Oct 6
1927
The Jazz Singer upends the movie industry
On this day in 1927, The Jazz Singer premiered in New York City. When the film’s star, Al Jolson, appeared onscreen, moviegoers were amazed to hear his real singing and speaking voice and see that it lined up perfectly with his projected image. The Jazz Singer became the one film most associated with the transition to sound and a lauded part of Hollywood history. However, it has a complex legacy because of its prominent use of blackface.
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© 1927 Warner Brothers, Inc.; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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On this day in 1973, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel, which suffered heavy casualties, but Israeli forces successfully fought back, and the war eventually ended inconclusively.
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Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, born this day in 1914, organized and led transoceanic expeditions in the hope of proving the possibility of ancient contacts between distant civilizations.
More on October 6
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2018
The U.S. Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice by a vote of 50 to 48. [Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?]
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2010
Instagram was released to the public in Apple’s App Store. It reached 25,000 users on its first day.
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1993
Michael Jordan retired from professional basketball, saying “I don’t have anything else to prove,” only to return in March 1995. [Where does Jordan rank among the greatest basketball players of all time?]
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1981
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad during a military parade in Cairo. [Test your knowledge of Egyptian history.]
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1976
In China the Gang of Four, having lost their influence with the death of Mao Zedong, were arrested. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China.]
© 1960 Universal Pictures Company, Inc.
1960
The film Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas, had its world premiere; it won several Academy Awards, including best supporting actor for Peter Ustinov.
© Warner Brothers, Inc.
1927
The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, premiered in New York City, introducing the sound era of motion pictures. [Take our film buff quiz.]
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1892
The English poet widely regarded as the chief representative of the Victorian Age in poetry, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, died at age 83. [Test your knowledge of poetry.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1849
Thirteen Hungarian generals, “the martyrs of Arad,” were executed for their role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848–49. [Take our plots and revolutions quiz.]
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891
Formosus was elected pope; his posthumous trial in 897 is one of the most bizarre incidents in papal history. [Read about seven unlucky people, including Formosus, who were not allowed to rest in peace.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
105 bce
The Roman army was defeated by Germanic tribes in the Battle of Arausio. [How much do you know about the history of warfare?]
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