What Happened on October 16?

  • China became the fifth country in the world to successfully detonate a nuclear bomb. (1964) China joined Great Britain, the Soviet Union, France and the United States as a nuclear power.

  • US President George W. Bush authorized the Iraq War. (2002) President Bush signed the resolution established by the US Congress authorizing the war, which would begin on March 20, 2003.

  • The "Long March" — the longest march in the history of warfare — began in China. (1934) In what became a successful effort to establish Mao Zedong as the communist leader in China, the march lasted one year and four days, covering more than 6,000 miles (about 9,656 kilometers).

  • The last smallpox diagnosis was made. (1975) Two-year-old Rahima Banu of Bangladesh was the last-known victim of the disease. Smallpox is the only disease in human history to be declared eradicated.

  • The "Million Man March" took place in Washington D.C. (1995) The march, led by Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam, was a gathering of black men in the US speaking out against poor social and economic conditions in the black community.

  • Nazis established the Warsaw Ghetto. (1940) Nazis used the ghetto to house more than 400,000 Warsaw Jews, which represented about 30 percent of Warsaw's population. The ghetto area, however, represented only about two percent of the area of Warsaw. The ghettos were blocked from the outside world with barbed-wire-topped walls and guarded by armed soldiers. Parts of the wall remain standing today.

  • Britain announced plans to ban handguns following the 1996 Dunblane massacre. (1996) The Dunblane massacre was a murder-suicide at a primary school in Scotland, during which 16 children and two adults were killed. The plans became law the following year.

  • Planned Parenthood was founded. (1916) American activist Margaret Sanger opened the country's first birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, New York.

  • United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Vietnamese revolutionary politician Le Duc Tho were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (1973) The two were honored for successfully negotiating the Vietnam War cease-fire. Tho rejected the award.

  • The first person summited all 14 "eight-thousanders." (1986) Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner successfully climbed all 14 mountains of the world with peaks higher than 8,000 meters, or about 24,247 feet. Since Messner, at least 20 others have accomplished the same feat.

  • The Walt Disney Company was founded. (1923) The company was founded by two brothers, Roy and Walt Disney. Today, it is the world's largest conglomeration of entertainment and media companies.

Discussion Comments

RoyalSpyder

@Hazali - Even though I have always enjoyed Disney's entertainment, you do make some very good points. For example, in the early 2000's, do you remember all of those direct to video Disney sequels? The funny thing is that they came out years later, after the original versions.

For example, Bambi came out in the 1940's, and yet the sequel didn't come out until 2003. If that doesn't scream, "cash in", then I don't know what does.

Adding onto your point, there are two Disney sequels (The Jungle Book 2, and Peter Pan 2), which were originally supposed to be on DVD, but they were released in theaters instead. Why? Because it's all about money. However, I like how you didn't single Disney out. As you mentioned, most companies do this.

While it's all right to enjoy what creators bring to their audience, such as the wonderful Wreck it Ralph, or the likes of Frozen, we shouldn't forget that they're still a business, and they need to have success.

Hazali

As much as I enjoy products and media created by Disney, is there anyone else who agree that they've seem to have taken over everything as of lately?

While it's true that Disney is one of the largest corporations in the world, and that they provide tons of entertainment, I can't help but feel that sometimes, they're just doing it for the money. They seem to have their name plastered everywhere, even on the most obscure products.

For example, in 2006, there was an animated movie called Disney's The Wild. The fact is, it's not a Disney movie, and they just decided to stamp their name on it, so that they could get the money.

Then again, I guess this isn't just exclusive to Disney. After all, regardless of what kind of company it is, the main goal is to make money, and it's not just about trying to entertain others.

Viranty

In relation to the second bullet point regarding the Iraq War, I've always found it funny how people tend to get mad at presidents (President Bush in the case) whenever war is discussed. Or in this case, the Iraq War.

Without a doubt, while it's definitely true that in many ways, he was responsible for the war, one thing we need to realize is that congress is the one who declares war as well.

After all, the president isn't even allowed to declare war without permission from congress. They play more of a major part in war declaration than he does. Overall, this is certainly something interesting to think about.

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