ON THIS DAY in 1793, during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis XVI, was executed at the guillotine. This event was documented in the 2006 Sofia Coppola film, MARIE ANTOINETTE, starring Kirsten Dunst in the title role.
Reel History
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ON THIS DAY in 1894, French artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus was arrested on charges of disclosing military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris. The event was dramatized in the 1937 film, THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, starring Paul Muni.
ON THIS DAY in 1947, U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager, piloting the Glamorous Glennis X-1 rocket-powered experimental aircraft, became the first person to break the sound barrier during level flight. This event was depicted in the 1983 film, THE RIGHT STUFF, with Sam Shepard as Yeagar, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, and Fred Ward.
ON THIS DAY in 54 A.D., the Roman Emperor, Claudius, was fatally poisoned. Claudius’ death was depicted in the 1976 BBC series, I, CLAUDIUS, starring Derek Jacobi.
ON THIS DAY in 1954, the Communist national independence coalition, the Viet Minh, took control of North Vietnam during the First Indochina War. The 1958 film, THE QUIET AMERICAN, with Michael Redgrave, based on the Graham Greene novel, was set during the period immediately preceding this event.
ON THIS DAY in 1985, U.S. Navy jets intercepted the Egyptian plane carrying the Achille Lauro cruise ship hijackers, forcing it to land in Sicily. The 1990 made-for-TV film, VOYAGE OF TERROR: THE ACHILLE LAURO AFFAIR, with Burt Lancaster and Eva Marie Saint, documented the incident.
ON THIS DAY in 1940, John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England. The 2009 film, NOWHERE BOY, with Aaron Johnson and Kristin Scott Thomas, documented the early days of Lennon’s life.
ON THIS DAY in 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began, killing hundreds and destroying over 34 blocks of the city. The 1937 drama, IN OLD CHICAGO, starring Tyrone Power and Don Ameche, depicted the conflagration.
ON THIS DAY in 1955, American poet Allen Ginsberg debuted his landmark poem Howl at the Six Gallery in San Francisco. This event was depicted in the 2010 film, HOWL, starring James Franco, David Strathairn, and Jon Hamm.
ON THIS DAY in 1927, THE JAZZ SINGER, the first feature film with synchronized dialogue, starring Al Jolson, premiered at the Warners’ Theater in New York City. The event was dramatized in the 1946 biographical film, THE JOLSON STORY, starring Larry Parks.
ON THIS DAY in 1877, Chief Joseph, Native American leader of the Wallowa Valley (Oregon) Nez Perce band, surrendered to the U.S. Army’s General Nelson A. Miles. This event was depicted in the 1975 made-for-TV movie, I WILL FIGHT NO MORE FOREVER, starring Ned Romero, James Whitmore and Sam Elliott.
ON THIS DAY in 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik, into a low orbit around the Earth. This event was dramatized in the 1999 film, OCTOBER SKY, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, and Laura Dern.
ON THIS DAY in 1916, author and veterinarian James Herriot (James Alfred Wight) was born in England. The 1978 PBS series, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL was based upon Herriot’s autobiographical books.
ON THIS DAY in 1967, lawyer and civil rights advocate Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court. His life was documented in the 2011 HBO film of the theatrical play, THURGOOD, starring Laurence Fishburne.
ON THIS DAY in 1946, members of the political, military, and economic leadership of defeated Nazi Germany were sentenced at the Nuremberg Trials. Director Stanley Kramer’s 1961 film, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG, starring Spencer Tracy, dramatized these post-war tribunals.
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