The Cruzan Family's fight for their daughter's right to die helped raise awareness about the need for advanced health directives and living wills.
All in Science
Lazarus Taxon
It's regarded as an important evolutionary missing link between fish and four-legged amphibians.
First Recording
Edison stepped up to the machine and blurted out the first thing that popped into his head.
Christine Jorgensen
People had been having sex change operations since at least the 1920s, but what made Jorgensen's case stand out was the use of hormone therapy in combination with the surgical procedures.
Hit by a Meteorite
Ann Elizabeth Hodges was taking a nap on this day when she was rudely awakened by a meteorite crashing through her roof.
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Captain Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force jumped out of a helium balloon at 102,800 feet and performed the highest, fastest and longest skydive that had ever been attempted.
Cosmic Blast
An extremely large solar flare (as if there's ever a small one) was followed by mind-blowing mass ejection that blasted billions of tons of atomic particles toward the Earth at 3 million miles per hour.
Skylab is Falling
In 1979, America's first space station, the 100-ton Skylab, came crashing back to Earth.
Science Bites Back
In 1855, contracting rabies was a death sentence. When a nine-year-old boy named Joseph Meister was bitten by a rabid dog, Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux put a revolutionary treatment to the test.
Last of the Great Auks
It was an excellent swimmer, but rather clumsy on land, which made it easy prey for eagles, polar bears and humans.
Radioactive Boy Scout
A hazmat crew rolled into the suburban address and carefully dismantled a workspace that had been used by a 17-year-old Eagle Scout to create a primitive nuclear reactor.
First Tornado Forecast
On this day in Oklahoma City, Major Ernest J. Fawbush and Captain Robert C. Miller issued the first official and the first successful tornado forecast.
Ota Benga
His extraordinary life became a flashpoint in the debates over race and evolution.
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 Race of Mercy
On this day a dogsled team completed a 674 mile journey across ice and snow to deliver a life-saving anti-toxin.
Going the Deepest
This was the day that two men went to the deepest place on earth.
John Jeffries
The first successful flight across the English Channel was on this day.
Appreciating the Appendix
Turns out the appendix is like a reserve tank filled with all kinds of good bacteria that the digestive system needs to keep things on track.
Meltdown of SL-1
The only known fatal accident involving a nuclear reactor in America happened on this day.
Outbreak
In 1976, Air Force veteran Ray Brennan became the first of 34 people to die from a mysterious illness at a Legionnaire's convention in Philadelphia.