The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect on this day in 1920. The amendment prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in the voting booth.
Investigators pinpoint the cause of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on this day in 2003.
NASA space shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore holds a piece of insulation foam from an external fuel tank to describe how a piece hit the underside of the shuttle during the craft’s liftoff.
It was on this day in 1974.
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974)
U.S. military forces attacked a terrorist camp in Afghanistan and a chemical plant in Sudan on this day in 1998. Both targets were chosen for cruise missile strikes due to their connection with Osama bin Laden.
In a speech to the nation, President Bill Clinton detailed strikes against terrorist-related facilities in Sudan and Afghanistan.
On this day in 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization.
Voyager 2 was launched by the United States on this day in 1977 and aboard was a copper 12 inch phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.
A photo of the 12 inch copper record that was sent into space on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.
Robert Anthony Plant is 70 years old today.
Iconic rock star Robert Plant gained fame as the vocalist and songwriter of the classic rock band Led Zeppelin, known for such hits as "Stairway to Heaven" and "When the Levee Breaks." He was named the #1 Lead Singer of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2011. Plant was once training as a chartered accountant, but quit to become part of the English Midlands blues scene.
The American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the moon’s surface on this day in 1964.
The 19 year old from France began making a name for himself in the American Revolution on this day in 1777.
Thomas Jefferson commissioned this portrait of Marquis de Lafayette. (Portrait by Joseph Boze).
Sens. Thomas Eagleton (left) and George McGovern celebrate their candidacy for vice president and president, respectively, at the Democratic National Convention in 1972.
Eighteen days after Eagleton was picked to run with McGovern, Eagleton arrived in Washington to hold a press conference on this day in 1972.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I will not divide the Democratic Party," Eagleton announced. "Therefore, tomorrow morning I will write to the chairman of the Democratic Party withdrawing my candidacy." His mental health was the main issue.
The election was held 99 days later. Richard Nixon would defeat George McGovern in a landslide — the widest margin of victory in the popular vote in presidential history.
Novelist Joanne Rowling,writing under the pen names J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, is 53 years young today.
English author J.K. Rowling wrote the bestselling Harry Potter fantasy books. Her first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997), was followed by six equally popular installments, all of which were made into feature films. She began writing as a child, creating stories about a rabbit family for her younger sister’s enjoyment.
England’s Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married on this day in 1981.
Italy’s leader of the National Fascist Party, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini(July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945).
From left: Benito Mussolini with the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was authorized by the U.S. Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower (center) signed an act creating the agency on this day in 1958.
On this day in 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Nixon had to turn over subpoenaed White House tape recordings to the Watergate special prosecutor.
It was on this day in 1959.
On this day in 1847, Mormon leader Brigham Young and his followers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah.
Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877)
The Apollo 11 astronauts splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on this day in 1969.
United States President Richard Nixon was in the central Pacific recovery area to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, on July 24, 1969. The Apollo 11 astronauts are, from left, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The crew was quarantined after splashdown to ensure they did not bring back any contamination from the moon.
