The Most Important Events That Changed History Forever

Both bombings had catastrophic effects on the cities. It took Japan two years to recover from the devastating incident. Otto Hahn, a German atomic scientist known as the father of nuclear chemistry, is reported as having said to his colleagues, "Once I wanted to suggest that all uranium should be sunk to the bottom of the ocean."

Sputnik (1957)

Sputnik 1 was the first-ever artificial earth satellite. The beach ball-sized device was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. Three weeks later, its batteries died. After two months in space, Sputnik fell back into the atmosphere.

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The More You Know

  • Saint Patrick's Day began as a "feast day". To honor him, Christians could put aside their Lenten restrictions on food and alcohol consumption, which is why excessive drinking has become linked to the celebration.
  • An exotic dancer was busted by the IRS for failing to pay income tax on 1 million dollars in income she received in exchange for sex, from a single man.
  • The first roller coaster was invented to stop sinful behavior.
  • The first American woman to go to medical school was admitted as a joke. Geneva Medical School thought it was joke when Elizabeth Blackwell applied to attend 1847. She graduated in 1849, started her own practice, and opened an infirmary for the poor.
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