The spacecraft Stardust flew within 147 miles of Comet Wild 2 and collected samples
NASA's Stardust mission successfully captured particles from the comet's tail using aerogel, a substance so light it's nicknamed 'frozen smoke.' The s...
Historical Events
2004
1974
President Nixon signed a bill requiring all states to adopt a 55 mph national speed limit
The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was a response to the 1973 oil crisis and was deeply unpopular with drivers. The law was gradually relax...
1959
The Soviet Union launched Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon
Luna 1 was intended to crash into the Moon but missed by about 3,700 miles due to a timing error. Instead, it became the first human-made object to re...
1942
Manila and the U.S. Naval base at Cavite fell to Japanese forces during World War II
MajorThe fall of Manila was a devastating blow to Allied forces in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur retreated to Corregidor and famously vowed 'I sha...
1920
The Palmer Raids began, with over 10,000 suspected communists arrested across 33 American cities
MajorAttorney General A. Mitchell Palmer ordered the largest mass arrest in U.S. history during the First Red Scare. Most detainees were held without charg...
1905
The first college football bowl game was played in California
The Tournament East-West football game (later known as the Rose Bowl) took place in Pasadena, with Michigan crushing Stanford 49-0. Stanford quit at h...
1900
The first electric bus went into service in New York City
The battery-powered bus could carry 12 passengers and had a range of about 15 miles per charge. Despite being quieter and cleaner than horse-drawn car...
1860
The planet Vulcan was 'discovered' between Mercury and the Sun
French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier announced the discovery of a new planet that supposedly explained Mercury's orbital irregularities. The planet...
1839
The first photograph of the Moon was taken by Louis Daguerre
MajorFrench photographer Louis Daguerre captured the first successful daguerreotype of the Moon, though the image quality was quite poor. It took another 1...
1822
Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott was born
Scott is credited with basically inventing the historical novel genre with works like Ivanhoe and Rob Roy. He was so famous that when his identity as...
1788
Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution
Georgia's ratification was unanimous, making it one of the fastest states to approve the Constitution. The state was particularly motivated by the nee...
1492
The Emirate of Granada surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella, ending 781 years of Muslim rule in Spain
MajorThe last Muslim ruler, Muhammad XII (also known as Boabdil), handed over the keys to the Alhambra palace, marking the completion of the Reconquista. A...