Category: This Day in History

2010 Africa hosts the FIFA World Cup for the first time The 19th association football world cup was opened in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winner of this historic edition was Spain. 1959 Christopher Cockerell first presents the hovercraft The amphibious air-cushion vehicle…

1999 The Kosovo War ends Slobodan Milošević, then President of Serbia, agreed to withdraw his troops from the disputed territory following a massive NATO bombing campaign. NATO’s involvement has been criticized for its lack of a U.N. mandate. 1967 The Six-Day War…

1967 Israel captures the Golan Heights from Syria Israel’s occupation of the territory and the establishment of Israeli settlements in the area continue to hamper negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing Middle East conflict. 1957 Four Austrian climbers become…

1989 Thousands die in the Tiananmen Square Massacre Using assault rifles and tanks, Chinese troops massacred unarmed civilians who had taken part in pro-democracy protests. 1989 Poland holds the first free elections after World War II The landslide victory of the Polish…

1980 Mount St. Helens erupts The eruption killed 57 people. A large part of the previously cone-shaped volcano was replaced by a massive crater; its summit is now some 1300 feet (400 meters) lower than before the eruption. 1927 45 people die…

2005 The Airbus A380 takes to the skies for the first time The double-deck airliner is the world’s largest commercial jet. 1994 South African citizens of all races are allowed to vote in a general election for the first time The 1994…

2005 Syria ends its military occupation of Lebanon after 29 years Syria buckled to domestic and international pressure following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14 of the same year. 1994 Germany makes Holocaust denial illegal The…

1953 The double helix structure of DNA described for the first time Francis Crick and James D. Watson published their groundbreaking findings of the molecule containing genetic information was in Nature that day. 2011 The largest tornado outbreak ever recorded hits the…

2013 – 1129 people die in Bangladesh in the worst building collapse disaster in modern history The building was used by clothing factories producing garments for western markets, highlighting the disastrous working conditions in the industry. 2005 Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as…

1995 168 die in the Oklahoma City bombing Timothy McVeigh, the mastermind behind the attack, was executed on June 11, 2001. The motives for the bombing, which also killed 19 babies and children, are said to be the Governments killing of the…