The "Face on Mars" was first photographed on this day in history, July 25, 1976. (NASA)
A photo from Mars taken by NASA’s Viking 1 spacecraft left people perplexed and wondering about the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Dubbed the "Face on Mars," the image appeared to show a carving of eyes, nose and a mouth in the Martian region of Cydonia.
NASA’s website said "the Viking 1 spacecraft (below) was circling the planet, snapping photos of possible landing sites for its sister ship Viking 2, when it spotted the shadowy likeness of a human face."
On this day in 1789, the French Revolution began when Parisians stormed the Bastille prison and released seven prisoners inside.
Outlaw “Billy The Kid” (William H. Bonney) was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett (below) on this day in 1881.
Richard Benjamin Speck (December 6, 1941 – December 5, 1991)
Richard Speck murdered student nurses in Chicago (below) on the night’s of July 13–14, 1966.
Guarded by detectives, Corazon Amurao arrives at the courthouse in Peoria to testify as the state’s chief witness against mass murderer Richard Speck on April 5, 1967.
The American space probe Mariner 4 flew by Mars, and sent back photographs of the planet (below) on this day in 1965.
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967)
singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie was one of the most significant figures in American folk music; his songs, including social justice songs, such as "This Land Is Your Land", have inspired several generations both politically and musically. He wrote hundreds of political, folk, and children’s songs, along with ballads and improvised works.
Guthrie died of complications of Huntington’s disease on October 3, 1967. By the time of his death, his work had been discovered by a new audience, introduced to them through Dylan, Pete Seeger, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, his ex-wife Marjorie and other new members of the folk revival, and his son Arlo (below).
America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing on Mars on this day in 1976.
First image taken by Viking 1 form the surface of Mars.
An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler failed on this day in 1944. The bomb exploded at Hitler’s Rastenburg headquarters. He was only wounded.
The conference room soon after the explosion that wounded Hitler.
Sir Edmund Percival "Ed" Hillary (July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008)
Adventurer and philanthropist Sir Edmund Hillary became one of the first people to reach the top of Everest with the help of his guide, Tensing Norgay. He became a beekeeper during the summer so as to keep himself available to climb in the winter.
His adventures led to him being named one of the most influential people by Time Magazine of the 20th century.
Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay.
Carlos Santana is 70 years old today.
Guitarist Carlos Santana blended rock with Latin American music and fronted Santana. He won the Best Rock Album Award and the Album of the Year Award for Supernatural in 2000. He began playing the guitar when he was eight and turned down an opportunity to attend Humbolt State University to pursue a career in music.
