1793 France witnessed the first public demonstration of a hot air balloon, conducted by the Montgolfier brothers. 1865 The United States ratified the 13th Amendment to its Constitution, officially abolishing slavery. 1892  The very first football match at London’s Wembley Stadium was played. 1912 The Piltdown Man, later exposed as a famous paleoanthropological hoax, was … Continue reading This Day In History