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Volstead Act is enacted into law
The Volstead Act prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol in the United States until 1933. The intent of the act was to improve the economy and quality of life by reducing crime, poverty and death rates caused by alcohol. Unfortunately, prohibition created organized crime rings profiting from bootlegging alcohol. -
Babe Ruth becomes a Yankee
The NY Yankees purchase Babe Ruth from the Red Sox for $125,000. His first home run as a Yankee, and 50th of his career came on May 1st of the same year. He set the home run record July 16th of that year. -
Movie Stars Pickford and Fairbanks Wed
Pickford became secretly involved in a relationship with Douglas Fairbanks when they toured the US together in 1918 to promote Liberty Bond sales for the World War I effort. Pickford married Fairbanks on March 28 of 1920. They went to Europe for their honeymoon, but fans in London caused a riot trying to get to her. A similar incident occurred in Paris. The couple's triumphant return to Hollywood was witnessed by vast crowds who turned out to hail them at r -
Della is born
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Period: to
Historic Events during Della's Life
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First Professional Football Game
The first game was played in Dayton, Ohio on October 3, 1920 with the host Triangles defeating the Columbus Panhandles 14–0. The league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. -
Louis Armstrong hits the scene
Louis Armstrong records his first solo "Chimes Blues" with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. -
Duke Ellington hits the scene
Duke Ellington's Washingtonians make their first recordings, "Choo Choo" and "Rainy Nights." -
Gold Rush
Charlie Chapli's eternal hit movie, "Gold Rush" hits the box offfice. Chaplin travles to Alaska to hit it rich, but gets stranded with a fugitive. The folley's true to Chaplin's character ensue and entertain movie-watchers for decades. It is the fifth highest grossing silent film in cinema history, taking in more than $4,250,001 at the box office in 1926 -
"A motocar for the great multitude"
Ford's Model T was one of the most prolific cars manufactured in American motor history. By 1927 more than 15 million of these cars were manufactured for American use. The Model T transformed American travel, as well as the American economy. -
Stock Market Crash
The stock market was booming during the 1920's. Business and investment during the 1920’s was based on unstable buying and selling which didn’t work very long. A lot of stocks failed and a lot of money was permanently lost, people were upset and disappointed. October 29, 1929 is known as Black Tuesday, the day when the stock market saw the worst crash in history. sending the economy into the Great Depression. It took the economy over a decade to recover. -
Frozen foods are first sold
Bird's Eye Frosted Foods are first sold in Springfield, Massachusetts, a creation seven years in the making by Clarence Birdseye. -
"O'er the Land of the Free"
The Star Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, officially becomes the U.S.A.'s national anthem by congressional resolution. -
Empire State Building
The world's tallest building, the Empire State Building, was opened by President Hoover in New York. It was and still is 380 meters high and 102 stories with a solid steel frame. To this day it still stands, used and improved. -
Historic Transatlantic Flight
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1937 she is lost over the Pacific on a round-the-world flight. Her plane and the bodies of Earhart and her navigator are never found. -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt becomes the 32nd president
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a democrat from New York, defeats Hoover for the presidency. In his first 100 days in office, Roosevelt launches the New Deal including dozens of federal programs to help agriculture. FDR calls for social security, a more fair tax system and a host of federal jobs programs to get people back to work. FDR was elected president for four terms, he was eleceted more times than any president in history. -
Germany gets new leadership
Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany. Italian prime minister and dictator Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia in 1935. Japan invades China in 1937. And Hitler marches into Austria in 1938. Germany, Japan, and Italy withdraw from the League of Nations. -
Bonnie and Clyde are stopped
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Borrow were well known outlaws, robbers and criminals who, with their gang, traveled the Central United States during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during what is sometimes referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934. They were shot by a posse of four Texas officers and two Louisiana officers -
The Dust bowl
The Dust Bowl or the Dirty Thirties was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936 (in some areas until 1940). The phenomenon was caused by severe drought coupled with decades of extensive farming without crop rotation, fallow fields, cover crops or other techniques to prevent erosion. -
Monopoly Monopolized the Game Market
It was 1934, the height of the Great Depression, when Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pennsylvania, showed his MONOPOLY game Parker Brothers. They rejected the game due to "52 design errors." Mr. Darrow wasn't daunted. and he produce the game on his own, selling 5,000 handmade sets to a department store. Parker Brothers picked up the game in 1935, when it becameAmerica's best-selling game. -
Guernica
"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso was the major art piece of the year. It was nearly 8 meters long. This painting reveals a bombing, while a soldier lays dead on the floor and a women is screaming wildly. -
Oh, the humanity!
The German Hindenburg air ship burned to the ground in less than two minutes by a spark the size of an ant, leaving 33 people killed, 12 people injured: only 64 people got away not badly hurt. -
Animation meets the silver screen
Walt Disney produced the first full-length animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. -
"War of the Worlds"
Millions of radio listeners turned on their radios and heard Orson Welles's realistic sounding descriptions of an attack of Martians on the United States. Many thought the attack was real and thus ran out of their homes screaming; others packed up their cars and fled. -
The commercial television is launched
After years of research and development, RCA announces the launch of the commercial television at the New York's World Fair. -
Over the Rainbow
The Wizard of Oz is an American musical film, notable in its use of special effects, use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling and unusual characters, The Wizard of Oz has become, over the years, one of the best known of all films. The song "Over the Rainbow" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. -
WWII begins
Germany invades Poland. Great Britain declares war on Germany. Soon, all of Europe is fighting. -
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"
One of the top money makers of all time Gone With the Wind debuted in Atlanta, Georgia. -
The Date that Lives in Infamy
The Japanese attack the US base at Pearl Harbor. In the surprise attack, more than 350 Japanese airplanes sink 12 US ships and destroy or damage more than 300 aircraft. More than 2,300 military personnel are killed and 1,100 wounded. This marks America's entrance into WWII. -
"Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake."
Casablanca premiers, expected to be just another Hollywood film. Eventually Casablanca became the quintessential American romantic drama film. -
D-Day
The morning of June 6, 1944, 3,000 warships carry 200,000 American and British soldiers cross the stormy English Channel and land on the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy, France, to begin a vicious battle with the German army. -
VE-day
Germany surrenders. The war in Europe is over. As Germany falls, Adolf Hitler commits suicide. -
The first nuclear bomb is dropped
Following the passing of FDR and after considering all options, Truman gives the order and on August 6, 1945, the US drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. In minutes, half of the city vanishes and about 200,000 people are killed or missing. Radiation reaches more than 100,000 people. -
The Microwave Oven is invented
Raytheon filed a U.S. patent for a microwave cooking process and an oven that heated food using microwave energy was placed in a Boston restaurant for testing. In 1947, the company built the Radarange, the first microwave oven in the world. It was almost 5.9 ft tall, weighed 750 lb and cost about $5000 each. -
"Wurlitzer is Jukebox"
Following the end of WWII Jukeboxes go into mass production. The Wurlitzer 1015 is the model of choice. -
Aliens invade, again!
People across the country become fascinated by the reports of flying saucers (unidentified flying objects, UFOs) during the summer. The government confirms to a New Mexico newspaper that a flying saucer has crashed near Roswell and alien bodies were recovered from the site; but the source later cancels all accounts of the crash, saying the object was a government weather balloon. -
"The Ed Sullivan Show" Premiers on television
The Ed Sullivan Show was the definitive and longest running variety series in television history (1948-71). Hosted by the eponymous awkward and fumbling former newspaperman, the show became a Sunday night institution on CBS. For twenty-three years the Sullivan show fulfilled the democratic mandate of the variety genre: to entertain all of the audience at least some of the time. -
First Major Credit Card Debuts
Frank X. McNamara thought of a way for customers to have just one credit card that they could use at multiple stores. McNamara discussed the idea with two colleagues and the three pooled some money and started a new company in 1950 which they called the Diners Club. -
Conflict erupts in Korea
North Korean forces invaded South Korea. The United Nations quickly condemned the invasion as an act of aggression, demanded the withdrawal of North Korean troops from the South, and called upon its members to aid South Korea. On June 27, U.S. President Truman authorized the use of American land, sea, and air forces in Korea; a week later, the United Nations placed the forces of 15 other member nations under U.S. -
The structure of DNA is discovered
Crick came into the Eagle, a Cambridge pub, and announced to everyone there that they had "found the secret of life". James Watson and Francis Crick pieced together Roslind Franklin's data to solve the structure of DNA and change the history of science. -
The Beatles sweep American music
NBC's "Jack Paar Show" telecasts the Beatles' Bournemouth performance of "She Loves You," The Beatles shaped not only music but also an entire generation. People mimicked all that they did, including haircuts, clothing, and outlook. Their style and innovative music set the standard for all musicians to follow. -
Racial segregation is made illegal in the US.
In the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision by ruling that segregation was "inherently unequal." This ruling had far reaching consequences, and was the beginning of equal rights in the U.S. -
Disneyland opens for the first time
6,000 by-invitation-only guests were invited for a special preview of Disneyland before it opened to the public the following day. Unfortunately, 22,000 extra people arrived with counterfeit tickets. -
Rosa Park won't stand for segregation
On Thursday evening December 1, 1955, after a long day of work as a seamstress for a Montgomery, Alabama, department store, Rosa Parks boards a city bus to go home. When the bus filled up, she refused to give up her seat for white riders. -
Elvis gyrates on Ed Sullivan Show
Ed Sullivan booked Elvis for three shows. Elvis' pelvic gyrations during his appearances on these other shows had caused much discussion and concern about the suitability of airing such provocative and sensual movements on television. -
Dr. Seuss Publishes The Cat in the Hat
Though Ted Seuss's road to children's books had many twists and turns, The Cat in the Hat catapulted him from pioneer in children's literature to definitive children's book author illustrator, a position he has held unofficially for many decades since. -
The Space Age becomes a reality
Sputnik 1 was the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957, and was the first in a series of satellites collectively known as the Sputnik program. -
Play well with Legos
The company that makes the famous, little, plastic, interlocking bricks known as LEGO started as a small shop in Billund, Denmark. The business took the name of LEGO, which came from the Danish words "LEg GOdt," meaning "play well." Legos went international, and the Lego brick was patented and debuted in America in 1958. -
Castro becomes dictator of Cuba
Ever since General Fulgencio Batista's successful coup in 1952, Fidel Castro had worked to oust Batista from Cuba. At first, Castro used the legal system but when that didn't work, he resorted to violence. -
The nation grows
Alaska joins the United States as the 49th state. Shortly after, on August 21, 1959, Hawaii followed suit to become the 50th state. -
Psycho hits the boxoffice
Alfred Hitchcock's powerful, complex psychological thriller, Psycho (1960) is the "mother" of all modern horror suspense films - it single-handedly ushered in an era of inferior screen 'slashers' with blood-letting and graphic, shocking killings. -
Bay of PIgs
1300 exiles, armed with U.S. weapons, landed at the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the southern coast of Cuba. Hoping to find support from the local population, they intended to cross the island to Havana. It was evident from the first hours of fighting, however, that the exiles were likely to lose. President Kennedy had the option of using the U.S. Air Force against the Cubans but decided against it. Consequently, the invasion was stopped by Castro's army. -
Berlin Wall is erected
In the middle of the night East German soldiers and construction workers headed to the border of West and East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, the workers quickly constructed a barrier made of concrete posts and barbed wire along the border. For nearly three decades, East Germans would be kept behind this barrier, the Berlin Wall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed forces were at their highest state of readiness ever and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded. Luckily, thanks to the bravery of President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, war was averted. -
President Kennedy is Assassinated
The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, occured in Dallas, Texas, at Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife Jacqueline in a Presidential motorcade. -
Muhammad Ali becomes heavyweight champion
Muhammad Ali, then still known as Cassius Clay, fought Charles "Sonny" Liston for the world heavyweight title in Miami, Florida. -
First Troops Sent to Vietnam
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident President Lyndon B. Johnson decided to escalate the Vietnam Conflict by sending U.S. ground troops to Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines landed near Da Nang in South Vietnam; they are the first U.S. troops arrive in Vietnam. -
The Trekkie is born
Star Trek is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired on NBC. Set in the 23rd century, the original Star Trek follows the adventures of the starship Enterprise and its crew, led by Captain James T. Kirk, his First Officer Mr. Spock, and his Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy. -
First Heart Transplant
South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard conducted the first heart transplant on 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky. The surgery was a success. -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
A shot rang out. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who had been standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, now lay sprawled on the balcony's floor. A gaping wound covered a large portion of his jaw and neck. A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper's bullet. -
Robert Kennedy Assassinated
The assassination of Robert F. Kenned took place shortly after midnight in Los Angeles, California. After winning the California primary election for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy was shot as he walked through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel and died in the Good Samaritan Hospital twenty-six hours later. -
Moon Landing
As part of the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Neil Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module and stepped out onto the ladder. Once at the bottom of the ladder, Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon and became the very first man on the moon. A few minutes later, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin followed him. -
Woodstock
500,000 young people from across the United States converged on Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. They were there to listen to the best rock 'n roll of the time at the Woodstock Festival of 1969. -
Kent State Massacre.
Protests by students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio began on May 1. Protests grew increasingly violent and distructive, requiring National Guard Presence to disperse. During a rally on May, for an unknown reason, National Guardsmen began firing at students. In 13 seconds, 67 bullets were fired. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. -
Watergate
A burglary at a Washington office complex called the Watergate in June 1972 grew into a wide-ranging political scandal that culminated in the resignation of the President Richard Nixon two years later. -
MASH airs on CBS
The first episode of the extremely popular TV series MASH aired on CBS. The general plot of MASH revolves around army doctors who are stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) of the United States Army, located in the village of Uijeongbu just north of Seoul in South Korea during the Korean War. -
Sears Tower is finished
"With its topping out today, Chicago's Sears Tower will become the world's tallest building towering above other famous skyscrapers around the world. Ironworkers will bolt the last steel girder into place atop the 100-story, 1,454-foot structure today. More than 1,500 men have worked on the building since construction began in 1970." -
Motorola patents the first commercial cellular phone
The origin of the modern cell phone can be traced back to the year 1973 when Motorola invented the first cellular portable telephone to be commercialised, known as Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive is considered to be the inventor of this mobile phone for use in a non-vehicle setting. There was a long race between Motorola and Bell Labs to produce the first such portable mobile phone. -
Tanghsan Earthquake
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the Chinese city of Tangshan. At 3:42 a.m., most people in the city were asleep, shocked into wakefulness by the shifting earth and falling debris. The 14 to 16 seconds of shaking destroyed nearly the entire city. Although many people who were trapped alive in the rubble were saved, the death toll reached over 240,000. -
Star Wars Debuts
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals. -
Test Tube baby is born
In November of 1977, Lesley Brown underwent the very experimental in vitro fertilization procedure. On July 25, 1978, Lesley Brown delivered a five-pound 12-ounce baby girl via Cesarean section. They baby girl was named Louise Joy Brown. -
Mother Teresa Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
In the eyes of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Mother Teresa's constructive efforts to do away with hunger and poverty, and to ensure for mankind safer and better world community in which to develop, deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. -
Rubik's Cube Puzzles America
The Rubik's Cube (originally called "Magic Cube") was first sold in Hungary in 1977 and then sold internationally in 1980. The simple cube immediately became immensely popular all around the world. -
Mt. St. Helens erupts
The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 was the worst volcanic disaster in U.S. history; however, it offered scientists an exceptional opportunity to examine and study a large volcanic eruption, which has enriched scientific knowledge of volcanoes. -
Personal Computer Introduced by IBM
IBM released their new computer, re-named the IBM PC. The "PC" stood for "personal computer" making IBM responsible for popularizing the term "PC". -
AIDs is recognized by the CDC
AIDS was first recognized as a new disease in 1981, when a number of young gay men in New York and Los Angeles were diagnosed with symptoms not usually seen in individuals with healthy immune systems. -
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller was a different album from its predecessor by adding harder funk, hard rock, softer ballads and smoother soul. -
Sally Ride goes to space
Dr. Ride was a mission specialist on STS-7, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 18, 1983. She was the first woman in outer-space. -
Challenger Explodes
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, United States, at 11:39 a.m. -
DNA first used to convict criminals
Police in the U.K. identified Colin Pitchfork as the killer of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth using DNA evidence. -
Pan Am Flight is Bombed
At 7:03 p.m. Pan Am Flight 103, a London to New York flight, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. A total of 270 people were killed, 259 of which had been on board the plane and another 11 had been killed from the debris that hit the ground. -
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, hit Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated minimum 10.8 million US gallons (40.9 million litres, or 250,000 barrels) of crude oil. -
Berlin Wall Falls
In the evening East German government official Günter Schabowski stated during a press conference that travel through the border to the West was open. -
Hubble Telescope Launched
The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the Space shuttle Discovery during STS-31. Since then, there have been 5 servicing missions that continued to upgrade the telescope's scientific instruments and operational systems. Hubble reached a major milestone, its 20th anniversary in orbit, on April 24, 2010. -
Gulf War
If Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not remove his troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 a U.S.-led coalition was authorized to drive them out. Early in the morning of January 17, Baghdad time, the U.S.-led coalition launched air attacks against Iraqi targets. On February 24, coalition ground forces begin their attack. On February 27, Kuwait City was declared liberated, and with allied forces having driven well into Iraq, President Bush declares a cease-fire. -
The internet goes public
Although the basic applications and guidelines that make the Internet possible had existed for almost two decades, the network did not gain a public face until the 1990s. On 6 August 1991, CERN, a pan European organization for particle research, publicized the new World Wide Web project. The Web was invented by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. -
Waco Siege
After hearing reports that Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh had been abusing children and amassing a store of weapons, the ATF gathered resources and planned to raid the Branch Davidian compound just outside of Waco, Texas. With a warrant to search for illegal firearms in hand, the ATF attempted to storm the compound. -
OJ Simpson arrested for double murder
Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found dead outside Brown's condominium. Simpson was charged with their murders. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
Timothy McVeigh drove a truck containing a home-made bomb up to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. When the bomb exploded at 9:02 a.m., the building was decimated and 168 people were left dead. -
Unibomber Arrested
Dr. Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski was arrested for a bombing campaign. Also known as the Unabomber, he was an American mathematician and social critic, who carried out a campaign of mail bombing spree that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others. -
Dolly the sheep is cloned
Scientists in Scotland announced the birth of the world's first successfully cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep. Dolly is the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult cell. -
Princess Diana killed in accident
Diana, Princess of Wales died after being involved in a car accident. Diana had been riding in the Mercedes-Benz with her boyfriend (Dodi Al Fayed), bodyguard (Trevor Rees-Jones), and chauffer (Henri Paul) when the car crashed into a pillar of the tunnel under the Pont de l'Alma bridge in Paris while fleeing from paparazzi. -
President Clinton Impeached
President Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives. He was later acquitted by the Senate on February 12, 1999. The charges, perjury, obstruction of justice, and malfeasance in office, arose from the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the Paula Jones lawsuit. -
Columbine Shooting
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado planted bombs and opened fire on students within their school. Before the boys killed themselves, they had murdered twelve students and one teacher. This was the first mass, student shooting on a U.S. campus and it shocked the entire country. -
Y2K bug
As the turn of the millenium approached, families preapred for widespread disasters, anticipating that computers could not handle the change in dates, causing widespread collapse of inductry worldwide. Luckily the disaster did not occur, and the price of toilet paper went back to normal. -
Terrorists attack America
A series of coordinated suicide attacks were brought upon the United States by al-Qaeda. 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Both buildings collapsed within two hours. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers tried to regain control of the plane. -
Space Shuttle Columbia Explodes
The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas stretching from Trophy Club to Tyler and into parts of Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission. -
War in Iraq begins
305,194 troops from the US, UK, Poland, and Australia were sent to invade Iraw "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people." -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina hit the southern coast of the United States with devastating effect. It was reported that more then 1,800 people lost there lives, and more then $81 billion dollars in damages occurred. -
First African-American president is elected
Barrack Obama won the 56th presidential election over Senator John McCain, becoming the first African-American president of the United States. -
Earthquake in Haiti
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. By January 24th, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reported that an estimated 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. -
BP Oil Spill
Considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history, the spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that started with an oil well blowout. The blowout caused a catastrophic explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform that was situated about 40 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others. -
Postal Law
Post Office says children could not be sent by parcel post.
