The Morning a Bomber Crashed Into the Empire State Building
On July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber lost in thick fog slammed into the Empire State Building, killing 14 — and an elevator operator survived a 75-story fall.
Tagged: 1940s
The Stroke of a Pen That Desegregated America's Military
On July 26, 1948, President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending official segregation in the U.S. armed forces — and the Korean War would prove it worked.
Thirty-Two Minutes That Made a Nation
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel at the Tel Aviv Museum in a 32-minute ceremony, hours before the British Mandate expired at midnight.
The Day Number 42 Changed Baseball Forever
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking Major League Baseball's color line and changing American history.
Freedom at Midnight
On August 15, 1947, India became an independent nation, ending nearly two centuries of British colonial rule.