On this day in 1970, an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13, which prevented the planned moon landing.
Artists painting showing the explosion on board Apollo 13.
The repair dubbed the "mail box" that saved the Apollo 13 astronauts. After an oxygen tank exploded, the three men had to retreat to the Lunar Module and use duct tape, along with plastic plastic bags and lithium hydroxide canisters to build a makeshift CO2 scrubber.
On this day in 1859, Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, VA (now located in West Virginia). He was hoping to instigate a wider slave rebellion.
"John Brown’s Fort" at Harpers Ferry.
John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859)
On this day in 1987, Rescuers freed Jessica McClure from the abandoned well that she had fallen into in Midland, TX. She was trapped for 58 hours.
On this day in 1945, the U.S. B-29 bomber, known as the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb on an inhabited area. The bomb named "Little Boy"(pictured below) was dropped over the center of Hiroshima, Japan. An estimated 140,000 people were killed.
The above August 6, 1945 file photos shows the destruction from the atomic bomb explosion on Hiroshima, Japan.
