthesizer, the Buchla Box 1934 Birthday Dionne Quintuplets, secluded quintuplets, born Annette, Alive Cecile, Alive Emelie, Dead 1954 Marie, Dead 1970 Yvonne, Alive, First known set of surviving quintuplets, these girls were treated as a side show 1934 Birthday Jane Byrne, born in Chicago, Illinois, first female Mayor of Chicago, Illinois 1979 - 1983, served as head of consumer affairs 1933 Death Henry Van Dyke, clergyman, educator, author, wrote poetry, hymns, essays, co-wrote first Presbyterian printed liturgy, 'The Common Book of Worship of 1906', served as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands and Luxembourg, dies 1933 Birthday Costantinos Gavras, born in Greece, known as Costa-Gavras, French filmmaker, created political-themed films, known for fast-paced thriller titled Z, first film titled Missing, 1982 1932 Birthday David Scott, born in San Antonio, Texas, astronaut, commander of Apollo 15 mission, seventh person to walk on the Moon, first person to drive on the Moon 1932 Birthday Paul Erlich, born in Bad Homburg, Germany, scientist, immunologist, won Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, developed first antibacterial drug in modern medicine 1931 Birthday Boris Yeltsin, born in Russia, first President of the Russian Federation, endorsed free market economies 1929 Death Mary MacLane, author, individualistic style included feminist rhetoric, raw admissions, first book, 'The Story of Mary Mac Lane' published in 1902, sold 100,000 copies in the first month, dies at age 48, in Chicago, Illinois 1929 Birthday Jackie Kennedy, First Lady 1927 Birthday Joe Adcock, born in Coushatta, Louisiana, first baseman, outfielder, played for Cincinnati Reds, homered four times in a single game against Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field 1927 Birthday Rosalynn Carter, American First Lady 1924 Death Florence Harding, American First Lady 1923 Birthday Wally Schirra, born in New Jersey, astronaut, flew in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, America's first three space programs 1921 Birthday Dobrica Cosic, born in Velika Drenova, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, now Serbia, writer, political, national theorist, first president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1992 - 1993, called 'Father of the Nation' 1919 Birthday Edmund Hillary, born in Auckland, New Zealand, mountaineer, explorer, first climber to summit Mount Everest 1919 Birthday Ella Grasso, born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, politician, Democratic Party, first woman elected Governor of Connecticut, served 1975 - 1980 1919 Birthday Ian Smith, born in Zimbabwe, founder, first Prime Minister of Rhodesia 1918 Death Georgi Valentinovich Plechanow, pseudonym, Volgin, writer, author, organized Russia's first political demonstration, dies in Geneva, Switzerland, at age 60 1917 Death Andrew Taylor Still, osteopath, successfully reduced fractures, founded first school of osteopathic medicine, died at age 89 1917 Birthday Jane Wyman, born in Missouri, actress, film, television, Academy Award-winner, first wife of U.S. President Ronald Reagan 1913 Event New York Giants score 10 in 10th to beat Phillies 11-10, Hooks Wiltse pitches the first nine innings for New York before wilting, and Christy Mathewson relieves 1913 Birthday Tillie Olsen, born in Nebraska, writer, considered the first generation of American feminists 1912 Birthday Lady Bird Johnson, born in Texas, First Lady of the United States, called "Lady Bird", beautified Washington, D.C. 1912 Birthday Claudia Johnson, American First Lady 1911 Event George Bernard Shaw's "Fanny's First Play," premieres in London 1909 Birthday Bukka White, born in Houston, Mississippi, Booker T. Washington White, gave cousin B.B. King his first guitar, celebrated as National steel guitarist, wrote "Parchman Farm Blues" 1909 Event Construction begins on first 100 houses in Ahuzat Bayit (Tel Aviv) 1907 Birthday Renzo Cesana, Rome, Italy, TV host, First Date, Continental 1907 Birthday Mascha Kaleko, born in Chrzanow, Austria, now Poland, writer, German language poet, first book 'Lyrisches Stenogrammheft' was burned in Nazi book burnings, wrote advertising copy while living in New York 1907 Birthday Jessie Matthews, born in London, England, actress, Gangway, First a Girl 1907 Birthday Hans Selye, born in Vienna, Austria, endocrinologist, first to demonstrate the existence of biological stress, began stress research in 1926, published 7 popular books, 1,700 research papers, 15 monographs 1906 Birthday Albert Hofmann, born in Baden, Switzerland, scientist, first to synthesize, examine, study, the psychedelic effects of LSD 1901 Event SDAP demands general voting right/abolishing First Chamber 1882 Birthday Douglas Mawson, born in Yorkshire, England, Antarctic explorer, geologist, member, Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, among first to reach South Magnetic Pole 1881 Birthday Mary MacLane, born in Winnipeg, Canada, author, individualistic style included feminist rhetoric, raw admissions, first book, 'The Story of Mary Mac Lane' published in 1902, sold 100,000 copies in the first month 1876 Death Eliza Johnson, American First Lady 1864 Birthday Franz Miller, becomes first Train Murderer 1863 Event Very 1st First National Bank opens in Davenport, Iowa 1860 Birthday Florence Harding, American First Lady 1856 Birthday Georgi Valentinovich Plechanow, born in Tambov, Russia, pseudonym, Volgin, writer, author, organized Russia's first political demonstration 1852 Birthday Henry Van Dyke, clergyman, educator, author, wrote poetry, hymns, essays, co-wrote first Presbyterian printed liturgy, 'The Common Book of Worship of 1906', served as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands and Luxembourg 1852 Death Louisa Catherine Adams, American First Lady 1849 Death Dolley Madison, wife of the 4th President of the United States, James Madison, First Lady of the United States, 1809 - 1817, acted as First Lady for Thomas Jefferson, portrait appears on United States Mint 1/2 ounce $10 gold coins, died at age 81 in Washington, D.C. 1828 Birthday Andrew Taylor Still, born in Lee County, Virginia, osteopath, successfully reduced fractures, founded first school of osteopathic medicine 1818 Death Abigail Adams, 2nd first lady (1797-1801), dies at 73 1810 Birthday Eliza Johnson, American First Lady 1805 Event Female Charitable Society, first woman's club in America 1789 Event French States-General for It first since 1614 together 1775 Birthday Louisa Catherine Adams, American First Lady 1768 Birthday Dolley Madison, born in New Garden, North Carolina, wife of the 4th President of the United States, James Madison, First Lady of the United States, 1809 - 1817, acted as First Lady for Thomas Jefferson, portrait appears on United States Mint 1/2 ounce $10 gold coins 1744 Birthday Abigail Adams, born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, 2nd first lady, 1797-1801 1732 Birthday Martha Washington, born in the Province of Virginia, 1st American First Lady, 1789 - 1797 1731 Birthday Martha Washington, American First Lady 661 Death Ali ibn Abi Talib, the holiest meeting site of Islam, son-in-law, of prophet Muhammad, Muslim Sunni - Shi'a split occurred because Sunni's consider him 4th, last Rashidun, Shi'a's consider him first Imam, rightful successor to Muhammad, dies at age 62 599 Birthday Ali ibn Abi Talib, born in Mecca, the holiest meeting site of Islam, son-in-law, of prophet Muhammad, Muslim Sunni - Shi'a split occurred because Sunni's consider him 4th, last Rashidun, Shi'a's consider him first Imam, rightful successor to Muhammad
