On This Day
15th June 1215 – King John of England put his seal to the Magna Carta. 1667 – The first human blood transfusion was administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys. 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is electricity. 1785 – Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (1783), and his companion, Pierre Romain, became the first-ever casualties of an air crash when their hot air balloon exploded during an attempt to cross the English Channel. 1844 – Charles Goodyear received a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber. 1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper became the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy. 1909 – Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa met at Lord's and formed the ICC (Imperial Cricket Conference). 1911 – Tabulating Computing Recording Corporation (IBM) was incorporated. 1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete the first nonstop transatlantic flight a...