History: Kentucky Derby 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 win the first-ever Kentucky Derby.…
History: Hygiene Museum in Germany On this day in 1912, the German Hygiene Museum opened its doors to the public. It is a medical museum in Dresden, Germany which is conceived today as a "forum for science, culture and society".…
History: Joseph Beuys born in 1921 Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist. His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy,…
History: Mercedes-Benz founded in 1924 Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged their two companies 96 years ago on this day and created one of the greatest automobile companies in the world. It started with two different ideas for two different…
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…
History: Josef Müller-Brockmann born in 1914 Josef Müller-Brockmann studied architecture, design, and history of art at the Kunstgewerbeschule and the University in Zurich. At the age of 22, he opened his own studio with a focus on graphic design, exhibition…
Today is International Jazz Day! When Louis Armstrong was asked what the definition of jazz was, he famously replied, "If you've got to ask, you'll never know." Today is a worldwide day of celebration of jazz and its unique history.…
Today in History: Beethoven composes “Für Elise” in 1810 “Bagatelle No. 25” (commonly known as "Für Elise", German for For Elise) for solo piano is one of the Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular works and one of the most recognized…
Today in History: Ukraine Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in 1986 On this day in 1986, an explosion and fire at the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine resulted in a nuclear meltdown sending radioactivity into the…
History: Herbert Matter born in 1907 On this day in 1907, The Swiss-born American photographer and graphic designer, Herbert Matter, was born. Matter studied art in Geneva and Paris and worked in France as a designer and photographer for Deberny…