On this day in 1835, Hans Christian Andersen had his first book of fairy tales published. In 1909, the Pennsylvania Trust Company of Carlisle in that state became the first bank in the US to offer its customers a Christmas Club account. The Ford Motor Company became the first to use a movable assembly line that signaled the beginning of mass automated production on this day in 1913. On the same day the first drive-in automobile service station opened its doors in Pittsburgh.

In 1934, on this day Sergei M Kirov, a collaborator of Joseph Stalin was assassinated at the Communist party headquarters in the city of Leningrad. The US Civil Air Patrol was created in 1941, in April 1943 if came under the jurisdiction of the Army’s Air Forces.

The first successful sex change operation took place on this day in 1952 in Denmark. Rosa Parks made history on this day for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It became a milestone in the civil rights movement in the US. A fire at a school in Chicago kills 90 students on this day in 1958.

In 1959, 12 countries signed a treaty over the setting up of a scientific preserve on the continent of Antarctica. It was agreed that it would remain a military free zone. An airlift of refugees to the US from Cuba began in 1965. Four years later the US government began its first draft lottery since the end of the Second World War.

The man labeled as the ‘Founding Father of Israel’ and also its first Prime Minister died on this day in 1973. David Ben-Gurion was 87 years old.

A Yugoslav chartered airliner crashed into a mountain on approach to Ajaccio Airport on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in 1981 killing all 180 on board. On this day in 1984 a remote controlled airliner was deliberately crashed into the Mojave desert in California to test an anti-flaming additive. The additive failed to prevent a fireball and was deemed a failure.

British and French tunnel workers met beneath the English Channel on this day in 1990, it was the first time the two countries had been connected in about 8,000 years. A year later Ukrainian voters were unanimous in their wish to be independent from the Soviet Union.

On this day in 1997, 14 year old Michael Carneal opened fire on a morning prayer group at a school in Kentucky. He shot dead three of the students at the assembly and wounded another five. His plea was guilty but insane, he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

Exxon became the biggest company in the world when it bought Mobil in 1998 for the fee of $73.7 billion.

Famous birthdays on this day include Woody Allen in 1935, former golfer Lee Trevino four years later. Comedian and actor Richard Pryor was born in 1940 and Bette Midler in 1945.

On this day in 1976, the punk rock group ‘the Sex Pistols’ appeared on a live early evening programme shown only in the London area. During the interview the ‘F’ word was mentioned numerous times and it eventually resulted in lots of bad publicity for the band as well as a ban from performing in some cities in the country.

The Michael Jackson album ‘Thriller’ was released on this day in 1982. An auction of Frank Sinatra’s possessions raised $2,072,000. 

As you can see over the years this has been quite an eventful day for a number of very different reasons. Check back to see what the next day in the calendar year has to offer tomorrow.