It was on this day in 1994 that the Chunnel officially opened to the public. While a under-the-channel-tunnel between France and England was envisioned as early as 1802 (with the first attempt at construction made in 1880) it wasn’t until June of 1988 that serious work would begin. It took over 15,000 workers to construct three separate tunnels (two rail and one service) 31 miles long, 23 of which are under the sea. The Chunnel was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World in 1996.
Wiki’s earliest event listed for this day is “1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. 147 Swiss Guards, including their commander, die fighting the forces of Charles V in order to allow Pope Clement VII to escape into Castel Sant’Angelo” and the most recent is “2010 – The second largest intraday point swing in Dow Jones Industrial Average history occurs.“
A few other things of note include:
1937 – Thirty-six people die after the Hindenburg explodes and catches fire in NJ.
1941 – Bob Hope does his first USO show.
2001 – John Paul II becomes the first pope to go inside a mosque.
Happy birthday to George Clooney and Bob Seger.