2002—U.S. forces in Afghanistan begin Operation Anaconda, aimed at capturing or killing Taliban fighters in the Shah-i-kot Valley. The mission starts badly, then gets worse.
1985—President Reagan insults the Founding Fathers, saying the Contras are their “moral equivalent.”
1978—The late Charlie Chaplin’s tomb is raided by corpse-nappers.
1971—The Weather Underground bombs the U.S. Capitol.
1954—After 39 combat missions in Korea, Ted Williams breaks his collarbone at spring training.
1954—H-bomb test Castle Bravo delivers thrice its expected yield at Bikini Atoll. Unanticipated winds spread millions of tons of radioactive debris over occupied islands.
1954—Four Puerto Rican nationalists in the Gallery fire 30 rounds towards the floor of the U.S. House, wounding five U.S. Congressmen.
1953—Joe Stalin spends the day on the floor in a puddle of urine because his aides don’t dare open his door.
1910—In Wellington, Wash., an avalanche pushes two trains 150 feet into the Nye River, killing 96.
1906—Emma Goldman publishes the first issue of her anarchist newspaper, Mother Earth.
1872—Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is created.
1860—Abraham Lincoln speaks at Phenix Hall in Concord, N.H. and again later in Manchester.