ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1831, Charles Darwin (above) set out on a
voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin’s
discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis
of his theories on evolution.

The British naval vessel HMS Beagle.

James Barrie’s play "Peter Pan" premiered in London
on this day in 1904.

Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet (May 9, 1860 – June 19, 1937)  

Historical newspaper report on “Peter Pan”.

Peter Pan statue by Sir George Frampton in Kensington
Gardens, London.

TIM MAGUIRE

On this day in 1901, President William McKinley (below) died of
gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. His Vice President,
Theodore Roosevelt (above) succeeded him at age 43.     

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901)

The assassination of McKinley occurred on September 6, 1901.

It was on this day in 1982 Grace Kelly died of severe head injuries.

Photo of the crashed car after dropping more than
100 feet over a retaining wall.

Spectators view the site of the car crash.

Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeod (Zelle)
(August 7, 1876 – October 15, 1917)

(Fox News) – Extremely rare letters from infamous World War I spy Mata
Hari to her lover have been sold for $15,000 at a Los Angeles auction.

Born Margaretha Zelle in the Netherlands in 1876, the courtesan and
exotic dancer was better known by her stage name of Mata Hari. She
was recruited by France to spy on Germany during World War I, and
was later accused of being a German double agent. 

Arrested in Paris on Feb. 13, 1917, she was put on trial on July 24 of
that year, charged with spying for Germany and causing the deaths
of at least 50,000 soldiers. Convicted, she was executed by a French
firing squad on Oct. 15, 1917. Some historians, however, think that
she was a scapegoat and her execution was used as a distraction
from the devastating losses France suffered during the war.

ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1940, France and Germany signed an armistice at Compiegne, on terms dictated by the Nazis.

On this day in 1945, during World War II, the battle for Okinawa
officially ended after 81 days.        
    
    
    
    
   

It was on this day in 1938.

Joe Louis (the Brown Bomber) drops Max Schmeling to the canvas.

It was on this day in 1969.

On this day in 1987.

ED DANAHUE

On this day in 1858, in a speech in Springfield, IL, U.S.
Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln said the slavery
issue had to be resolved. He declared, "A house
divided against itself cannot stand."

On this day in 1963, 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova went into orbit aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft for three days. She was the first
female space traveler.

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova turned 81 on March 6.

In Soweto on this day in 1976, thousands of school children revolted against the South African government’s plan to enforce Afrikaans as
the language for instruction in black schools

An 18-year old South African school boy is seen carrying a dying
13-year old Hector Pieterson.

On this day in 1961, Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Soviet Union
while in Paris, traveling with the Leningrad Kirov Ballet.

Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (March 17, 1938 – January 6, 1993)

Nureyev entered a hospital in Paris, France on November 20, 1992 and
remained there until his death from AIDS complications at age 54.