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» Today in History

» The "Flying Tailor" Dies after Failed Parachute Jump from Eiffel Tower (1912)
Parachutes at the dawn of the aviation age were bulky and, inconveniently, had to be pre-opened. Among those trying to improve upon their design was French tailor Franz Reichelt. He had some success testing his designs on dummies, but he had no evidence that his parachute would work with a real person when he jumped from the Eiffel Tower before a crowd of spectators and reporters. The chute failed to open, and he plummeted to his death. How had he convinced the authorities to allow the jump? Discuss

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» Cavalese Cable Car Disaster (1998)
Relations between Italy and the US were strained in 1998 when a US military plane, flying too low and too fast through a valley near the Italian town of Cavalese, clipped an aerial tramway cable. The cable car fell, killing all 20 people on board. The pilot and navigator were acquitted of homicide in a US military court, sparking outrage in Italy, but were later convicted of obstruction of justice for destroying a video of the incident. How did the US attempt to repair relations with Italy?

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» Sled Dogs Reach Nome, Alaska, with Diphtheria Serum (1925)
In 1925, a diphtheria outbreak threatened the small city of Nome. The town's supply of antitoxin had run out, and a mail shipment would have taken weeks to arrive. After learning of the crisis, 20 mushers and some 150 sled dogs, including the famous Balto, relayed fresh antitoxin 674 miles (1,085 km) in a record five and a half days, preventing an epidemic. Today, the heroic journey is commemorated by the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. How long does it take modern competitors to complete?

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» Today's Birthday

» Charles Lindbergh (1902)
In 1927, Lindbergh, an American aviator, made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic in 33.5 hours, landing in Paris to a hero's welcome. He returned to the US a celebrity but moved to England in 1932 to escape the media frenzy surrounding the kidnapping and murder of his son. Returning to the US in 1940, he faced criticism for opposing US entry into WWII. Still, he flew combat missions for the US during the war. He helped invent what device that made open-heart surgery possible? Discuss

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» Norman Rockwell (1894)
Rockwell was an American illustrator whose idealized scenes of family life in small-town America gained enormous popularity with the public. His illustrations appeared in major periodicals such as Collier's and Life. From 1916 to 1963, he produced 317 covers for The Saturday Evening Post, and during WWII his patriotic posters were distributed by the government. What unusually serious subject did the sentimental illustrator cover for Look magazine later in his career?

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» George Halas, "Papa Bear" (1895)
Halas was a pioneering football player, coach, and owner of one of the 11 original teams in the American Professional Football Association (APFA), the Decatur Staleys. Founded in 1920, the APFA went on to become the National Football League (NFL) in 1922?the same year Halas moved his team to Chicago and renamed it the Bears. Under his leadership, the Chicago Bears won seven NFL championships. In addition to coaching, Halas also played what position during the 1920s?

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» Today's Article

» James the Just
James the Just was an important figure in early Christianity whose exact relationship to Jesus has been the subject of much debate. Several early sources refer to him as the "brother" of Jesus, and scholars differ about whether he was a half-brother, cousin, or merely a brother in spirit like the other apostles. After Jesus' crucifixion, James led the Christian movement as the first bishop of Jerusalem. What evidence exists to explain how James might or might not have been related to Jesus? Discuss

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» The Poison Affair
During the trial of Marie Madeleine d'Aubray, marquise de Brinvilliers, who stood accused of conspiring to poison her relatives to secure the family fortune, it was revealed that such poisons, or "inheritance powders," could be readily bought from Parisian fortune-tellers and alchemists. The news terrified high society, especially the king's court. An investigation was launched, and a hysterical period ensued during which how many people were executed for poison conspiracies?

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» Tillia Tepe
Tillia Tepe, which literally means "Golden Hill" in Persian, is an ancient necropolis in northern Afghanistan that dates to the 1st century BCE. In 1979, a year before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a Soviet-Afghan team of archaeologists discovered some 20,000 gold ornaments in six graves at the site. The treasure went missing in subsequent wars and was thought to have been destroyed by the Taliban, but it has since been rediscovered and widely exhibited. To whom did the gold first belong?

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» Today's News

» More Than 100 Missing in Ferry Sinking
Some 246 people were rescued following the sinking of a passenger ferry off of the east coast of Papua New Guinea, but scores are still unaccounted for and feared dead. About 350 people, many of them students, were aboard the MV Rabaul Queen when it sank on Thursday. It is possible that many of the missing were trapped inside the ferry when it went under, but rescuers are still searching in the hopes of locating more survivors. Discuss

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» $3 Billion Sunken Treasure to Surface Soon
Treasure hunters claim to have located a WWII-era shipwreck laden with 71 tons of platinum—valued at more than $3 billion today—as well as gold bullion and diamonds. The ship, identified by its hull number as the SS Port Nicholson, was carrying a lend-lease payment from the Soviet Union to the US when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the US Atlantic coast in 1942. Though the treasure has not yet been retrieved, underwater footage shows metal bars and crates that appear to be the platinum cargo listed in a US Treasury Department ledger. The group hopes to begin salvage efforts later this month.

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» Dozens Dead after Riot at Egyptian Soccer Match
At least 73 people were killed in a riot following a soccer game in the Egyptian city of Port Said, and the death toll could rise further, as many more were critically injured in the clashes. After the unexpected victory of the home team, Al-Masry, over one of Egypt's most successful clubs, Al-Ahly, fans rushed the field, attacking players and one another with knives, rocks, chairs, and other weapons. The incident is being called the worst disaster in Egypt's soccer history.

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