TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Tuesday, April 16, the 107th day of 2024. There are 259 days left in the year. On this date in:
The nation’s capital abolished slavery as President Abraham Lincoln signed an act ending slavery in the District of Columbia. It granted immediate emancipation of slaves and compensation for former owners.
Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin was born in London, England.
An explosion aboard the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp in Texas City, Texas, caused one of the worst industrial accidents in U.S. history. A fire on the SS Grandcamp detonated its cargo of 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, triggering the explosion and fires across its port. Almost 600 people were killed.
Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman accidentally discovered the potent hallucinogenic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD. Hoffman first synthesized LSD as an analeptic in November 1938. He had accidentally absorbed a trace amount of the drug while he was resynthesizing the compound after five years.
Organization for European Economic Co-operation, later known as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, formed with 16 European countries to restore economic stability in Europe after World War II.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” aka the “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” or “The Negro is Your Brother.” The open letter was a call to arms for activists to act against unjust laws rather than sit idle hoping for change.
Apollo 16 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the fifth and penultimate NASA mission to land on the moon.
Michael Jordan played his last games in the NBA at age 40. Playing for the Washington Wizards, he finished the game with 15 points and a playtime of 28 minutes.
Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, fatally shot 32 and injured over a dozen others before killing himself. It has remained the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
South Korean ferry Sewol, which was traveling to Jeju from Incheon, capsized and sank, killing 304 passengers and crew. About 250 of the victims were high schoolers.
– Hoang Tran, USA TODAY Network