Discover What Happened Today in History
During the Second Punic War, Hannibal's Carthaginian army executed a brilliant double-envelopment tactic, surrounding and annihilating a much larger Roman force. It is considered one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and a profound disaster for Rome.
Physicist Albert Einstein signed a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, warning of Nazi Germany's potential to develop atomic bombs and urging American research. This letter was instrumental in initiating the Manhattan Project.
Iraqi forces invaded and quickly overran the neighboring state of Kuwait, claiming it as Iraq's 19th province. This act of aggression triggered the Gulf War and led to a massive U.S.-led military coalition forming in response.
Physicist Carl D. Anderson published his discovery of the positron, the antimatter counterpart of the electron, in a cloud chamber photograph. This was the first experimental evidence of antimatter and confirmed a prediction of Paul Dirac's theory.
Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashed while landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport during a thunderstorm, killing 137 people. The disaster led to major advancements in the understanding and detection of wind shear.