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...
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...
1964: Jimmy Hoffa Sentenced for Jury Tampering
On March 12, 1964, Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa was sentenced to eight years in prison for jury tampering. He lost control of the union...
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,...
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...
1983: Reagan Delivers “Star Wars” Speech
On March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan proposed the development of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a space and ground-based defense system to intercept...
1960: Earthquake Kills Thousands in Morocco
On February 29, 1960, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Agadir, Morocco. The 15-second event killed thousands and leveled parts of the city.
It was a...
1633: Galileo Faces Inquisition
On February 13, 1633, Galileo arrived in Rome to be tried for promoting Copernican theories, such as the revolutionary idea that the Earth orbits...
1997: Rap Icon Notorious B.I.G. Murdered
On March 9, 1997, Biggie Smalls was killed in a Los Angeles drive-by shooting that may have been linked to rap industry rivalries. His...
