Edison receives patent for the Kinetoscope (1897), and Argentina abolishes conscription after public outcry over a conscript's death (1994). Born on this day: Caligula, Tsai Ing-wen and Maria Montessori. Died: Diana, princess of Wales, Charles Baudelaire and Pranab Mukherjee.
26 events, 76 births and 62 deaths on this date.
Thomas Edison won a US patent for the Kinetoscope, a viewing device that showed short moving pictures to one person at a time. It paved the way for the film projectors that followed.
Louis Bachrach, Bachrach Studios , restored by Michel Vuijlsteke · Public domainArgentina ended compulsory military service after months of anger over the death of a young conscript at the hands of fellow recruits. The decision marked the end of a long tradition of mandatory national service in the country.
The last Russian soldiers left Estonian soil, ending a Soviet-era military presence that had lasted since the country was occupied in 1940. Estonia had regained independence in 1991, and the final pullout removed a long-standing source of tension with Moscow.
The last Russian soldiers left Lithuania, ending nearly five decades of Soviet and Russian military presence after the country regained independence in 1990. The departure closed a long chapter in which Soviet forces had occupied the Baltic state since 1944.
Two British destroyers struck mines in the sea off the Dutch island of Texel, and two other ships were damaged in the same area. Around 300 sailors and men aboard were killed, one of the costlier naval losses of the early war in British home waters.
Born into the family of Augustus, the boy was given the nickname Caligula, meaning little boot, by his father's soldiers. He went on to rule as emperor, and his cruel, extravagant reign is still debated by historians.
J. Paul Getty Museum · CC0
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Caligula became the third Roman emperor in 37, after his great-uncle Tiberius died, and ruled until his assassination in 41. Ancient sources portray him as a cruel tyrant, though modern historians often question how much of that account is reliable.
J. Paul Getty Museum · CC0
Tsai Ing-wen is a Taiwanese lawyer and legal scholar who became the first woman to serve as president of the Republic of China, holding the office from 2016 to 2024. She previously led the Democratic Progressive Party and chaired the Mainland Affairs Council.
總統府 · CC BY-SA 4.0
She dropped plans to become an engineer in favour of medicine, and became one of Italy's earliest women medical students. Her educational method, which bears her name, is still used in schools across the world.
Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
Once Princess of Wales through her marriage to Prince Charles, she became known for her work with AIDS patients and her campaign against landmines, pursued alongside the International Red Cross. She was also mother of Princes William and Harry, and was remembered for her humanitarian and environmental work.
John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA ( Archived link) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Baudelaire was a French poet whose collection Les Fleurs du mal caught the strange beauty of a rapidly rebuilt Paris. He also coined the word modernity to describe the fleeting experience of city life.
Notwist · Public domain
Mukherjee, a veteran Congress politician from Bengal, served as India's head of state from 2012 to 2017, and was the first in that role from his home state. He had also been finance minister twice and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019.
US Treasury Department · Public domain
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