At 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy Avenger
torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19 took off from the Ft.
Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-
hour training mission.

After having completed their objective, the flight was to go
due east for an additional 67 miles, then turn north for 73
miles, and back to the air station after that, totaling a
distance of 120 miles. They never returned.

Two hours after the flight began, the leader of the squadron,
who had been flying in the area for more than six months,
reported that his compass and backup compass had failed
and that his position was unknown.

After two more hours of confused messages from the fliers,
a distorted radio transmission from the squadron leader was
heard at 6:20 p.m., apparently calling for his men to prepare
to ditch their aircraft simultaneously because of lack of fuel.

Sketches of the mysterious DB Cooper compiled from descriptions by passengers and crew from the hijacked
flight. (FBI)

A hijacker who became known as D.B. Cooper parachuted from
a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 into a raging thunderstorm over Washington State. He had $200,000 in ransom money in his
possession. His brazen crime still stands as one of the most
mysterious in history.

Most authorities have assumed he died during his seemingly
suicidal jump. No trace of Cooper was ever found after a massive 
search. 
       
Cooper’s true identity has never been determined conclusively.

Cooper commandeered the aircraft shortly after takeoff, showing
a flight attendant something that looked like a bomb and informing
the crew that he wanted $200,000, four parachutes, and “no funny
stuff.” The plane landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
where authorities met Cooper’s demands and evacuated most of
the passengers.

N467US, the Northwest aircraft involved in the hijacking.         
          
         

Crew of Flight 305 upon landing in Reno: (left to right)
Captain William Scott, Co-pilot Bill Rataczak, Flight
Attendant Tina Mucklow, Flight Engineer Harold E.
Anderson.

CARLATA BRADLEY

FROM LEFT: JOHN ALLEN MUHAMMAD, LEE BOYD MALVO

On September 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveiled its first space
shuttle, the Enterprise, during a ceremony in Palmdale, California.

Development of the aircraft-like spacecraft cost almost $10 billion
and took nearly a decade. In 1977, the Enterprise became the first
space shuttle to fly freely when it was lifted to a height of 25,000
feet by a Boeing 747 airplane and then released, gliding back to
Edwards Air Force Base on its own accord.

From left to right they are: NASA Administrator Dr.
James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley, who portrayed
Dr. "Bones" McCoy on the series; George Takei
(Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott); Nichelle Nichols
(Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); series
creator Gene Roddenberry; an unnamed NASA
official; and, Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov).