On January 25, 1905, at the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a 3,106-carat diamond is discovered during a routine inspection by the mine's superintendent. Weighing 1.33 pounds, and christened the "Cullinan," it was the largest diamond ever found.

Frederick Wells was 18 feet below the earth's surface when he spotted a flash of starlight embedded in the wall just above him. His discovery was presented that same afternoon to Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine. Cullinan then sold the diamond to the Transvaal provincial government, which presented the stone to Britain's King Edward VII as a birthday gift. Worried that the diamond might be stolen in transit from Africa to London, Edward arranged to send a phony diamond aboard a steamer ship loaded with detectives as a diversionary tactic. While the decoy slowly made its way from Africa on the ship, the Cullinan was sent to England in a plain box.


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- Automotive
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- Civil War
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- Crime
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- General Interest
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- Manson and followers convicted, 1971
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- Literary
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- Music
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- Old West
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- Presidential
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- Sports
- First Winter Olympics begin in Chamonix, France, 1924
- Vietnam War
- First plenary session of the formal Paris Peace talks is held, 1969
- Nixon reveals information about secret negotiations, 1972
- World War I
- Formal commission is established on the League of Nations, 1919
- World War II
- Thailand declares war on the United States and England, 1942
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