On October 9, 1963, tragedy struck northern Italy when a mega-tsunami, triggered by a massive landslide into the Vajont Dam reservoir, destroyed several villages. The disaster claimed around 2,000 lives. The Vajont Dam, once a symbol of human engineering, became a grave reminder of the dangers of neglecting environmental factors, as the instability of the surrounding mountains had been overlooked during its construction.
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In 1910, a coal dust explosion at the Starkville Mine in Colorado killed 56 miners. The blast was one of many in early 20th-century American mining, highlighting the deadly risks workers faced in an era before modern safety regulations and the importance of coal to the nation’s industrial growth.
In 1962, Uganda achieved independence from British rule, becoming a sovereign nation. Uganda’s struggle for freedom mirrored the wave of decolonization sweeping across Africa, as many countries fought to break free from European control during this period.
In 1967, Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara was executed by the Bolivian army at the age of 39, a day after his capture. Guevara, who played a key role in the Cuban Revolution, had become a symbol of anti-imperialism. His death marked the end of his campaign to spread armed revolution across Latin America.
In 1985, Strawberry Fields, a memorial to John Lennon, was dedicated in New York’s Central Park. Lennon, who had been tragically assassinated five years earlier, remains an iconic figure in music history. The memorial, funded by donations from around the world, underscores the global impact of his message of peace and love.
In 2009, President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve international diplomacy and cooperation. While the award was met with mixed reactions, it acknowledged Obama’s early focus on diplomacy, particularly his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to reset U.S. relations with Russia.
In 2010, the world watched with hope and relief as a drill broke through into an underground chamber where 33 Chilean miners had been trapped for over two months. The miners’ miraculous survival, after enduring 69 days underground, became a symbol of human resilience, cooperation, and technological prowess.
In 2012, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison after being convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse of young boys. The case, which exposed decades of abuse, sent shockwaves through the sports world and sparked widespread reform in how institutions handle allegations of misconduct.
Today in History: November 14
Today in History: November 14. On November 14, 1889, journalist Nellie Bly began an attempt to travel around the world in 80 days; she would successfully complete the journey in just over 72 days. In 1851, Herman Melville’s novel ‘Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale’ was published in the United States, almost a month after being released in Britain. In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. In 1965, the U.S. Army’s first major military operation of the Vietnam War began with the start of the five-day Battle of Ia Drang.In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula became the NFL’s all-time winningest coach with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Today in History: November 13
Today in History: November 13:On Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling which found Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal. In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a volcanic mudslide buried the city. In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters in Afghanistan entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital city.
Today in History: November 12
Today in History: On November 12: 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party. In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic. In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal. In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest tropical cyclone on record claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000-500,000 people.
Today in History: November 11
Today in History: November 11: On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I ended as the Allies and Germany signed an armistice aboard a railroad car in the Forest of Compiègne in northern France. In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, calling for a “civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation.” In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member were interred in a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding. In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on a four-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. aboard; it was the tenth and final crewed flight of NASA’s Gemini program.
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