November 14

1765: Robert Fulton, whose Clermont was the first truly successful steamboat, was born. 1832: first street car to be used in the U.S. took its initial trip with municipal officials in New York City. 1863: Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite, which played a large role as an insulator in early electronics, was born. 1910: The first airplane flight from a ship was made by Eugene Ely from the bow of the scout cruiser Birmingham. 1914: Black American educator & inventor Booker T. Washington died. 1922: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) began its domestic radio service. 1930: Edward White, the first U.S. astronaut to walk in space, was born. 1967: A patent for Ruby Laser Systems was issued to Theodore Maiman. 1969: Apollo 12 blasted off on a mission to the moon. 1972: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 1,000 level for the first time, ending the day at 1003.16. 1994: Public trains began operation in the English Channel Tunnel (Chunnel). 2005: U.S. Navy made the first launch of an underwater glider from a submarine platform.