161– Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, an unprecedented political arrangement in the Roman Empire. 1530 –English King Henry VIII’s divorce request is denied by the Pope. 1876– Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for the telephone in the US. 1912 – Roald Amundsen announces discovery of the South Pole. 1936– Hitler breaks the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops to the Rhineland. 1950 – Volkswagen, the maker of the Beetle automobile, expands its product offerings to include a microbus, which goes into production on this day in 1950. 1965 – State troopers used nightsticks and tear gas to attack American civil rights activists as they crossed a bridge in Selma, Alabama, during their march to the state capitol in Montgomery.
Births & Deaths: 1872 – Painter Piet Mondrian—who was an important leader in the development of modern abstract art, known for works that possess a formal purity that embodies his spiritual belief in a harmonious cosmos—was born in Amersfoort, Netherlands. 1999 – American director and writer Stanley Kubrick—whose iconic films are characterized by a cool, formal visual style, meticulous attention to detail, and a detached, often ironic pessimism—died in England.
Film: 1975– “Mirror”, a Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Margarita Terekhova and IgnatDaniltsev, is released. Music: 1917– 1st jazz record released on a 78 by Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
Sport: 2009 – Despite only being 17 years old, Brazilian soccer star Neymar makes his professional debut for Santos
