Chinese and Arab astronomers observed a supernova in the sky in 1054 that lit up the night sky for days. The remnants of that supernova are today known as the Crab Nebula. In 1837, the Grand Junction Railway opened between Birmingham and Liverpool. It was the world's first long-distance railway. In 1838, the Iowa Territory was formed and in 1987, Klaus Barbie was convicted of crimes against humanity. Celebrating birthdays today: Eva Marie Saint, Gina Lollobrigida, Bill Withers, Kirk Pengilly, Koko the signing gorilla, and Malia Obama. Today is the day of the Earth's aphelion. Oh, and in 1776, a bunch of jerkwads in Philadelphia ruined any chance I ever had of getting residency in Britain as a citizen of a Commonwealth nation.
