1620
Exploration
Pilgrims Land at Plymouth Rock
The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a 66-day voyage from England. Their settlement became one of the first successful English colonies in North America.
On This Day in History
1988
Disaster
Lockerbie Bombing
Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. The bombing was traced to Libyan intelligence agents.
1898
Science
Radium Discovered
Pierre and Marie Curie announced the discovery of radium, a radioactive element. Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win in two different sciences.
1913
Culture
First Crossword Puzzle Published
The first crossword puzzle was published in the New York World newspaper by Arthur Wynne. The word game became one of the most popular pastimes in the world.
1937
Entertainment
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Premieres
Walt Disney's Snow White, the first full-length cel-animated film, premiered in Los Angeles. The groundbreaking film proved that animated features could be commercially and artistically successful.
1968
Science
Apollo 8 Launches
Apollo 8 launched on the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon. The astronauts' Christmas Eve reading from Genesis while showing Earth from lunar orbit became an iconic moment.
1872
Science
HMS Challenger Expedition Begins
The British research vessel HMS Challenger departed on a four-year scientific expedition that founded the science of oceanography. The voyage covered 69,000 miles and discovered over 4,700 new species.