Discover What Happened Today in History
The shortest recorded war in history began and ended on this day, lasting approximately 38 minutes. The conflict erupted when the British Royal Navy bombarded the Zanzibari Sultan's palace after the death of a pro-British sultan and the succession of a rival not approved by the British.
Edwin L. Drake successfully drilled and struck oil at a well near Titusville, Pennsylvania, launching the modern petroleum industry. This discovery proved that oil could be extracted in large quantities from the ground, revolutionizing energy and industry.
NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft was launched, becoming the first robotic space probe to conduct a successful planetary encounter. It flew by Venus in December 1962, returning valuable data about the planet's temperature and atmosphere.
Representatives from 15 nations, including the United States, France, and Germany, signed this international agreement in Paris. The pact condemned 'recourse to war for the solution of international controversies' and sought to outlaw war as an instrument of national policy.
The volcanic island of Krakatoa in Indonesia erupted catastrophically in one of the most violent volcanic events in recorded history. The explosion was heard thousands of miles away and caused massive tsunamis, resulting in the deaths of over 36,000 people.