On this day March 18 1980 the autopsy report of Elvis Presley was officially subpoenaed during the trial of Dr George Nichopoulos the physician who had treated Presley in his final years. The case centered around allegations that Dr Nichopoulos had over-prescribed medications to Presley
On this day March 18 1982 R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass was involved in a devastating car accident in Philadelphia that left him paralyzed from the chest down. The accident occurred when his Rolls-Royce crashed into a guardrail after the brakes reportedly failed. At the time
On this day March 17 1985 serial killer Richard Ramirez also known as The Night Stalker committed his first two known murders in Rosemead Park and Monterey Park in Los Angeles. These attacks marked the beginning of his brutal crime spree that terrorized California throughout
On this day March 16 1985 Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was kidnapped in Beirut Lebanon by Hezbollah militants backed by Iran. Anderson who was covering the ongoing Lebanese Civil War was ambushed and taken captive while returning from a tennis game. Anderson remained a
On this day March 16 1988 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered a chemical attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in northern Iraq. The attack which used deadly poison gas killed an estimated 5,000 people and left over 10,000 injured making it one of the
On this day March 15 1986 tragedy struck in Singapore when the six story Hotel New World collapsed suddenly killing 33 people and trapping many others under the rubble. The disaster was one of the worst structural failures in the country’s history. Rescue teams worked
On this day March 14 1980 LOT Flight 7 tragically crashed during its final approach near Warsaw Poland killing all 87 people on board. Among the victims was a 14 man American boxing team who were traveling to Poland for an international tournament. The crash
On this day March 14 1982 agents of the South African government carried out a bombing attack on the headquarters of the African National Congress (ANC) in London. The attack was part of South Africa’s efforts to suppress anti apartheid activism abroad. The explosion caused
On this day March 11 1986 the NFL officially voted to implement instant replay for the upcoming seasons marking a major change in how the game was officiated. This decision introduced video review technology to help referees make more accurate calls a system that would
On this day March 11 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union making him the country’s de facto leader. Gorbachev would go on to introduce major reforms including glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) which aimed to modernize