November 21st, 2008

Today in History

1962:
The Chinese People's Liberation Army declared a unilateral cease-fire in the Sino-Indian War.

1922:
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first woman United States Senator.

1877:
Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record sound (this is considered to be Edison's first great invention).

1789:
North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.

1783:
In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, marquis d'Arlandes, make the first untethered hot air balloon flight (flight time: 25 minutes, Maximum height: 100m, distance: 9 km).