Edison shows off his phonograph, atom bomb testing heads underground, a chimpanzee orbits the Earth, the Pong craze begins, and the world loses another Beatle, all on this day.
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Library of Congress
1924: Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, whose operas include "Madame Butterfly" and "La bohème," dies from a heart attack at the age of 65 before he could complete his final opera. The last two scenes of "Turandot" would be completed by Italian composer Franco Alfano based on the Puccini's sketches.