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Marriott and Starwood merge

Following all necessary regulatory approvals in the United States and around the world over the course of the year, Marriott closed the merger with Starwood in 2016, creating the world's largest hotel company with over 5700 properties, 1.1 million rooms, and a new portfolio of 30 brands.

Suicide bombers attack Peshawar church

In September 2013, a twin suicide bomb attack took place at All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which 127 people were killed and over 250 injured. It was the deadliest attack on the Christian minority in the history of Pakistan.

Paul McCartney plays on roof of El Capitan Theatre

Paul McCartney took over Hollywood Boulevard for a 15-song set that followed his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The former Beatle played a pair of songs for television on the roof of the El Capitan Theatre before heading downstairs to delight a crowd of 10,000 with Beatles selections and three songs from his forthcoming album, New.

'Modern Family' first airs on ABC

Modern Family is an American television mockumentary family sitcom written by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. The show follows the lives of Jay Pritchett and his family, all of whom live in suburban Los Angeles. Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan conceived the series while sharing stories of their own "modern families".

'The Mentalist' first airs on CBS

The Mentalist is an American drama television series that ran from 2008, until 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also its executive producer. The show follows former "psychic" Patrick Jane, who is a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation.

Kauhajoki school shooting

The Kauhajoki school shooting occurred at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in the former province of Western Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and killed ten people with a Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later in Tampere University Hospital.

'Ghost Whisperer' first airs on CBS

Ghost Whisperer is an American supernatural TV series, which ran on CBS from 2005 to 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon, who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. While trying to live a normal life as possible, Melinda helps earthbound spirits resolve their problems and cross over into the light, or the spirit world.

Over 3,000 dead in Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne

Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It wreaked havoc in Haiti, where heavy rains in the northern mountains caused severe flooding and mudslides in the department of Artibonite, inflicting particular damage in the coastal city of Gonaïves, where it affected about 80,000 of the city's 100,000 residents. The official report counted 3,006 people dead, with 2,826 of those in Gonaïves alone.

Mozilla Firefox is released

Mozilla Firefox is a free and open-source web browser developed by Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, Mozilla Corporation. Firefox was created in 2002 under the codename "Phoenix" by the Mozilla community members who desired a standalone browser, rather than the Mozilla Application Suite bundle.

Minogue starts a five-week run at #1 on the UK singles chart

"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, titled Fever, which she released in 2001. The song was released in Australia by Parlophone as the lead single from her album. It was released in 2001 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the single was released in 2002.

NASA loses contact with Mars Climate Orbiter

The Mars Climate Orbiter was a robotic space probe launched by NASA to study the Martian climate, Martian atmosphere, and surface changes and to act as the communications relay for the Mars Polar Lander. Communication with the spacecraft was lost as it went into orbital insertion due to a problem with ground-based computer software. The spacecraft encountered Mars on a trajectory that brought it too close to the planet, causing it to pass through the upper atmosphere and disintegrate.

'The Shawshank Redemption' debuts

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence.

Amtrak derails on Big Bayou Canot bridge

The Big Bayou Canot rail accident was the derailing of an Amtrak train on the CSXT Big Bayou Canot bridge in southwestern Alabama, United States, in September 1993. It was caused by displacement of a span and deformation of the rails when a tow of heavy barges had collided with the bridge 8 minutes earlier. Forty-seven were killed and 103 were injured.

1992

The first female plays in a NHL exhibition game

In 1992, Manon Rhéaume signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL, appearing in preseason exhibition games in 1992 and 1993. She spent five years in professional minor leagues, playing for a total of 7 teams and appearing in 24 games. She also played on the Canada women's national ice hockey team, winning Gold Medals at the IIHF Women's World Championship in 1992 and 1994.

1986

Liverpool set an English League Cup record, beating Fulham 10-0

A crowd of just 13,498 turned up to watch Ian Rush and John Wark help themselves to two goals apiece, while the rampaging Steve McMahon scored four times and even missed a penalty to boot. A further goal each from Ronnie Whelan and Steve Nicol fleshed out the comprehensive 10-0 rout.

Bob Marley plays his final concert

The Uprising Tour was a concert tour organized to support the album Uprising by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was Marley's last tour and the biggest music tour of Europe in that year. The tour started at the Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, and ended at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, which was Marley's last concert.

David Bowie releases 'Heroes' as a single

"Heroes" is a song recorded by the English musician David Bowie. It was co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, recorded and released in 1977. A product of Bowie's "Berlin" period, the track was not a huge hit in the UK or US after its release, but it has since become one of Bowie's signature songs.

Revival of 'Gypsy' opens at the Winter Garden Theatre

Gypsy is a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The 1974 Broadway revival opened at the Winter Garden Theatre for a planned limited engagement, closed after 120 performances and four previews. Angela Lansbury won the 1975 Tony Award.

Ceefax: BBC launches first ever Teletext service

Ceefax was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. It was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended in October, 2012, after 38 years of broadcasting. The service was intended to transmit a printable page of text during the nocturnal "close-down" period of normal television transmission. Teletext proved to be a reliable text news service, especially during a crisis like the September 2001 attacks.

Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina

In 1973, Perón returned from an 18-year exile in Spain. A crowd of left-wing Peronists had gathered at the Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires to welcome and support him. An election was held in September of that year and Perón won but was plagued by age, illness and fatigue. The country drifted as inflation increased and the economy went out of control.

Mac Davis earns one of the 70s' most head-scratching #1 hits

"Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" is a hit song by country and pop singer-songwriter Mac Davis. From his breakthrough album of the same name, the song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts in 1972, spending three weeks atop each chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 8 song of 1972.

'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' premieres

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy, and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the "Sundance Kid".

The Walker Brothers hit #1 on the UK singles chart

"Make It Easy on Yourself" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was first a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962. The best-known version is the 1965 recording by the Walker Brothers for whom it was a #1 UK hit. Dionne Warwick, who made a demo of this song in early 1962, had a hit with the song in 1970.

1953

Alfredo Di Stefano makes his debut for Real Madrid

Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé was an Argentine-Spanish professional footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of all time, and is best known for his achievements with Real Madrid, where he was instrumental in the club's domination of the European Cup and La Liga during the 1950s.

WD-40 oil is invented

The formula for the oil was created by Norm Larsen from the Rocket Chemical Company. Original purpose of the oil was coating of structural components of nuclear missiles to prevent corrosion (hence the name of the company). WD-40 proved suitable for many other tasks. Today, there are more than two thousand known uses of it.

1952

Rocky Marciano knocks out Jersey Joe Walcott

Marciano faced the World Heavyweight Champion Jersey Joe Walcott, in Philadelphia in September 1952. Walcott dropped Marciano in the first round and steadily built a points lead. In the 13th, Walcott used his trademark feint to set up his right hand, but Marciano's "Suzie Q" landed first, a powerful right hook causing Walcott to slump to his knees with his arm draped over the ropes.

Mobilization of the Czechoslovak army

A new cabinet, under General Jan Syrový, was installed and in September 1938 a decree of general mobilization was issued. The Czechoslovak army, modern and possessing an excellent system of frontier fortifications, was prepared to fight. The Soviet Union announced its willingness to come to Czechoslovakia's assistance. Beneš, however, refused to go to war without the support of the Western powers.

Saudi Arabia kingdom is founded

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud. He united the four regions into a single state through a series of conquests beginning in 1902 with the capture of Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia has since been an absolute monarchy, effectively a hereditary dictatorship governed along Islamic lines.

'The Phantom of the Opera' is first published

The Phantom of the Opera is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz.

Nintendo is founded

Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company headquartered in Kyoto. Nintendo is one of the world's largest video game companies by market capitalization, creating some of the best-known and top-selling video game franchises, such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon.

Otto von Bismarck is appointed prime minister of Prussia

In 1862, King Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck as Minister President of Prussia, a position he would hold until 1890, with the exception of a short break in 1873. He provoked 3 short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France. Following the victory against Austria, he abolished the supranational German Confederation and instead formed the North German Confederation.

Neptune is observed

Neptune was observed with a telescope in September 1846 by Johann Galle within a degree of the position predicted by Urbain Le Verrier. Its largest moon, Triton, was discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining known 13 moons were located telescopically until the 20th century.

Anniversaries of the (in)famous