This Day In History, January 7th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on January 7th.
Galileo Galilei used his newly developed telescope in 1610 to see Jupiter's four biggest moons.
John Jeffries and Jean-Pierre Blanchard, two Americans, were the first to fly a hot air balloon across the English Channel in 1785.
Beginning in 1927, commercial telephone service connected New York and London.
1955 saw Marian Anderson appear in New York City's Metropolitan Opera for the first time as an African American singer.
1999: The US Senate's impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton started.
This Day In History, January 7th, 1610: Astronomer Galileo Galilei observed the four largest moons of Jupiter using his newly invented telescope.
Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer, used his newly created telescope to make the first observations of Jupiter's four largest moons on January 7, 1610. Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are the names of these moons, which are now referred to as the Galilean moons in his honor. The heliocentric concept of the solar system, which postulated that the Earth and other planets circle around the sun, was supported by Galileo's discovery of these moons.
Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries became the first people to cross the English Channel by hot-air balloon.
Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries made history on January 7, 1785, when they successfully flew a hot-air balloon across the English Channel. They took off from Dover, England, and traveled around 21 miles (34 kilometers) in the air before landing in a woodland close to Calais, France. They flew for nearly two and a half hours, encountering several issues along the way, including losing altitude and needing to throw things overboard to keep the lift. Nevertheless, they succeeded in finishing the trek and gained notoriety for it.
Commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.
Commercial transatlantic telephone connection between New York City and London was launched on January 7, 1927. The first call was placed by Theodore Vail, the chairman of American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), who spoke with Sir Evelyn Murray, the secretary of the General Post Office of Great Britain. A new transatlantic cable buried under the ocean's bottom carried the call, enabling quicker and more clear communication between the two cities. This was an important development in global communication that opened the door for other developments in long-distance technology.
Marian Anderson became the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
On January 7, 1955, Marian Anderson made her Metropolitan Opera debut, however she wasn't the first African American singer to appear there. The soprano Camilla Williams earned this honor when she performed the role of Cio-Cio San in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" on May 15, 1946. Marian Anderson, on the other hand, made history in 1955 when she performed the sorceress Ulrica in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" and became the first African American vocalist to play a major part at the Metropolitan Opera.
The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton began in the United States Senate.
The US Senate's impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton started on January 7, 1999. A sexual harassment case filed by Paula Jones against President Clinton led to the House of Representatives impeaching him for two charges: perjury and obstruction of justice. The five-week-long Senate trial featured testimony from the President's defense team as well as the House management, who functioned as the prosecution. In the end, the Senate cleared President Clinton of both allegations, and he served out the rest of his tenure in office.