April 24, 1183 BC—at least according to the calculations of Eratosthenes—marks the traditional date of the fall of Troy, the climactic end of the legendary Trojan War. Though the conflict itself belongs as much to myth as to history, the date has endured for…
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On April 24, 1990, a Space Shuttle Discovery mission designated STS-31 changed the course of modern astronomy. From low Earth orbit, it deployed one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built: the Hubble Space Telescope. Decades in the making and plagued by delays…
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On April 23, 1968, the campus of Columbia University became one of the most visible flashpoints of domestic unrest during the Vietnam War, as student protesters seized control of multiple administration buildings and effectively shut down the university. The occupation did not erupt spontaneously;…
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On April 23, 1635, in the fledgling Puritan settlement of Boston, the foundations of American public education were laid with the establishment of the Boston Latin School. The first public school in what would become the United States, Boston Latin was created not only…
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On April 22, 1836—one day after the decisive clash at the Battle of San Jacinto—the Texas Revolution reached its true turning point not in combat, but in recognition. In the chaotic aftermath of victory, forces under Sam Houston identified and captured the man who…
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At precisely noon on April 22, 1889, the American West erupted into motion. The sharp blast of a bugle, followed by the crack of pistols and the thunder of galloping hooves, signaled the beginning of one of the most frenzied land grabs in U.S.…
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On April 21, 2014, officials in Flint made a fateful decision that would trigger one of the most consequential public health failures in modern American history: the city switched its drinking water source from treated Lake Huron water to the corrosive Flint River. The…
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In the waning light of April 21, 1836, a force of approximately 900 Texian soldiers led by General Sam Houston launched a surprise assault on a larger, more experienced Mexican army under General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The clash, known as the Battle…
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On April 20, 1861, just days after the outbreak of the American Civil War, Colonel Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army, ending more than three decades of federal service and setting in motion one of the most consequential personal…
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At around 9:45 p.m. local time on April 20, 2010, a series of explosions shook the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore rig operating 41 miles off Louisiana’s coast. Leased by BP and run by Transocean, the rig was drilling a deep exploratory well in the…
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