TODAY IN HISTORY

NOVEMBER 10

1954:Exactly 179 years after the Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Marines, President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, in Arlington, Va. The memorial centers on a monumental sculpture by Felix de Weldon, based on Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of six American servicemen raising the U.S. flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

1928: Michinomiya Hirohito is formally enthroned as the 124th emperor of Japan in Kyoto. Emperor Hirohito would rule over Japan during his nation's military buildup, participation in World War II and postwar reconstruction, until his death in 1989 as the longest-reigning monarch in Japanese history.

1969: Created by Joan Ganz Cooney with puppets by Jim Henson, the educational children's television program Sesame Street premieres on public broadcasting stations around the country, introducing the first of many generations of children to iconic characters such as Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Grover, the Cookie Monster and many others. It would become the most widely viewed children's program in the world, now airing in some 120 countries.


1958:The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian Institution by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston.

1951: Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States.

1903:Mary Anderson patents the windshield wiper.

1885:The world's first motorcycle, designed by Gottlieb Daimler, is presented

1775:The Continental Marines was created, now known as the birth of the United States Marine Corps.

1970:The 5,000 Mile Great Wall of China is opened for tourists.