The Modern Day Olympic Games Begin On This Date In 1896 In Greece

Today in1712, a slave revolt in New York saw six white men killed – and later, 21 African Americans executed.

Today in 1896, the first modern Olympic games began in Athens, Greece.

Today in 1909, explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole. The claim, disputed by skeptics, was upheld in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation.

Today in 1940, the new Civil Aeronautics Administration awarded honorary license number 1 to Orville Wright.

Today in 1985, William J. Schroeder became the first artificial heart recipient to be discharged from the hospital as he moved into an apartment in Louisville, Kentucky.

Today in 1996,accompanied by six children who survived the Oklahoma City bombing, President Clinton bowed his head in silent prayer at the site where 168 people were killed almost a year earlier.

Today in 1999, more than a decade after Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Scotland – killing 270 people – the Libyan government bowed to years of diplomatic pressure and sanctions and handed over two suspects for trial.

Today in 2000, the father of Elian Gonzalez, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, arrived in the United States to press for the return of his six-year-old son to Cuba.

Today in 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near L'Aquila, Italy - killing more than 300, injuring more than one-thousand and displacing 65-thousand.

Today in 2016, the first baby conceived with DNA from three parents through mitochondrial transfer in Mexico was born. Because the procedure is not allowed in the United States, the child was conceived in Mexico, but born in New York.

 


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