An undertaker invented a pivotal piece of technology that would automate phone exchanges.
Long Beach Earthquake
Over 200 schools were destroyed in the disaster and it was clear that had the quake struck during school hours the death toll would have been significantly higher.
Amy Spain
The last "legally" executed slave in America was a seventeen-year-old girl named Amy Spain.
The Last Holdout
It was on this day, 29 years after World War II ended, that a lone Japanese soldier was finally coaxed out of his hiding place in the Philippines.
The Sakai Incident
The port was off-limits to foreigners and as soon as the Frenchmen pulled up to the docks they were attacked by a bunch of samurai.
Death by Toothpick
Sherwood Anderson loved to write about "grotesques." That was his way of describing people who are undermined by their own illusions or false dreams.
The Yogi
Through yoga and meditation, he inspired his students to see beyond the current moment and to understand the deeper calling inside each living being.
"I'm glad it was me instead of you."
Today was the day that Mayor Anton Cermak died from a bullet that was aimed at Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The Execution of Lena Baker
Her last words were, "What I done, I did in self-defense. I have nothing against anyone. I'm ready to meet my God."
The Bunion Derby
At 3:30 PM on this day, 199 runners left Los Angeles for the first Transcontinental Foot Race. The first man to make it to New York City would win $25,000.
Camels in America
The camels performed well in initial tests where they were able to handle rough terrain and the extreme temperatures of the Southwest.
The Ballard Gutter Ball
Drew Ballard was on the verge of beating the great Pete Weber. He had just rolled 2 strikes and only needed to knock down 7 pins for the win and a $150,000 payday.
Charlie Chaplin's Grave Robbers
It was on this day that Charlie Chaplin's coffin and corpse were stolen.
Columbus and the Eclipse
Stranded in Jamaica and on the brink of starvation, Christopher Columbus hatched an ingenious plan.
U.S.S Princeton
An exploding cannon killed 8 people, including members of President John Tyler's cabinet.
Spring Heeled Jack
He breathed blue flames and bounced over high walls with ease.
The First New Orleans Mardi Gras
It was Fat Tuesday, and a bunch of students decided to dress up and dance in the streets of the French Quarter.
The Emperor's Collar
János Libényi was executed on this day, a little over a week after he tried to kill Austrian Emperor Franz Josef.
The Battle of Los Angeles
At around 3 o'clock in the morning, residents were rattled out of bed by the loud thumps of anti-aircraft guns lobbing 12-pound shells into the sky.
The Simplon Tunnel
It was on this day that two work crews converged deep under the Swiss Alps to form one of the greatest engineering feats of all time.