1903
First Powered Flight
Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first sustained, controlled flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville piloted the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds, covering 120 feet.
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All Events
1944
Malmédy Massacre
During the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, Waffen-SS troops murdered approximately 84 American prisoners of war near the Belgian town of Malmedy. The atrocity became one of the most infamous war crimes committed against U.S. troops in the European theater.
2010
Start of the Arab Spring in Tunisia
Street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest of police corruption and ill-treatment in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. This act ignited widespread protests that toppled the government and sparked the broader Arab Spring movement across the Middle East and North Africa.
1989
First Episode of The Simpsons
The animated series 'The Simpsons' premiered on television with the Christmas special 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.' It launched what would become the longest-running American sitcom and animated program, achieving massive global cultural influence.
1969
Project Blue Book Closed
The U.S. Air Force officially terminated Project Blue Book, its systematic study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). The project concluded that UFOs posed no threat to national security and that there was no evidence of extraterrestrial vehicles.