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...

1964: Muhammad Ali Wins Heavyweight Title

On February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay became the world heavyweight boxing champion, defeating Sonny Liston in an upset. “I Shook Up the World” Muhammad Ali,...

1990: Nelson Mandela Released From Prison

On February 11, 1990, South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk freed anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Mandela had spent 27 years in prison. Mandela Goes...

On This Day: Bodies of Three Civil Rights Workers Discovered in Mississippi

On Aug. 4, 1964, the bodies of missing civil rights volunteers Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman were discovered in a dam outside...

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...

On This Day: United States Drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

On Aug. 6, 1945, U.S. war plane Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy,” a 8,900-pound atomic bomb, on Hiroshima, Japan. Within eight days, Japan surrendered,...

1937: President Roosevelt Proposes “Court-Packing” Plan

On February 5, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented Congress with legislation intended to manufacture Supreme Court approval for his New Deal. “Court-Packing” Bill Fails...

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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...

1587: Mary, Queen of Scots Beheaded

On February 8, 1587, Mary I of Scotland was beheaded for her alleged role in a conspiracy against her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of...