National Geographic Society Founded
The National Geo­graphic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., for "the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge."
The date was January 27, 1888

U.S. Hockey Team Miracle On Ice In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The day was February 22, what year was it?

Malcolm X Assassinated Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity. The day was February 21, what year was it?

Astronaut John Glenn Orbits Earth From Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Hershel Glenn Jr. is successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut. The day was February 20, what year was it?

Donner Party Rescued The first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The day was February 19, what year was it?

Twain Publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain publishes his famous - and famously controversial - novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The day was February 18, what year was it?

Madame Butterfly Premieres Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly premieres at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy. The day was February 17, what year was it?

Archaeologist Opens Tomb of King Tut In Thebes, Egypt, English archaeol­ogist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. The day was February 16, what year was it?

The Maine Explodes A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor, killing 260 of the American crew members aboard. The day was February 15, what year was it?

St. Valentine Beheaded Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. The day was February 14, what year was it?

Galileo Face Charges of Heresy Italian philoso­pher, astron­omer and mathema­tician Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy for advocating Copernican theory, which holds that the Earth revolves around the Sun The day was February 13, what year was it?

Milosevic Goes On Trial For War Crimes Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial at The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. The day was February 12, what year was it?

Nelson Mandela Released From Prison Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end South African apartheid, is released from prison after 27 years. The day was February 11, what year was it?

Kasparov Loses Chess Game to Computer After three hours, world chess champion Gary Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second. The day was February 10, what year was it?

Satchel Paige Nominated to Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The day was February 9, what year was it?

Americans Secure Guadalcanal Japanese troops evacuate Guadal­canal, leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon Islands. The day was February 8, what year was it?

Beatles Arrive in New York Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow lands at New York's Kennedy Airport - and "Beatlemania" arrives. The day was February 7, what year was it?

Elizabeth Becomes Queen After a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king's two daughters is the next in line to succeed him. The day was February 6, what year was it?

Beckwith Convicted of Killing Medgar Evers White supremacist Byron De La Beckwith is convicted in the murder of African-American civil rights leader Medgar Evers, over 30 years after the crime occurred. The day was February 5, what year was it?

Patty Hearst Kidnapped Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old daughter of newspaper publisher Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped from her apartment in Berkeley, California, by two black men and a white woman, all three of whom are armed. The day was February 4, what year was it?

Gonzales First Hispanic U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales won Senate confir­mation as the nation's first Hispanic attorney general despite protests over his record on torture. The day was February 3, what year was it?

First Groundhog Day Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteor­ologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The day was February 2, what year was it?

Oxford Dictionary Debuts The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary, considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, is published. The day was February 1, what year was it?

Truman Announces Development of H-bomb President Harry S. Truman announces his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb. The day was January 31, what year was it?

Gandhi Assassinated Mohandas Karam­chand Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement, is assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu fanatic. The day was January 30, what year was it?

Baseball Hall of Fame Elects First Members The U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson. The day was January 29, what year was it?