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...
1993: Feds Raid Branch Davidian Compound in Waco
On February 28, 1993, federal agents tried to arrest David Koresh at his Waco, Texas, compound. A gunfight ensued, killing 10 and beginning a...
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...
1952: British WWII Code Breaker Alan Turing Goes on Trial for Homosexuality
On March 31, 1952, Alan Turing, computer technology pioneer and breaker of the Nazi Enigma code, was put on trial for homosexual acts. Found...
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...
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...
1971: Charles Manson and Followers Sentenced to Death
On March 29, 1971, a jury sentenced Charles Manson and three members of his “Family” to death for murdering actress Sharon Tate and seven...
1820: The “Mayflower of Liberia” Sets Sail
On February 6, 1820, a ship of freed black slaves set sail from New York for the coast of West Africa, where they would...
1979: Nuclear Meltdown Occurs at Three Mile Island
On March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant experienced a partial meltdown. It was the worst-ever commercial nuclear accident in American history.
Meltdown...
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...
