Beethoven conducts and performs the concert of a lifetime, U.S. Pres. Truman tries to alleviate Europe's refugee crisis, Mao Zedong orders China's young adults to the rural countryside, and Doctors Without Borders is formed - with a reading from Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment."

Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" premieres in Copenhagen, the first crossword puzzle is published, and the birthday club includes Maria Cadilla and Frank Zappa - with a reading from Ibsen's "Enemy of the People."

South Carolina secedes from the Union, Captain America first appears, and the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" premieres - with a reading from Eugene Debs' statement to the court after his conviction for violating the Sedition Act.

Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet "The American Crisis" and the birthday club includes Carter Woodson and Edith Piaf - with a reading from Woodson's "The Mis-Education of the Negro."

The Nutcracker premieres in Russia and the birthday club includes Saki and Joel Hirschorn - with a reading from Saki's "The Tales of Clovis."

"Vogue" publishes its first issue and the birthday club includes Ford Madox Ford and William Safire - with a reading from Ford's novel "The Good Soldier."

It is the birthday of novelist Jane Austen and philosopher George Santayana - with a reading from Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."

Italo Marchiony gets the U.S. patent for the waffle cup that held Italian ices, the film "Gone With the Wind" premiers in Atlanta, and the American Psychiatric Association unanimously decides that homosexuality is not a mental disorder, and the Downing Street Declaration is issued as part of the Good Friday Agreement. This episode includes a reading from Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment."