Henry Tudor, who was crowned King Henry VII on this day in 1485, founded the Tudor dynasty, ended the Wars of the Roses, used his children’s marriages to build alliances, and signed treaties that increased England‘s power.

The Soviets detonated Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya island in the Arctic Ocean; the largest nuclear weapon ever set off, it produced the most powerful human-made explosion ever recorded.

Orson Welles‘s radio dramatization of H.G. Wells‘s War of the Worlds was broadcast, causing great alarm—though reports of a nationwide panic were unfounded—as some listeners feared a genuine invasion from Mars.

October 30th, 1735 was the birthday of President John Adams. (Some sources cite his birthdate as October 19, 1735.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by Tom Christianson, of our own staff.

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