In 1265, Britain's House of Commons, which became a model for parliamentary bodies, met for the first time. In 1778, James Cook became the first European to step foot on the Hawaiian Islands. He called them the Sandwich Islands.

Originally published in Synapse on January 22, 2009.

Barack and Michelle Obama quickly became one of America's favorite couples when they were elected to the White House in 2008 as President of the United States and his First Lady respectively.

Barack and Michelle Obama shared a joint statement in support of first responders in Los Angeles as their daughters Sasha and Malia are also affected by the wildfires, read