On December 8, 1980, the world lost one of its most influential musicians when John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York City. The former Beatle, who had helped revolutionize popular music and become a symbol of peace and artistic expression, was only 40 years old. His death sent shockwaves…
On February 3, 1959, a small plane crashed in an Iowa cornfield near Clear Lake, killing three of rock and roll’s brightest young stars: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The tragedy, which also claimed the life of pilot Roger Peterson, would later become known as “The Day the Music Died,”…
On January 31, 1958, the United States launched Explorer 1, the nations first artificial satellite, marking Americas entry into the Space Age and its first major achievement in the emerging Space Race with the Soviet Union. The successful launch came just four months after the Soviets had stunned the world with Sputnik 1, and it…
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the United States was thrust into World War II when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a devastating surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In less than two hours, Japanese aircraft killed 2,403 Americans, wounded over 1,000 more, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S….
On January 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi, the preeminent leader of Indias independence movement and one of historys most influential advocates of nonviolent resistance, was assassinated in New Delhi. The 78-year-old spiritual and political leader was shot three times at point-blank range by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist who opposed Gandhis efforts to promote harmony between…
On December 6, 1877, in a small laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison achieved something that had never been done before in human history: he successfully recorded and played back the human voice. Speaking the words Mary had a little lamb into his newly invented phonograph, Edison created the first audio recording, fundamentally…
On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as the 34th state, entering as a free state after years of violent conflict that earned the territory the ominous nickname Bleeding Kansas. The admission came at a pivotal moment in American history, with several Southern states already having seceded from the Union and the…
On December 5, 1933, the United States officially ended one of its most controversial social experiments when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment, achieving the three-fourths majority needed to repeal Prohibition. At 5:32 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the 18th Amendment was nullified, and Americans could once again legally purchase, sell, and…
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing all seven crew members aboard. The disaster shocked the nation and the world, as millions of viewers, including countless schoolchildren, watched the tragedy unfold on live television. It was the first fatal accident involving an American…
On December 4, 1969, the Chicago Police Department conducted a predawn raid on an apartment at 2337 West Monroe Street that would become one of the most controversial law enforcement actions in American history. Inside that apartment, 21-year-old Fred Hampton, the charismatic deputy chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was shot and killed along…