740 – An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death.
1492 – Lead pencils first used
1825 – The Erie Canal opened in upstate New York. The 363-mile canal connected Lake Erie and the Hudson River
1854 – Charles William Post was born. He was the inventor of “Grape Nuts,” “Postum” and “Post Toasties.”
1858 – H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine.
1916 – Margaret Sanger arrested for obscenity (advocating birth control)
1947 – Maharajah of Jammu & Kashmir accedes to India
1950 – Mother Teresa founds Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India
1971 – UN votes to replace Taiwan with China
1977 – The last natural case of smallpox was discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.
By: Archa Dave
