His extraordinary life became a flashpoint in the debates over race and evolution.
"Not bloody likely!"
It was on this day that Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, were attacked as part of a kidnapping scheme.
37 Days Under an Avalanche
On this date 3 survivors finally emerged from an avalanche after 37 days. It's one of the longest cases on record of anyone surviving after being buried alive in the snow.
The Tri-State Tornado
The deadliest tornado in U.S. history struck on this day, carving a 219-mile path of destruction across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
Huge Heist
The largest property theft in US history happened in the early morning hours of this day.
The Mountain Man
Jim Bridger was one of the first white men to see the geysers of Yellowstone and the Great Salt Lake.
Saint Urho
This pitchfork-wielding Saint drove the grasshoppers out of Finland, or so they say.
World Contact Day
The International Flying Saucer Bureau asked all its members to send out a collective telepathic greeting to visitors from outer space.
Casey Jones
Today is the birthday of John Luther Jones, or as history remembers him, Casey Jones.
The Lakeview Gusher
It would flow out of control for 18 months. Over 9 million barrels of crude oil were spilled before the well could finally be contained. At its peak, the spill formed a 60-acre lake of oil.
I'm Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
Fannie Lou Hamer was the granddaughter of slaves who grew up to be a freedom fighter.
The Longest Fly Ball
It was on this day during spring training in Daytona Beach, Florida, that Wilbert Robinson waited in the outfield for a baseball to be dropped from an airplane.
St. Francis Dam Collapses
A flood of 12 billion gallons (a year's supply of water for L.A. in those days) crashed through the canyon and swept away everything in its path.
Bad Day at Boroughbridge
This was the day that Humphrey de Bohun, the 4th Earl of Hereford met his particularly gruesome fate.
Galileo's Middle Finger
The Italian astronomer Galileo died hundreds of years ago, but he's been giving us his middle finger ever since.
Great Sheffield Flood
The disaster left an 8-mile path of destruction that wiped out over 400 homes, 100 factories and 20 bridges.
Mary Attacks Venus
The attack was one of many dramatic protests between 1913-1914 as women fought for the right to vote.
The Strowger Switch
An undertaker invented a pivotal piece of technology that would automate phone exchanges.
Amy Spain
The last "legally" executed slave in America was a seventeen-year-old girl named Amy Spain.
The Last Holdout
It was on this day, 29 years after World War II ended, that a lone Japanese soldier was finally coaxed out of his hiding place in the Philippines.