Nov 1
1945
Ebony magazine is published
What if there were a magazine like Life or Look with beautiful, immersive photography, comprehensive coverage of culture, business, celebrity, and the arts—but focused expressly on the lives of Black Americans? That was the question that animated John H. Johnson and his wife, Eunice Walker Johnson, in the early days of post-World War II America. Their answer was Ebony, which was launched on this day in 1945. Discover more about the magazine.
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© Bettmann/Getty Images; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
U.S. Air Force photograph
On this day in 1952 on an atoll of the Marshall Islands, Edward Teller and other American scientists tested the first thermonuclear bomb, its power resulting from an uncontrolled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
Featured Biography
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Born this day in 1880, Polish American writer Sholem Asch, whose work entered the literary mainstream through translation, was among the most controversial and most widely known writers in modern Yiddish literature.
More on November 1
©Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
2023
The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4–1, to win the franchise’s first World Series.[How much do you know about football?]
Bernard Gotfryd Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-DIG-gtfy-03606)
2006
American novelist William Styron—known for his treatment of tragic themes and his rich classical prose style, highlighted in such works as Sophie’s Choice (1979)—died at age 81. [Test your knowledge of famous writers.]
© Jerry Coli/Dreamstime.com
1999
American professional gridiron football player Walter Payton, who was one of the game’s greatest running backs, died from bile duct cancer. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about American football.]
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation/Paramount Pictures Corporation
1997
James Cameron’s Titanic, a drama about the doomed ocean liner, had its first public screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival; the movie would become one of the highest grossing of all time, and it made Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet international stars. [How much do you know about the movie Titanic?]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1994
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its Wind spacecraft on a mission that would include a “halo orbit” between the Sun and Earth to explore the space environment there. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about space exploration.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1993
The Maastricht Treaty entered into force, thereby establishing the European Union. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about world organizations.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1981
Antigua and Barbuda achieved independence from the United Kingdom, with Vere Bird serving as the first prime minister. [Take our quiz about islands.]
© 1967 Warner Brothers, Inc.; photograph from a private collection
1967
The film classic Cool Hand Luke opened in American theaters, and it became especially known for Paul Newman’s performance in one of his iconic antihero roles. [Test your knowledge of Paul Newman.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-13033)
1950
Puerto Rican nationalists, members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman.
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1938
In a horse race that captured the imagination of Americans during the Great Depression, Seabiscuit defeated War Admiral by four lengths. [Take our quiz about famous horses.]
Victor Console/ANL/REX/Shutterstock.com
1922
The Grand National Assembly, at the behest of Kemal Atatürk, voted to abolish the sultanate of Turkey. [Take our quiz about the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire.]
Stephen Crane Collection, Syracuse University Library Department of Special Collections
1871
American author Stephen Crane, whose works included The Red Badge of Courage (1895), was born. [Test your knowledge of famous novels.]
Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections (59010928)
1765
The Stamp Act went into effect, marking the first British parliamentary attempt to raise revenue through direct taxation of all American colonial commercial and legal papers. [Take our quiz about early America.]
Photos.com/Jupiterimages
1755
Lisbon was heavily damaged by an earthquake that demolished more than 9,000 buildings and killed as many as 30,000 people. [How much do you know about natural disasters?]
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London (http://www.npg.org.uk)
1611
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest was reportedly performed for the first time. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Shakespearean plays.]
© Art Images/Getty Images
1512
For the first time, the general public was able to view Michelangelo’s fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace; the artwork is among the greatest achievements in Western painting. [Test your knowledge of Italian Renaissance art.]
Photos.com/Jupiterimages
996
Holy Roman Emperor Otto III granted the Bavarian bishopric of Freising 30 “royal hides,” or about 8 square km (2,000 acres), of land in a deed that contained the first recorded use of the name Ostarrîchi, from which the name Austria is derived. [Take our quiz about kings and emperors.]
