NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-62f, the first Earth-sized exoplanet confirmed to orbit in the habitable zone of its star. The find energized the search for potentially life-supporting planets beyond our solar system.
📍 NASA Ames Research Center, California, United States
An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig killed 11 workers and triggered the largest marine oil spill in history. The disaster caused extensive environmental damage and reshaped global conversations around energy regulation.
📍 Gulf of Mexico, United States waters
Two students carried out a mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, killing 13 people and injuring over 20 before taking their own lives. The tragedy spurred global debates on school safety, gun laws, and youth violence.
📍 Littleton, Colorado, United States
Following two decades of military dictatorship, Brazil returned to civilian government and reaffirmed itself as a democratic republic, marking a major shift in Latin America's political landscape.
📍 Brasília, Brazil
The NBA held its first official game outside the United States when the Washington Bullets played the Maccabi Tel Aviv team in Israel, marking the league's push toward international growth and fandom.
📍 Tel Aviv, Israel
The United Nations adopted two additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions, significantly expanding protections for civilians and combatants in international and civil armed conflicts.
📍 Geneva, Switzerland
NASA's Apollo 16 mission successfully landed astronauts John Young and Charles Duke on the lunar surface, marking the fifth manned moon landing and expanding scientific exploration of the highlands region.
📍 Moon – Descartes Highlands
Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke conducted the first of three moonwalks during the Apollo 16 mission, exploring the Descartes Highlands and collecting scientific samples for lunar geology research.
📍 Moon – Descartes Highlands
The origins of '4/20' as a counterculture holiday to celebrate cannabis began with a group of California high school students in 1971. April 20 later became globally recognized in cannabis culture and legalization movements.
📍 San Rafael, California, United States
China launched its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, making it the fifth country to independently send a satellite into space. The satellite broadcast the revolutionary song “The East Is Red” from orbit.
📍 Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China
George Takei, known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in *Star Trek* and later as a vocal advocate for civil rights and LGBTQ+ equality, was born in Los Angeles. His life spans pop culture, activism, and U.S. internment history.
📍 Los Angeles, California, United States
The Olympic committee introduced the torch relay tradition for the upcoming 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Despite its propaganda origins, the relay became a lasting Olympic symbol of peace and unity.
📍 Berlin, Germany
In a landmark 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that wiretapping without a warrant did not violate the Fourth Amendment. The case was later overturned but sparked major privacy debates in American law.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece *The Kiss* was unveiled to the public during the Kunstschau art exhibition in Vienna. It became an iconic symbol of the Art Nouveau movement and one of the most celebrated paintings in European art history.
📍 Vienna, Austria
The Curies successfully isolated radium chloride, confirming the existence of the radioactive element and laying the groundwork for future research in atomic physics and cancer treatment.
📍 Paris, France
Bram Stoker’s gothic novel *Dracula* began serialization in American newspapers, helping solidify the vampire archetype in Western pop culture. The character remains a staple of horror fiction over a century later.
📍 New York, United States
Adolf Hitler, the future dictator of Nazi Germany and instigator of World War II and the Holocaust, was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria. His actions would lead to global devastation and the deaths of millions.
📍 Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary
French scientist Louis Pasteur successfully tested an anthrax vaccine on livestock, demonstrating the efficacy of vaccination and marking a breakthrough in immunology and preventive medicine.
📍 Pouilly-le-Fort, France
The U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1871 to combat the Ku Klux Klan and protect the rights of African Americans during Reconstruction. The law allowed federal intervention in states that failed to protect civil rights.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
Benjamin Franklin organized the Union Fire Company in Philadelphia, the first volunteer fire department in the United States. This early public service effort became a model for fire safety and community involvement nationwide.
📍 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States