Today:
1968 – Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1975 – Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1949 – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty.
1960 – Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow were granted a patent for the laser.
1961 – The Soviet Union launched the first spacecraft to reach the Moon, Luna 2, which impacted the lunar surface.
1963 – Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film “The Birds” premiered in New York City.
1994 – The Rwandan Genocide began, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
1973 – The United States launched Operation Linebacker II during the Vietnam War.
1933 – The Nazi regime passed the “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service,” purging Jews from civil service positions.
1966 – The Beatles released the album “Revolver” in the UK, which marked a significant change in their musical style.