1965: Malcolm X Assassinated

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X, a former Nation of Islam leader, was assassinated by Black Muslims in New York. Malcolm X Shot Dead in...

1978: Aldo Moro Kidnapped by the Italian Red Brigades

On March 16, 1978, former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped by a left-wing extremist group; he was killed 55 days later when...

1920: 19th Amendment Gives Women Right to Vote

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified after decades of struggle by women’s rights advocates, bringing a successful end to the U.S....

1972: Congress Passes Equal Rights Amendment

On March 22, 1972, the Senate approved the Equal Rights Amendment, which banned discrimination on the basis of sex. The amendment fell three states...

1911: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Kills 146

On March 25, 1911, a fire at New York City’s crowded, unsafe Triangle Shirtwaist Factory killed 146 workers. Public outrage over the incident galvanized...

1991: “Birmingham Six” Freed After 16 Years in Prison

On March 14, 1991, six men wrongfully accused of carrying out Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombing attacks on two Birmingham pubs were released after...

1989: Exxon Valdez Wreck Causes Massive Oil Spill

On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, causing 11 million gallons of oil to...

1964: The Beatles Arrive in New York

On February 7, 1964, the Beatles were greeted by thousands of screaming fans as they landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York...

1960: Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins Begin

On February 1, 1960, four black college students refused to leave a lunch counter where they were denied service, sparking a wave of sit-in...

1773: American Patriots Carry Out Boston Tea Party

On Dec. 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and destroyed their cargo of tea, taking another...