THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

10 October, 1970 – Fijian independence

The South Pacific Ocean island country had been ruled by the British since 1874. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara became the first prime minister of independent Fiji.


11 October, 1975 – The first episode of Saturday Night Live aired

A popular sketch comedy show, SNL, as it is popularly known, was initially called NBC's Saturday Night, and it was created and produced by Lorne Michaels.


12 October, 1492 – Christopher Columbus stepped foot on the new world

Two months after he had set sail from Spain with crews on 3 ships – the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Santa Clara, Columbus spotted land that he believed was Japan.


13 October, 1773 – First spiral galaxy discovered

French astronomer, Charles Messier, discovered the Whirlpool Galaxy. Also known as Messier 51a, the galaxy is about 30 million light-years from Earth. Astronomers think that the bulge consists of a black hole.


14 October, 1926 – Winnie-the-Pooh made his literary debut

The popular children’s book character was created by British author A.A. Milne and first appeared in a collection of short stories called Winnie-the-Pooh.


15 October, 1783 – World’s first manned balloon flight

Jean-François Pilatre de Rozier, a teacher from France, spent about four minutes in the air in a balloon made by flight pioneers Joseph-Michael and Jacques Montgolfier.


16 October, 1923 – The Walt Disney Company was founded

A leader in the international entertainment industry, the company was created by brothers Walt and Roy as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.

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