Today in 1934, a huge dust storm was spotted moving from the Midwest, about 1,500 miles long, 900 miles across and two miles high, coating almost one-third of the country. Many farmers lost large amounts of topsoil during the few years the phenomenon was known, The Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. The mixture of large areas of landing forming into dust bowls, causing food production to go bad and the depression caused by the crash of ’29 all contributed to “The Great Depression.”
Today in 1970, a tornado with winds up to 100 miles per hour touched down in Lubbock, Texas – killing 26 people, injuring hundreds…and causing more than $ 1 billion in damage.
Today in 1971, Steve Dunning of the Cleveland Indians became the last pitcher to hit a grand slam home run in the American league. After the designated hitter rule began in the American League, pitchers were no longer allowed to hit.
Today in 1987, Emmanuel Vitria died in France at the age of 67, 18 years after receiving a transplanted human heart. He was the longest-surviving heart transplant patient at the time. The record was later taken by Britain’s John McCafferty, who after receiving his transplant in 1982, lived until 2016 – a run of 33 years.
Today in 1994, Detroit Piston’s point guard Isiah Thomas retired after leading his team to two NBA titles.
Today in 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Everglades. All 110 people onboard were killed.
Today in 2012, American sports car designer Carroll Shelby died at 89 years old in Dallas, Texas. He was best known for being a race car driver, winning many races in the 1950s. Shelby worked with Ford in the sixties to create a high-performance Mustang.
Today in 2013, two astronauts from the United States replaced a pump in order to fix an ammonia leak in the International Space Station’s cooling system. The workers completed the emergency spacewalk in one hour ahead of their scheduled time.
Today in 2015, Picasso's The Women of Algiers (Version ‘O’) brought a record price for a work of art at auction: it sold for $ 179.3 million at Christie's in New York.
Today in 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order launching a commission to review alleged voter fraud and voter suppression, building upon his unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.