Sputnik was launched on October 4th, 1957 signaling Soviet dominance in rocket technology and igniting fears of nuclear war. The space race intensified after a very public launch failure by the Americans before the US pulled ahead with Explorer 1, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and more.

The Geneva Convention was a humanitarian agreement regarding conduct and treatment of wounded, captured, or civilian enemies of war. First signed in 1859 by 12 nations, today the expanded agreement is signed by 190 countries.

After the Qin Empire fell, Liu Bang became the first Han Dynasty emperor in 202 B.C. The Han Dynasty brought the birth of paper and advances in writing and art until it lost control in 220 A.D.

The Suez Canal first opened in 1869 after a ten-year construction effort costing the lives of 120,000 people. The 120-mile artificial waterway saves thousands of miles from the previous route around Africa.

The tradition of making Neapolitan Pizza is passed down through generations to the more than 15,000 pizza chefs or pizzaioli in Naples today.

The Shang Dynasty is responsible for the earliest written records in China and first to use a 365-day calendar. The Kings built palaces, defensive walls, and also functioned as the high priest.

Despite America’s preference for isolationism, FDR backed allied forces with military supplies with the passage of the Lend-Lease Act in 1941, giving Britain the artillery and war machines needed to fight nazi aggression.