January 27, 1986 – Morton Thiokol Plant – Brigham City, Utah: In the early afternoon, Bob Ebeling called Allan McDonald, the Morton Thiokol engineer in charge of the solid rocket project at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ebeling pleaded with McDonald to...
1888 – Stockholm Sweden: As was his custom, Alfred Nobel read his newspaper, The Social Demokraten, while eating breakfast. The front-page story, “The Merchant of Death is Dead,” drew his attention. It began, “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill...
July 1999 – Belleville, Michigan: Tammy and Rusty Stafford had been expecting the letter. The company where Rusty had worked for more than two decades had been sold. Rusty didn’t have a retirement plan, but the big boss, Bob Thompson, had promised that everyone would...
March 4, 1993 – Annual ESPY Awards, Madison Square Garden, NYC: “And the winner of this year’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award is,” the announcer paused, “Jim Valvano, ESPN broadcaster and former head basketball coach at North Carolina State University.” Assisted by his...
February 3, 1943 – S.S. Dorchester – North Atlantic Ocean: The German torpedo ripped through the ship’s hull on the starboard side near the engine room. The lights went out, and chaos ensued in the darkness. Nearly one-third of the 904 men on board died in the first...
August 1932 – St. Louis, Missouri: Thomas stared at the telegram. His young wife Nettie, his rock and inspiration, had died during childbirth. He caught the first train home to Chicago only to discover the baby had died, too. Bitter and heartbroken, he assumed God was...
