April 10

in History

Constantinople, Eastern Roman EmpireClassical

401

Theodosius II Was Born

An infant emperor who shaped Roman law

In Constantinople, the infant Theodosius II was born into the purple, destined to become emperor before he could walk. Proclaimed Augustus as a baby, he would reign for nearly half a century -- the longest tenure of any Eastern Roman emperor. His lasting legacy was the Theodosian Code, a comprehensive compilation of Roman law, and the mighty walls of Constantinople that would protect the city for a thousand years against every invader until 1453.

401 AD

Cullom, Illinois, United StatesEarly 20th Century

1900

Arnold Beckman Was Born

The inventor who revolutionized chemistry

In the small town of Cullom, Illinois, Arnold Orville Beckman was born -- a quiet genius who would transform the practice of science. As a professor at Caltech, he invented the pH meter in 1934, a device that revolutionized chemistry and biology. He went on to develop the DU spectrophotometer, hailed as the most important instrument in bioscience history. His funding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory helped give rise to Silicon Valley itself.

1900 AD

Late 20th Century

1963

United States Navy

The U.

The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank with all hands lost during deep-diving tests in the North Atlantic Ocean.

1963 AD