On this day in 1979, Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan and Babrak Karmal succeeded President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed.
On this day in 1831, Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle (above). Darwin’s discoveries during the trip helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution.
NYC is home to the largest movie theater in the world: Radio City Music Hall. It opened in Rockefeller Center on this day 1932.
James Barrie’s play "Peter Pan" premiered in London on this day in 1904.
Sir James Matthew Barrie (May 9, 1860 – June 19, 1937)
Under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake sent 500-mph waves across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal on this day in 2004. The tsunami killed at least 283,000 people in a dozen countries, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sumatra, Thailand and India.
Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled to death in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, CO on this day in 1996.
On this day in 1941, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
Tennessee Williams’ play "The Glass Menagerie" was first performed publicly, at the Civic Theatre in Chicago, IL. on this day in 1944.
Anthony Ross, Laurette Taylor, Eddie Dowling and Julie Haydon in the Broadway production of “The Glass Menagerie”.
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is 73 years old today.
Mick Jagger met future Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in primary school. He initially intended on going into politics or economics. Mick Jagger has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine over twenty times since 1968. In 2003, he was knighted.
From August 10, 1968. Mick Jagger’s first cover on Rolling Stone.
Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 – August 1, 1977)
On August 1, 1977, Powers had been covering bush fires in Santa Barbara County in the KNBC helicopter (above) and was heading back from flying over them. As he returned, the Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter ran out of fuel and crashed in nearby Encino, several miles short of its intended landing site at Burbank Airport, killing Powers instantly. The National Transportation Safety Board report attributed the probable cause of the crash to pilot error, poor fuel management.
