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First Heart Transplant (Africa)
On December 3, 1967, 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky receives the first human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Washkansky, a South African grocer dying from chronic heart disease, received the transplant from Denise Darvall, a 25-year-old woman who was fatally injured in a car accident. Surgeon Christiaan Barnard, who trained at the University of Cape Town and in the United States, performed the revolutionary medical operation. -
Apollo 11 (North America)
The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961. Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into an initial Earth-orbit of 114 by 116 miles. -
Indo-Pakistani War(Asia)
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the events in the liberation war in East Pakistan, from 3 December 1971 to the Fall of Dhaka on 16 December 1971. The war began with preemptive aerial strikes on 11 Indian air stations that led to the commencement of hostilities with Pakistan and Indian entry into the war of independence in East Pakistan. Lasting just 13 days, it is one of the shortest wars in history. -
Mt. Helena Erupts(North America)
On May 18, 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St. Helens, a volcano located in Skamania County, in the state of Washington, United States. An earthquake at 8:32 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, 1980, caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, creating the largest landslide ever recorded. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Meltdown(Europe)
The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyla nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by the plant operatorsb. It was a direct consequence of Cold War isolation and the resulting lack of any safety culture. The accident destroyed the Chernobyl 4 reactor, killing 30 operators and firemen within three months and several further deaths later. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall(Europe)
On November 9, 1989, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change in his city’s relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country’s borders. East and West Berliners flocked to the wall, drinking beer and champagne and chanting “Tor auf!” (“Open the gate!”). At midnight, they flooded through the checkpoints. -
Earthquake in India kills 20,000(Asia)
A major earthquake on Saturday morning measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale has devastated cities, towns and villages across northern Pakistan. The official death toll in Pakistan reached 19,369 yesterday with over 42,000 people injured, but casualties are expected to climb further as rescue workers reach outlying areas. Hundreds more were killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The worst affected in both countries were the poor who lived in cheap housing built of mud brick and wood. -
Gay Marriage Legialize in Mexico(South America)
In Mexico, only civil marriages are recognized by law, and all its proceedings fall under state legislation. Same-sex marriage is performed without restriction in Mexico City and in the states of Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit and Quintana Roo, as well as in certain municipalities in Guerrero, Puebla, Querétaro and Tamaulipas. Legislation to change the laws covering same-sex marriage is currently pending in several states. -
Alfonso Cano Killed (South America)
Colombia's top rebel leader has been killed in a hail of gunfire near his remote camp in what the government are calling the "most resounding blow" against the guerrilla army known as the Farc in its near 50-year history. Guillermo León Sáenz, whose nom de guerre was Alfonso Cano, was killed in combat on Friday evening after an air raid earlier in the day on his camp in a remote region of Cauca province in south-west Colombia. -
Ebola Outbreak(Africa)
Since March 2014, West Africa has experienced the largest outbreak of Ebola in history, with multiple countries affected. In response to the outbreak, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate technical assistance and control activities with other U.S. government agencies, the World Health Organization, and other domestic and international partners. CDC also deployed teams of public health experts to West Africa.
