What Happened on November 24?

  • A man hijacked a plane, parachuted out with $200,000 US Dollars (USD) and was never seen again. (1971) D.B. Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient passenger plane and ransomed it for $200,000 USD. Once he received the money, he parachuted down over Washington state in the US. He was never seen again, and his remains were never found. A young boy did find almost $6,000 USD of the ransom money in 1980 outside of Vancouver, Washington, however.

  • The smoggiest day in the history of New York City occurred, killing about 400 people. (1966) The thick smog settled into the city, causing deaths from heart attacks and respiratory failure.

  • The man who assassinated US President John F. Kennedy two days earlier was murdered on live TV. (1963) TV news stations were broadcasting live coverage of Lee Harvey Oswald being transferred from the police headquarters in Dallas, Texas, to a county jail. During the transport, and while the cameras were rolling and broadcasting live, Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald. The murder was seen by millions of viewers.

  • The Japanese Military shot and killed 650 American troops in the US's first offensive launched in the central Pacific region during World War II. (1943) During "Operation Galvanic," also known as the "Battle of Tarawa," the USS Liscome Bay was sunk with a torpedo, killing everyone aboard. This also was the first time the Japanese launched a serious offense against a US amphibious attack during the war.

  • A professional American sporting event was known to be "fixed" for the first time. (1906) Dubbed the Canton Bulldogs-Massillon Tigers Betting Scandal, Canton Coach Blondy Wallace and a player from the Tigers team were accused of fixing a two-game football series, in which each time won one game each, forcing a tie-breaking third game. Both parties denied involvement. Charges were never proven, but reputations were tarnished for several years.

  • On the Origin of Species was published in England. (1859) Charles Darwin's work, which was fully titled On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, introduced the concepts of evolutionary biology and natural selection for the first time.

  • German authorities established a speed limit on the Autobahn for the first time. (1973) The limit was set in response to the oil crisis in 1973. Four months later, the limit was removed. The Autobahn is well known for lacking speed limits. There are, however, recommended safe speed limits on the Autobahn.

  • The US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) crime lab opened. (1932) The first FBI lab had rather meager beginnings. Its location, in Washington D.C. was chosen based on the fact it had a proper sink. It began operations with one full-time agent, named Charles Appel, who opened the lab with a microscope he had borrowed.

  • The US Congress cited the "Hollywood 10" with contempt charges. (1947) The 10 film industry professionals included producers, directors and writers. Citing the First Amendment, they refused to respond to Congressional questions regarding their political affiliations, whether communist or not, and were sentenced to spend a year in jail. Appeals were filed, but the ruling was upheld by the US Supreme Court. The fallout resulted in the famous Hollywood "blacklist," which was a list of movie industry professionals suspected of either being communists themselves or supporting communist activities.

  • The extinct hominid remains of a skeleton named "Lucy" were found. (1974) "Lucy" was found by Tom Gray and Donald Johanson in Ethiopia. Her remains, which are classified under the Australopithecus afarensis species, are more than three million years old. The find was important, as the remains are believed to belong to an ancestral species of modern humans. The scientist named the skeleton "Lucy" after the famous Beatles tune, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Discussion Comments

Euroxati

One thing that I really wonder about the second bullet point is where all of the smog came from in the first place, as it's not really explained. This is just a guess, but I'm assuming that it came from factories, correct? This is especially taking into consideration that New York City is one of the more industrial places in the world. Well, whatever the case was, it must have had to be pretty severe if it caused heart attacks and many deaths. In my opinion, this is why pollution can be a very dangerous thing.

Viranty

@Hazali - You do make a very good point about the harshness of nature, and how the way it's portrayed in the media is very different than what goes on in real life. In fact, this reminds me of a video that I watched back in high school, which was about birds, and how they attempt to adapt to the wilderness using their beaks.

To make a long story short, from watching the video, I learned that a bird's beak can be very valuable in how they adapt, and even more importantly, how they eat their food. Some seeds are way too tough for birds with smaller beaks to crack, and only the larger ones can do so.

Eventually, the smaller birds die out because they can't adapt and eat their food. However, larger birds can fall victim to this as well, especially if the nuts and seeds are too small for them to reach. Overall, it's a very interesting concept, and it really shows how animals are very good at adapting to their environment.

Hazali

In relation to the sixth bullet point, I don't know about anyone else, but I have always had a strange fascination with Charles Darwin.

Perhaps one reason for this, is because of how much I learned about him in high school.

In fact, sometimes I wonder where biology and other aspects of science would be if it wasn't for him. After all, he does make some very good points and discoveries about natural selection.

Does anyone else agree with me. Unlike what is generally seen in the media, nature can be very harsh, and without a doubt, it's all about survival of the fittest.

TallBrownElf

Some vital feedback: your announcement regarding "The man who assassinated US President John F. Kennedy ... " is quite inaccurate and grossly misleading, in that the Lee Harvey Oswald has never been categorically, scientifically nor forensically proven, beyond all reasonable doubt, to have fired the (single) rifle that allegedly murdered the late President JFK.

There is, however, massive evidence that Jack Kennedy was hit from the front and and back in triangulated cross-fire. It is now virtually certain that there were a number of shooters, directed by a well-orchestrated conspiracy of huge proportions, long in planning, followed by a coverup.

Oswald was a classic patsy. He was set up. He was then murdered to silence him. Genuine due diligence will confirm my words. Wikipedia won't cut it.

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