January 8th, 2009

Today in History

2004:
Queen Elizabeth names the Queen Mary II cruise liner, the largest passenger ship ever built.

1996:
An Antonov 32 cargo jet crashes into the central market in Kinshasa, Zaire killing more than 350

1989:
beginning of Japanese Heisei era

1894:
A fire at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois causes a good deal of damage.

1838:
Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).