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Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was the third manned mission by NASA intended to land on the moon, but experienced a mid-mission technical malfunction that forced the lunar landing to be aborted. The crew was Commander James A. Lovell, Command Module pilot John L. "Jack" Swigert, and Lunar Module pilot Fred W. Haise. The astronauts eventually made it home safely. The mission was titled a "Successful failure." -
Manson Murders
Charles Manson and his followers are found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder. Later in march, he was sentenced to death. He still sits on death row. -
Nixon's visit to China
U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China was an important step in formally normalizing relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China. It marked the first time a U.S. president had visited the PRC, who at that time considered the U.S. one of its staunchest foes. -
Watergate Hearings
Watergate Hearings begin in the United States Senate and President Richard Nixon tells the nation , %u201CI am not a crook.%u201D -
Nixon Announces His Resign
President Richard M. Nixon announces he will resign the next day, the first President to do so. -
Vietnam War Ends
The Vietnam War ends as Communist forces take Saigon and South Vietnam surrenders unconditionally. -
First Artificial Gene
The first artificial gene was invented. It consisted of 69 base pairs. It successfully worked in a living cell. -
Star Wars
The well-known Star Wars premiered in 1977 and coninues to be a favorite today. -
Tank Car Explodes
The blast from the tank car was felt for hundreds of feet and seen for miles in Waverly, Tennessee, and disabled most of the fire-fighting equipment at the site. One piece of the tank car was launched over 330 feet, landing in front of a house. The explosion started numerous fires in nearby buildings and torched a number of road vehicles and other rail cars. A total of sixteen people died as a result of the blast and the aftermath, six of which were killed instantly. -
Three Mile Island Accident
It was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community. Equipment malfunctions, design-related problems and worker errors led to a partial meltdown of the TMI2 reactor core but only very small offsite releases of radioactivity.
