1974: Russian Dissident Writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn Charged With Treason

On February 14, 1974, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian writer who revealed the horrors of the Soviet gulag, was charged with treason a day 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...

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...

1974: Heiress Patty Hearst Kidnapped

On February 4, 1974, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped Patty Hearst, 19, granddaughter of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. After months of...

1953: Academy Awards Televised for First Time

On March 19, 1953, the Academy Awards appeared on television for the first time, and 34 million viewers tuned in. Oscars Make Television Debut NBC-TV’s broadcast...

1938: “Kristallnacht” Attacks Mark Unofficial Start of Holocaust

On Nov. 9, 1938, Nazi storm troopers launched a coordinated attack against Jewish communities, destroying property and shipping thousands to concentration camps. “Night of Broken...

1770: British Soldiers Kill 5 in “Boston Massacre”

On March 5, 1770, British soldiers stationed in Boston fired on a crowd of hecklers, killing five and wounding others. British Soldiers Open Fire on...

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...

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...

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...