This Day in History...
Mariner 4, an unmanned space probe launched by NASA in 1964, flew by Mars and returned close-up pictures of its surface on this day in 1965, the pictures proving that the planet's rumoured canals were actually illusions.
Craters in southern Amazonis Planitia on Mars
Historic Events:- Margarine was patented in France by Hippolyte Mege Mouries. (1869)
- Circus performer Charles Stratton, known to the world as Tom Thumb, died. (1883)
- The Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I. (1918)
- John J. Pershing, whose leadership in World War I earned him the title General of the Armies of the United States, died in Washington, DC. (1948)
- American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan performed in England before 200,000 people. (1978)
Today's Birthday:
Born this day in 1606 was Dutch painter and printmaker Rembrandt—one of the greatest storytellers in the history of art, known for his exceptional ability to render people in their various moods and dramatic guises.
Portrait historié as Isaac and Rebecca (better known as The Jewish Bride), oil on canvas by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1667; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Other Notables:- Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first US saint, canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1946. (1850)
- Leon Max Lederman, who was a corecipient of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Physics for research on neutrinos, was born in New York City. (1922)
- Jacques Derrida, an Algerian-born French deconstructionist philosopher. (1930)