Eurotunnel Connects Britain and France
On Dec. 1, 1990, British and French construction workers joined the two halves of the Eurotunnel, physically linking Britain and France for the first...
1962: Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
On Oct. 14, 1962, a United States spy plane spotted missile bases under construction in Cuba, touching off the two-week Cuban Missile Crisis.
Two Weeks...
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...
2002: The Trial of Slobodan Milosevic Begins
On February 12, 2002, the war crimes trial of Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic began at The Hague. The defendant died before a sentence was...
1977: 583 Killed as 747s Collide on Tenerife Runway
On March 27, 1977, two 747 airliners collided on a runway in the Canary Island of Tenerife, killing 583 people, more than any plane...
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,...
1836: Santa Anna Launches Siege on the Alamo
On February 23, 1836, Mexican General Santa Anna began a siege against nearly 200 Texan rebels stationed inside the Alamo. He launched an assault...
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...
1933: Arsonist Torches the Reichstag
On February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin was burned down by a Dutch communist, possibly with the assistance of Nazi officials. The...
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...
