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...
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...
1997: Bodies of Heaven’s Gate Cult Members Discovered After Mass Suicide
On March 26, 1997, police found the bodies of 39 Heaven’s Gate members who had committed suicide believing that the Hale-Bopp comet was a...
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...
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...
1942: Roosevelt Authorizes Internment of Japanese-Americans
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the military to relocate Japanese-Americans from their homes to internment...
1970: Jury Convicts Five of Chicago Seven
On February 18, 1970, five members of the “Chicago Seven” were found guilty of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Trial Illustrates Cultural Divide...
On This Day: President Nixon Resigns
On Aug. 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon, facing impeachment charges for his role in the Watergate Hotel break-in, announced his resignation.
The Watergate Scandal
At 2:30...
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...
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...
