First Indoor Swimming Pool opens in London in 1742 On this day in 1742, London opened the world’s first indoor swimming pool—the Bagnio—on Lemon Street. For a guinea, well-to-do gentlemen could enjoy a 43-foot heated pool, away from the filth…
History: Golden Gate Bridge opens in 1937 On this day in 1937 on the opening day of the Golden Gate Bridge, some 200,000 pedestrians appeared to cross the bay between San Francisco and Marin County. A day later, the bridge…
History: TWA begins commercial service in 1934 On May 18, 1934, TWA (Trans World Airlines) officially launched its commercial service on the Columbus-Pittsburgh-Newark route with the Douglas DC-2. The aircraft's success quickly led to its introduction on most TWA routes,…
Today in History: 1st Kentucky Derby in 1875 On May 17, 1875, a cheering crowd of 10,000 people watched the horse, Aristides, a Thoroughbred named after an ancient Greek general, and his rider, Oliver Lewis, cross the finish line to…
History: 1st Coast to Coast Railroad in the USA On this day in 1869, the first coast to coast railroad is completed in the United States. The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroad systems were joined at Promontory Summit in…
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Cinco de Mayo began in the 1860s with Mexican-American communities in the West as a celebration of freedom and democracy during the Civil War. Today, it's widely observed in the U.S. as a celebration of Mexican…
History: Cap Arcona sunk in 1945 On this day in 1945, the German ship "Cap Arcona" laden with prisoners was sunk by the Royal Air Force in the East Sea. It is estimated that 5,800 people on board were killed…
History: Victor Vasarely born in 1908 The Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely (born: Gyözö Vásárhelyi ) was born in Pecs, Hungary, in 1908, Vasarely began his artistic training in Budapest in the late 1920s. In 1928, he studied the concepts of…
Today is National Zoo Lovers Day Every year on April 8, we celebrate National Zoo Lovers Day—a perfect opportunity to visit a zoo and join the millions of people who do so annually. Spend the day watching your favorite animals…
History: The first modern Olympics open in Athens in 1896 On this day in 1896, 241 athletes from 14 countries participated in the first modern Olympiad in Athens, Greece. The event took place over 1500 years after the last ancient…