Bismarck firing at HMS Prince of Wales.

On May 24, 1941, Germany’s largest and most modern of Germany’s 
battleships battleship, the Bismarck, sank the pride of the British
fleet, HMS Hood.

Less than 10 minutes after the British opened fire, a shell from 
Bismarck struck Hood near her aft ammunition magazines.

Soon afterwards, Hood exploded and sank within three minutes,
with the loss of all but three of her crew. Prince of Wales
continued to exchange fire with Bismarck but suffered serious malfunctions in her main armament.

TIM MAGUIRE

The first televised debate between presidential candidates Richard
M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy took place in Chicago, IL. on this day         
in 1960.

John F. Kennedy                      Richard  M. Nixon

Washington laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in a photo reproduction of a painting.

On September 18, 1793, George Washington lays the cornerstone to the
United States Capitol building, the home of the legislative branch of
American government. The building would take nearly a century to
complete, as architects came and went, the British set fire to it and
it was called into use during the Civil War. Today, the Capitol building,
with its famous cast-iron dome and important collection of American
art, is part of the Capitol Complex, which includes six Congressional
office buildings and three Library of Congress buildings, all developed
in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Although President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the
U.S. Capitol in 1793, construction of current dome did not begin
until 1856. The dome, which replaced an earlier one made of
copper.

The U.S. Capitol under construction, 1860.

1860 – 1861

The U.S. Capitol as it looks today in Washington, D.C.

CAMILLE
BOHANNON

The Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri.

Japanese foreign affairs minister Mamoru Shigemitsu (center) signs
the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, Gen. Richard K. Sutherland
(left) observes.

Japan surrendered to the U.S. aboard the USS Missouri, ending
World War II. The war ended six years and one day after it began.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs the Japanese surrender document.

President Harry S. Truman proclaiming this day in 1945 as V-J Day.

    
   
Seventy-three years after it sunk to the floor in the North Atlantic ocean, a
joint U.S. French expedition, led by Dr. Robert Ballard and Dr. Jean-Louis 
Michel, located the wreck of the RMS Titanic. The sunken liner is located
963 miles northeast of New York and 453 miles southeast of the coast of
Newfoundland

From left: Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean Louise Michel.

York Times shows its April 16, 1912 front page coverage of the
Titanic disaster.