This Day in History Class

On this day in 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded, killing an estimate of nearly 2,000 people. / On this day in 1882, writer and literary editor Jessie Redmon Fauset was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1986, a chemical explosion in a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine triggered one of the worst nuclear disasters ever. / On this day in 1920, astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis presented their opposing points about the scale of the universe in an event sometimes called “The Great Debate.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1953, Watson and Crick's article on their discovery of the structure of DNA was published in the journal Nature. / On this day in 1917, American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1932, hundreds of ramblers protested being denied access to open country by trespassing at Kinder Scout, a moorland plateau in England. / This day in 1914 is widely considered the beginning of the Armenian genocide, though Armenian massacres had occurred previously. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1985, Coca-Cola launched New Coke, the reformulated version of its flagship drink. Coke drinkers did not respond well to the new taste, to say the least. / On this day in 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, a Bavarian beer purity law, was adopted. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1954, the Army-McCarthy Senate hearings began which resulted in the end of the McCarthy era. / On this day in 1915, Germany released chlorine gas during the Second Battle of Ypres, marking the first effective use of poison gas on the Western Front. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1966, members of the gay rights organization the Mattachine Society staged a "sip-in" to protest gay people being refused service at bars. / On this day in 1934, the Daily Mail published a photo of what was allegedly the Loch Ness Monster. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1968, Conservative MP gave an anti-immigration speech that became known as the "Rivers of Blood" speech. / On this day in 1946, the League of Nations was dissolved. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oliver Haugh, who had been convicted of killing his family, was executed by electric chair on this day in 1907. / On this day in 1861, a riot broke out in Baltimore, Maryland, between Confederate sympathizers and state militia regiments on their way to Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1688, four Quakers in Germantown, Pennsylvania, authored a petition against slavery. / On this day in 1980, the colony of Southern Rhodesia gained independence from Britain and became Zimbabwe. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.