On September 26, 1960, American politics entered a new era as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon engaged in the first-ever televised presidential debate. This unprecedented event, broadcast live from Chicago, captivated an estimated 70 million viewers. Kennedy’s calm, charismatic demeanor contrasted sharply with Nixon’s pale, visibly uncomfortable appearance, altering public perception and setting a new standard for political campaigns in the television age.
Also on This Date:
In 1777: British forces took control of Philadelphia, the largest city in the American colonies, during the Revolutionary War. This strategic victory dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Continental Army, forcing the fledgling government of the United States to flee. Despite the setback, the capture of Philadelphia did not lead to British victory, as the revolutionary spirit endured.
In 1954: In one of Japan’s worst maritime disasters, the ferry Toya Maru sank in the Tsugaru Strait during a violent typhoon. The ship, which was equipped with lifeboats but overwhelmed by the storm’s ferocity, carried over 1,300 passengers and crew. More than 1,150 lives were lost in the tragedy, which led to major improvements in ferry safety regulations across Japan.
In 1986: William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States, a position he would hold until his death in 2005. Known for his conservative judicial philosophy, Rehnquist shaped major rulings on issues like federalism and states’ rights. On the same day, Antonin Scalia took his seat as the 103rd associate justice, embarking on a career of originalist interpretation that would profoundly influence the Supreme Court.
In 1990: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) introduced the NC-17 rating, designed to clearly differentiate between adult content and pornography. The move was part of an effort to rehabilitate the X rating, which had become synonymous with explicit adult films, giving filmmakers a new way to signal mature themes without the stigma of the X label.
In 1991: In Oracle, Arizona, eight individuals entered Biosphere 2, an ambitious experiment to simulate a closed ecological system. For two years, the crew lived in isolation, testing the viability of self-sustaining habitats for potential space colonization. Although technical problems and interpersonal tensions plagued the mission, the project contributed valuable insights into human and ecological resilience.
In 2000: Anti-globalization protests in Prague turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police during an International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank summit. The protests, part of a growing global movement against economic inequality and corporate power, highlighted the widening rift between international financial institutions and grassroots activists demanding more equitable economic policies.
In 2005: Army Pfc. Lynndie England was convicted on six out of seven counts related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Photographs of England and other soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners shocked the world, damaging America’s reputation abroad and leading to widespread criticism of U.S. military practices in Iraq. England was sentenced to three years in prison, becoming one of the most recognizable figures tied to the scandal.
In 2020: President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia, Barrett’s nomination ignited a partisan battle over the future direction of the Court. She was confirmed in record time, shifting the Court’s ideological balance further to the right.
In 2022: NASA’s DART mission made history as its spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimorphos at a speed of 14,000 miles per hour. This unprecedented experiment was a test of humanity’s ability to defend the planet from potential asteroid impacts, a real-world demonstration of technology that could one day prevent a global catastrophe.
Today in History: November 15
Today in History: November 15: On Nov. 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation. In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountaintop now known as Pikes Peak in present-day Colorado. In 1864, late in the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman began their “March to the Sea.” In 1988 The Palestinian Declaration of Independence formally established the State of Palestine.
Today in History: November 14
Today in History: November 14. On November 14, 1889, journalist Nellie Bly began an attempt to travel around the world in 80 days; she would successfully complete the journey in just over 72 days. In 1851, Herman Melville’s novel ‘Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale’ was published in the United States, almost a month after being released in Britain. In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. In 1965, the U.S. Army’s first major military operation of the Vietnam War began with the start of the five-day Battle of Ia Drang.In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula became the NFL’s all-time winningest coach with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Today in History: November 13
Today in History: November 13:On Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling which found Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal. In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a volcanic mudslide buried the city. In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters in Afghanistan entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital city.
Today in History: November 12
Today in History: On November 12: 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party. In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic. In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal. In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest tropical cyclone on record claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000-500,000 people.
  | Better Yourself, Lead Others 
| Personal Development Life Coach Certification 
|  
|
