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…
Read MoreDaniel E. Sickles was no ordinary figure in 19th-century American politics. Born in New York City in 1819, Sickles was a man of contradictions—a flamboyant and controversial character whose life would be forever marked by two infamous events: his murder of Philip Barton Key and his…
Read MoreOn April 19, 1956, the world watched in rapt attention as Hollywood royalty became actual royalty. In a union that seemed plucked from the script of a romantic film, American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, transforming from an Oscar-winning screen…
Read MoreOn April 18, 1506, under the direction of Pope Julius II, the cornerstone of what would become one of the most iconic churches in Christendom—St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City—was laid. The event marked not only the beginning of a monumental architectural project but…
Read MoreOn April 17, 2014, NASA announced a milestone in the search for life beyond Earth: the confirmation of Kepler-186f, the first Earth-size planet discovered orbiting within the habitable zone of another star. This groundbreaking discovery was made possible by the Kepler Space Telescope, a…
Read MoreThe Bay of Pigs Invasion of April 17, 1961, stands as a defining moment in American Cold War history and served as one of the lowest moments in the presidency of John F. Kennedy. Kennedy launched the clandestine mission with the aim of overthrowing…
Read MoreOn April 16, 1457 BC, Pharaoh Thutmose III of Egypt confronted a coalition of Canaanite city-states near the strategic fortress of Megiddo in present-day northern Palestine. More than a turning point in Egypt’s imperial ambitions, the Battle of Megiddo holds distinction as the earliest…
Read More“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most renowned works, crafted during his imprisonment in April 16, 1963. It’s a powerful testament to the civil rights movement and King’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance. In his letter, King addressed criticisms from…
Read MoreOn April 15, 1861, just two days after Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 militia troops. His goal was to put down what he described as an uprising too strong to be handled by the courts. While…
Read MoreOn April 14-15, 1912, the RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner, struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. The ship, touted as “unsinkable” due to its advanced safety features, tragically sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, resulting in…
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