This Day in History (1973): New drilling records set

Aramco U-1 rig team, some of whose members are pictured above, and Loffland ST-1 rig team, share honors for setting two new drilling records in the Berri field last month. On Nov. 1, the Loffland Rig ST-1 completed Berri Well 61 at 8,779 feet in 21.9 days, a record performance for a directionally drilled offshore well.

Less than two weeks later, Aramco U-1 rig, operating on Abu Ali Island, drilled and completed Berri Well 215, a vertical water-injection well at a total of 8,900 feet in just 19.9 operating days, achieving a record not only for this particular type of well, but an all-time, all-types record for the Berri Field.

Caption for top photo: The Aramco U-1 rig team poses after achieving a record for a vertical water-injection well on Abu Ali Island.

Also on this day:

2017 — The International Olympic Committee bans Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics for doping offenses from the previous Games

1991 — Leonid Kravchuk is elected first president of Ukraine

1964 — For his heroism in battle, Captain Roger Donlon is award the first Medal of Honor for U.S. forces in the Vietnam War

1952 — The Great Smog begins in London as a cold fog combines with air pollution, bringing the city to a standstill for four days. Approximately 4,000 people died as a result of it.

1921 — The Football Association bans women's soccer in England from league grounds, a ban that lasts for half a century

1901 — Walt Disney is born

1848 — The California gold rush begins after President James K. Polk confirms large amounts have been discovered in the state

1766 — In London, auctioneer James Christie holds his first sale

1033 — The Jordan Rift Valley earthquake destroys multiple cities across the Levant, triggers a tsunami, and kills many