1859 : Publication of On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin released his groundbreaking work on evolution through natural selection.
1863 : Battle of Lookout Mountain
Union forces captured Lookout Mountain in Tennessee during the American Civil War, in a battle famously known as the “Battle Above the Clouds.”
1963 : Jack Ruby kills Lee Harvey Oswald
Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, at the Dallas Police Headquarters.
1969 : Apollo 12 Splashdown
The Apollo 12 mission returned safely to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
1971 : D.B. Cooper Hijacking
A man identifying himself as “D.B. Cooper” hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, extorted $200,000, and parachuted away—disappearing without a trace.
1974 : Discovery of “Lucy” Fossils
The 3.2-million-year-old hominid skeleton known as “Lucy” was discovered in Ethiopia, marking a major milestone in the study of human evolution.
2012 : Fire in Dhaka Clothing Factory
A devastating fire at a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh killed over 110 people.
2017 : Sinai Mosque Attack
A terrorist attack on the al‑Rawdah mosque in northern Sinai, Egypt, claimed numerous lives among worshippers.
1642 : Dutch Discovery of Tasmania
Explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight the island now known as Tasmania.
1932 : FBI Crime Lab Opens
The Federal Bureau of Investigation officially opened its Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory, advancing forensic investigations.
1928 : First Federal Women’s Prison
The Federal Industrial Institution for Women opened in Alderson, West Virginia, becoming the first federal prison dedicated solely to women.
