CBS televised the first color telecast. (1951) The American television company transmitted a one-hour program to four cities from New York. Though it was the first, CBS lost the color system war to RCA because its system didn’t work with existing black-and-white televisions. CBS refused to give profits to RCA and only televised color programs a couple of times the rest of the decade.
In the first ever live global broadcast, The Beatles gave the first performance of their new song All You Need Is Love. (1967) The band performed the hit song in a live international broadcast on the program Our World.
The final Packard rolled off the assembly line. (1956) The company would produce cars for another two years under the name Studebaker-Packard Corporation, but the car produced on this day in 1956 was the last of the original Packards.
The “King of Pop” — Michael Jackson — died. (2009) Commonly noted as the most successful entertainer in history, Jackson began his solo career when he was just 13 years old. His 1982 album Thriller was the best selling album of all time, with more than 110 million sales. His death was caused by a drug overdose and is currently considered a murder; his physician, Conrad Murray, was arrested for involuntary manslaughter. Jackson was just 50 years old.
A woman was awarded a PhD degree for the first time. (1678) Elena Cornaro Piscopia was a mathematician from the Republic of Venice, in modern-day Italy.
Anne Frank’s diary was published. (1947) The Diary of a Young Girl documents the Jewish child’s experiences during World War II while she was hiding from the Nazis. It has been translated into more than 60 languages.
Custer and his Cavalry lost the Battle of Little Big Horn. (1876) The Sioux and Cheyenne Indians defeated the 7th Cavalry in a bloody battle, resulting in the death of Lt. Col. George A. Custer and 267 soldiers.
The U.S. Congress passed the White-Slave Traffic Act. (1910) The Act was intended to prevent the trafficking of white females for prostitution. The original language, however, made many kinds of consensual sex acts a criminal offense. The Act was later amended to correct the language and specify criminal acts.
Hurricane Audrey struck the Gulf Coast. (1957) The storm was much worse than forecasted and many people weren’t able to get out in time — 416 people were killed, and the storm cause more than $1 billion US Dollars in damage.
American actress Farrah Fawcett died. (2009) Perhaps best known as one of the original Charlie’s Angels from the American television show of the same name, Fawcett was an international icon and sex symbol. Throughout her acting career, she was nominated for several Emmy and Golden globe awards.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau died. (1997) Cousteau was a famous oceanographer and explorer. He also was a co-inventor of the aqua lung, which allowed divers to breath while exploring under water for the first time. He was 87.