This day in history

1712: A slave revolt breaks out in New York City.

1795: The metric system is adopted in France, where it had been developed.

1827: Matches go on sale for the first time, produced by British pharmacist John Walker in Stockton, England.

1915: Jazz singer Billie Holiday is born in Baltimore. She made her professional singing debut in Harlem nightclubs in 1931 and her first recordings in 1933.

1927: An audience in New York views an image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover in the first successful long-distance demonstration of television.

1948: The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.

1949: The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific” premieres at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.

1953: Swedish statesman Dag Hammarskjold is elected secretary-general of the U.N.

1971: President Richard Nixon announces his decision to increase the rate of American troop withdrawals from Vietnam.

SOURCES: Chase's Calendar of Events, Union-Tribune Archives,, Associated Press, World Alamanc


