Video encyclopedia

Flashback calendar

Final episode of "New Girl" airs

New Girl is an American sitcom TV series, released by Fox. The series follows the interactions between a group of friends and their romantic relationships. The Last 2 episodes of the final 7th season, "The Curse of the Pirate Bride“ and "Engram Pattersky“, aired together on Fox. These conclude the series which consisted of 146 episodes.

New Star Wars movie premieres in Cannes

Solo is a space Western film from Star Wars franchise. The story is centered on Han Solo, owner of Millenium Falcon who played an important role in several Star Wars movies. The 4th post-George Lucas period installment in the franchise premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, earning a lot of early reactions.

Cholera breaks out in Yemen

The spread of cholera in Yemen is due to the country’s devastated infrastructure, water and sanitation systems and facilities caused by Saudi-led coalition air strikes in the ongoing conflict between the two countries. The outbreak is on an "unprecedented scale", according to the World Health Organization and is a result of the ongoing war headed by the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in Yemen since 2015.

Video game Diablo III is released

Diablo III is RPG video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The game set a new record for the fastest-selling PC game, tallying over 3.5 million copies sold in the first 24 hours after its release. It was unsurprisingly the best selling game of 2012, having sold over 12 million copies by year's end.


Jessica Watson arrives back in Sydney

Jessica Watson is an Australian sailor who was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for completing a southern hemisphere solo circumnavigation at the age of 16. She finished her journey on Day 210 of her trip at 15:55 when she arrived at Sydney Harbor. During her voyage, she suffered a lot of bad weather and had at least three knockdowns. During the journey, Watson also had to repair the boat and the equipment several times. She became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted, around the world.

"Kung Fu Panda" premieres at Cannes Film Festival

The worldwide premiere of Kung Fu Panda was held at the 61st Cannes Film Festival. DreamWorks used it as a launch point for the movie, in order to catch dozens of reporters and photographers. It received massive applause at the end of the screening. Overall, the movie scored high with reviews and won several awards.

California becomes the second U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage became legal in California in 2008. The state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as the result of the Supreme Court of California ruling in 'In re Marriage Cases', which found that barring same-sex couples from marriage violated the state's constitution.

New Super Mario Bros. video game is released

New Super Mario Bros. was released by Nintendo for their console Nintendo DS in North America. Releases for other markets were delayed by several days. The game itself received very positive reviews, scoring roughly 9/10 on most of the reviews. Since then, the game has sold nearly 31 million copies worldwide.

"Revenge of the Sith" official premieres at Cannes Film Festival

Revenge of the Sith is an American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth entry of the Star Wars film series and stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson and others. A sequel to The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, the film is the third and final installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.


German star Michael Ballack agrees to join Chelsea from Bayern Munich

After spending several years in the German league, Ballack agreed to a free transfer from Bayern Munich to English Premier League club Chelsea. Despite the rumors of interest from Real Madrid, Manchester United and other clubs, Ballack chose to go to Stamford Bridge, stating his hopes to end his career there.

"Shrek 2" premieres at the Cannes Film Festival

Shrek 2 is a sequel to the animated fantasy movie Shrek. Its premiere was held at the Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or. Following the premiere, the movie was released earlier due to fan demand. It earned positive reviews and scored 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Istanbul hosts the 49th Eurovision Song Contest

The 49th Eurovision Song Contest took place in Istanbul, Turkey. It followed Sertab Erener’s win the previous year in Riga. The event was staged at the Abdi İpekçi Arena. Ukraine won the contest in its second year of participation thanks to singer Ruslana, who performed the song „Wild Dances”. It was also the 3rd year in a row that woman won the contest.

"The Matrix: Reloaded" opens in theaters across the world

Following its premiere in LA earlier that month, the new Matrix movie opened in theaters. "Reloaded" grossed roughly $37.5 million during its opening day in North America. It brought in the 2nd highest earnings for an opening, right after Spider-Man. The movie received generally favorable reviews, despite negative comments about the plot.


Zinedine Zidane wins the Champions League for Real Madrid

Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen appeared in the final of UEFA Champions League at Hampden Park, in Glasgow. Real went into the match as the favored team and as such, took the lead in the 8th minute. Leverkusen soon equalized the score, but by the end of first half, Zidane managed to score a winning goal, claiming the trophy for Real.

Crazy Eights freight train halted after running unmanned

The Crazy Eights incident occurred when a CSX Transportation freight train of 47 cars, including some loaded with hazardous chemicals, ran uncontrolled for two hours at speeds of up to 51 miles per hour (82 km/h). The train's engineer had climbed down from the locomotive to fix a misaligned switch but had been unable to reboard it. The runaway freight train was eventually halted by railroad crew in a second locomotive.

Millstreet hosts the 38th Eurovision Song Contest

The 38th Eurovision Song Contest was held at Green Glen Arena in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. The event was presented by Fionnuala Sweeney. Ireland won the competition with the song "In Your Eyes“, performed by Niamh Kavanagh. It was the 5th victory for the country. The UK placed second, same as previous year.

"Portrait of Dr. Gachet" by van Gogh sells for $82.5 million

"Portrait of Dr. Gachet" depicts Dr. Paul Gachet, a man who took care of van Gogh during his final months. It is one of the Gogh’s most revered painting. The 1st version was sold at Christie’s auction house to the Koyabashi Gallery of Tokyo for $82.5 million, the highest price paid for a painting at the time.


The Oilers and Bruins face off in the longest Cup Final game ever

The first game of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins is remembered as the longest final match in history. Petr Klima scored the decisive goal during the third overtime period, winning the match for the Oilers with a score of 3:2. The Oilers ultimately won the five game series.

The Soviet Union begins withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan

The final and complete withdrawal of Soviet combatant forces from Afghanistan began on 15 May under the leadership of Colonel-General Boris Gromov. Planning for the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from the Afghan War began soon after Mikhail Gorbachev became the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

35 die in Ma'alot massacre

The Ma’alot massacre occurred when 3 Palestinian terrorists entered Israel from Lebanon and journeyed to the town of Ma’alot where they killed several people and took 115 more hostages in a local school. Israeli infantry stormed the building, which resulted in the deaths of 25 hostages. A total of 31 Israelis died in the massacre.

Attempted assassination of George C. Wallace


Last Mercury spaceflight lifts off

Mercury-Atlas 9, the final mission of the U. S. Mercury space program, started from Cape Canaveral. Astronaut Gordon Cooper became the last American to fly to space alone. He orbited Earth 22 times and successfully splashed into the Pacific Ocean 130 km southeast of Midway. The Mercury program was followed by Project Gemini which flew spacecraft manned by a two-man crew.

Dmitri Shostakovitch's String quartet No. 7 makes its debut

Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 7 was composed in F-sharp minor between February and March. He made it in memory of his 1st wife Nina who died several years prior. The premiere took place in Leningrad. The Beethoven Quartet, formed by graduates of the Moscow Conservatory, performed all 3 movements without a break.

"Gigi" premieres in New York

An American musical-romance movie, Gigi premiered at the Royale Theatre in NYC. The film took in a profit of roughly $1,938 million during its initial theatrical release and it won 9 Academy Awards at the Oscars ceremony. Though this was record-breaking number of awards, it was beaten the following year by Ben-Hur which earned 11 Oscars.

The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3

Sputnik 3 was a Soviet satellite launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome using a modified R-7 Semyorka missile. Its purpose was to explore the upper atmosphere and near space. The original launch was postponed due to technical difficulties. It was the only satellite launched by Soviets that year. Sputnik successfully made it into orbit.

The Gloster Whittle makes its first flight

Britain's first jet-propelled aircraft, the Gloster Whittle, took to the air for the first time, flying for 17 minutes. Its jet engines were designed by Frank Whittle, “the father of the jet engine.” The Gloster Whittle was the third jet to fly successfully after the German Heinkel He 178 and the Italian Caproni Campini N.1.

McDonald's opens its first restaurant

American fast food company McDonald's opened as a restaurant owned and operated by siblings Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California. Businessman Ray Kroc bought the chain from the brothers, modernized it and turned it into the fast food chain we know today.

Nylon stockings first become available for sale

Nylon stockings were first introduced by chemical company DuPont at the 1939 New York World's Fair. On May 15, 1940, they went on sale for the first time in Wilmington, Delaware. The demand for stockings increased and spread throughougt the United States with up to 4 million pairs being purchased in a single day.

The Moscow Metro opens to the public

The Moscow Metro was opened with one single 11km long line consisting of 11 stations. As such, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. Initial plans for the metro date back to the Russian Empire. However, it was not until 1928 that construction on the first route began.

Mickey Mouse premieres in his first cartoon

Plane Crazy is an animated short film directed by Walt Disney. The cartoon, released in 1929 by Walt Disney Studios, was the first creation of the Mickey Mouse character. Initially released as a silent movie, it came out as a sound cartoon on March 17, 1929 with Mickey Mouse dubbed by Walt Disney himself.

The Finnish Civil war ends

The Finnish Civil War took place during the country's transition from Grand Dutchy of the Russian Empire to an independent state. Finnish Whites, backed by the German Empire and volunteers from other countries defeated the Reds and Russians, resulting in the establishment of a democratic Finnish Republic.

Supreme Court Orders Standard Oil to Be Broken Up

Standard Oil Co. Inc. was an American company and the largest oil refinery of its time. It had a controversial history as a multinational corporation and was ruled an illegal monopoly by the US Supreme Court. It was dissolved under the Sherman Antitrust Act and subsequently split into 34 smaller companies.

The city of Las Vegas is founded

The city of Las Vegas was established near a fort erected by members of the Mormon Church halfway between Salt Lake City and LA. The garrison was later abandoned and it took another 50 years before Las Vegas was founded in its vicinity. The area benefited from water in underground artesian wells and from adjacent railroads which made it a good location for a new railway city.

Salon des Refusés opens in Paris

Salon des Refusés was an exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon. It was opened after the jury refused 2/3 of the presented works. This started a protest, following which the Emperor decided they should be displayed elsewhere. The exhibition brought in more than a thousand visitors per day.

Royal Italian Opera reopens after disastrous blaze

Originally named Theatre Royal, it served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history and is the third theatre on the site following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856. Renamed the Royal Opera house in 1892, it is currently an opera house and a major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, London.

The "Peace of Westphalia" is ratified

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed be European countries to put an end to European wars of religion and halt the Thirty and Eighty Years' Wars. The negotiations that led to the treaty involved a total of 109 delegations representing the European powers, and conferences were attended by thousands of diplomats. The Treaties of Westphalia brought to a close a tumultuous period of European history which saw the deaths of approximately eight million people.

Anniversaries of famous