On this day April 8, 1987, longtime Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis was forced to resign just two days after making controversial remarks on national television suggesting that Black people may not be equipped to hold leadership roles in baseball. His comments aired during
On this day April 8, 1986, Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel by the Sea, California, winning about 72 percent of the vote. The legendary actor and director ran on a platform of cutting through red tape in the small coastal town, and his
On this day April 7, 1983, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson made history by performing the first ever spacewalk from a space shuttle during NASA’s STS 6 mission aboard Challenger. This groundbreaking extravehicular activity marked a key step in the evolution of shuttle era
On this day April 7, 1983, archaeologist Fred Wendorf made a groundbreaking discovery in Egypt — the oldest known human skeleton at the time, estimated to be around 80,000 years old. Found near the Nile Valley, the discovery offered incredible insight into early human life
On this day March 30 1981 U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. The assassination attempt shocked the nation and led to a wave of support for the president as he
On this day March 30 1980 the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was officially ordered to liquidate its assets after years of financial trouble. Once a major player in American rail transport the railroad had been struggling with debt and declining freight and passenger
On this day March 30 1984 New York police detective Robert Cunningham left what became known as the world’s biggest tip. Dining at his regular spot at Sal’s Italian Restaurant in Yonkers Cunningham didn’t have enough cash for a proper tip and jokingly offered to
On this day March 26 1982 the first ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was held in Washington DC. Though the memorial would not be officially dedicated until later that year this early ceremony marked a powerful moment of recognition for the more than 58000
On this day March 26 1989 the Soviet Union conducted its first partially free nationwide elections for the Congress of People’s Deputies. This historic event marked a significant shift in Soviet politics allowing for a degree of electoral competition previously unseen in the country’s history.
On this day March 24 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck a reef in Prince William Sound Alaska and spilled an estimated 240000 barrels of crude oil into the ocean. The spill quickly became one of the worst environmental disasters in US history contaminating