Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, found the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, today known as The Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney, whose full name was Walter Elias Disney, was a pioneering American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for co-founding The Walt Disney Company, one of the most famous and influential entertainment conglomerates in the world.

Early Life: Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois, and raised in Marceline, Missouri. His family later moved to Kansas City, where he began his artistic journey, creating his first drawings and cartoons.

Founding The Walt Disney Company: In 1923, Disney and his brother Roy co-founded the Disney Brothers Studio, which would later become The Walt Disney Company. The company initially produced a series of successful animated shorts featuring a character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie: In 1928, Disney introduced Mickey Mouse in the groundbreaking animated short film “Steamboat Willie.” This marked the debut of synchronized sound in animation and propelled Disney to fame.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: In 1937, Disney released the world’s first full-length animated feature film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” It was a tremendous success and established Disney as a leader in the animation industry.

Expansion into Theme Parks: Walt Disney’s vision extended beyond film and animation. He pioneered the concept of theme parks with Disneyland, which opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. The success of Disneyland led to the creation of Walt Disney World in Florida and many other Disney theme parks around the world.

Technological Innovations: Disney was also a technological innovator, being one of the first to use Technicolor and CinemaScope in his films. He also developed the multiplane camera, a groundbreaking animation technique that added depth and dimension to his cartoons.

Legacy: Walt Disney’s impact on the entertainment industry is immeasurable. His creations, including iconic characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Snow White, continue to be beloved by audiences of all ages. The Walt Disney Company has diversified into various media and entertainment sectors, including film, television, theme parks, and more.

Personal Life: Disney married Lillian Bounds in 1925, and they had two daughters, Diane and Sharon. He was known for his strong work ethic and his commitment to quality and innovation.

Awards and Honors: Walt Disney received numerous accolades during his lifetime, including multiple Academy Awards and the creation of Disneyland. He was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is widely regarded as an American cultural icon.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos are ejected from the US Olympic team for participating in the Olympics Black Power salute.

Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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China detonates its first nuclear weapon.

On 16 October 1964, the People’s Republic of China conducted its first nuclear test, making it the fifth nuclear-armed state after the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France. China had initiated its nuclear weapons programme in the mid-1950s, after the Korean war. At the outset, its efforts were backed by substantial Soviet assistance, including advisors and technical equipment. Research on nuclear weapon design began at the Institute of Physics and Atomic Energy in Beijing, and a uranium enrichment plant was constructed in Lanzhou to produce weapon-grade uranium.

Mao and Khrushchev
With the cooling of Sino-Soviet relations in the late 1950s, the Soviet Union withdrew all assistance. In June 1959, Nikita Khrushchev decided to refuse the provision of a prototype bomb to the Chinese. This rupture prompted China to embark on its own nuclear testing project, code-named 59-6 after the month in which it was initiated.

Map of Lop Nor
Operation 59-6 was carried out at the Lop Nur test site in the Gobi desert of Xinjiang province, Western China, close to the ancient Silk Route. An implosion-type device was mounted from the top of a steel tower, producing a yield of 22 kilotons. It was the first of a total of 45 Chinese nuclear tests, all of which were conducted at Lop Nur. Twenty three of these tests were atmospheric and 22 underground, the yields ranging from 1 kiloton to 4 megatons. On 17 June 1967, just three years after operation 59-6 – faster than other nuclear weapon possessors – China detonated its first hydrogen bomb.

Soldiers rode on horseback towards the mushroom clouds.
The effects of China’s nuclear testing on human health, animals and the environment are largely unexplored due to the lack of publically available official data. The Xinjiang region is the largest Chinese administrative division and home to 20 million people of different ethnic backgrounds. A study carried out by the Japanese physicist Professor Jun Takada suggests that peak levels of radioactivity from China’s large-yield tests exceeded that of the 1986 Chernobyl reactor accident and seriously affected local populations.

In 2008, China started to pay undisclosed subsidies to personnel involved in nuclear testing. Compensation, however, has not been extended to civilian residents of the Xinjiang area, downwind of the Lop Nur test site.

China signed the CTBT on the very day it opened for signature, but has yet to ratify.
China conducted its last test on 29 July 1996, only two months prior to signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty CTBT on 24 September 1996. However, it has yet to ratify the CTBT, a step that is mandatory for the Treaty’s entry into force. Ratifications of seven other nuclear-capable states are also missing: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Israel, Iran, Pakistan and the United States.

‘The Bill’ debuts on ITV. It eventually becomes the longest running police drama in British television history.

The Rodney Riots take place in Jamaica following the barring of Walter Rodney from the country.

The Cuban missile crisis between the United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union starts after the US President John F. Kennedy sees photographs of the missile sites in Cuba.

The Australian Coalition opposition parties using their senate majority, vote to defer the decision to grant supply of funds for the Whitlam Government’s annual budget.