Today in 1979, Kenneth Bianchi – aka the ‘Hillside Strangler’ of Los Angeles was arrested. A serial killer, kidnapper and rapist, Bianchi and his cousin, Angelo Buono, Jr., are known together as the Hillside Stranglers. Also a suspect in the Alphabet murders (four unsolved murders in his home city of Rochester), Bianchi is serving life imprisonment. He was last denied parole in August 2010.). He will be eligible to apply for parole again in 2025.
Today in 1982, an Air Florida jet crashed into Washington D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge after takeoff and fell into the Potomac River, killing 79 people.
Today in 1989, in a case that grabbed headlines, Bernhard H. Goetz was sentenced to one year in prison for possessing an unlicensed gun that he used to shoot four youths he said were about to rob him on a New York City subway.The Hi
Today in 1992, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer pleaded guilty, but insane, to the murders of 15 young men and boys. A jury later decided that he was not only guilty, but totally sane.
Today in 1994, the bodyguard of skater Tonya Harding and his accomplices were arrested and charged with the January 6th attack on Nancy Kerrigan.
Today in 1997, the Supreme Court aggressively questioned both sides in a battle over whether a sexual harassment lawsuit – in this case, the one brought by Paula Jones – should be allowed to proceed against President Clinton while he was in office. The following May, the justices ruled unanimously that it could.
Today in 2005, US Army reservist Charles Graner was found guilty by a military jury of abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The charges against him included assault, conspiracy, maltreatment of detainees, committing indecent acts and dereliction of duty. A jury sentenced him to ten years in military prison.
Today in 2012, the Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia ran aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, causing 32 deaths.
Today in 2016, a record Powerball lottery was held in America – with a $1.6-billion jackpot. There were ultimately three winning tickets.
Today in 2018, an early-morning ballistic missile alert was sent across Hawaii in error…and revoked after 38 minutes.
Today in 2021, President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives voting 232-197, for “incitement of insurrection,” first time in history an American President was impeached twice.