1979: Pemex's Ixtoc I oil rig blows, spilling an estimated 3 million barrels (126 million gallons) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It was the worst oil spill in history... until it was surpassed by Saddam Hussein's decision to open the valves at the Sea Island oil terminal plus a few tankers in an attempt to keep US Marines from landing and kicking his azz out of Kuwait and back to Iraq. An estimated 11 million barrels (462 million gallons) were spilled into the Persian Gulf, covering approximately 4,200 square miles of ocean. So how do those spills compare to the current BP oil spill in the gulf? We've surpassed Ixtoc and could very well exceed Hussein by the time it's all said and done.
1969: Australian aircraft carrier "Melbourne" slices U.S. destroyer "Frank E. Evans" in half, killing 74, during joint military exercises off the coast of Manila. This wasn't the first time the Melbourne cut a ship in half: the first time was in 1964, when she collided with the destroyer, Voyager, killing 82 Australian Navy sailors.
1959: First class of the US Air Force Academy received their diplomas. The 306 cadets chose the falcon as their school mascot, and wrote the Cadet Code: We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. The Class of 2010 boasts 1,001 graduates, all of whom uphold the USAF core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do!
1880: Alexander Graham Bell sent the first wireless telephone message from the roof of the Franklin School in Washington, DC. The device allowed the transmission of sound on a beam of light, making it the predecessor of modern fiber optic cable technology.
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