Discover What Happened Today in History
Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to sight the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Isthmus of Panama. He claimed the ocean and all adjacent lands for the Spanish Crown.
The first United States Congress proposed twelve amendments to the Constitution, ten of which would become known as the Bill of Rights. This was a pivotal moment in establishing fundamental American civil liberties.
TAT-1, the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable system, began service between Scotland and Newfoundland. It revolutionized global communications by allowing direct dialing and significantly increasing call capacity.
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 collided with a private Cessna over San Diego, California, killing all 135 people on the PSA jet, both in the Cessna, and seven people on the ground. It was the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history at the time.
Astronomers using the Arecibo radio telescope discovered that the asteroid 4769 Castalia has a distinct 'dog-bone' or contact binary shape. This was the first asteroid to be radar-imaged well enough to reveal its shape.