After spending 27 years behind bars, mostly on Robben Island, anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was finally released from Victor Verster Prison in South Africa. His release marked a pivotal moment in the dismantling of apartheid, symbolizing hope for racial reconciliation and democracy. Mandela would go on to lead negotiations to end apartheid and later become South Africa’s first Black president in 1994.

The World Health Organization officially declared the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. This announcement acknowledged the rapid worldwide spread of the virus, which had already infected over 100,000 people across multiple continents. The declaration led to drastic public health measures, lockdowns, and economic disruptions on a global scale, marking the beginning of one of the most significant health crises in modern history.

During a peaceful march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, civil rights activists were brutally attacked by state troopers and local law enforcement on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The violence, broadcast on national television, shocked Americans and drew widespread support for the Civil Rights Movement. The events of 'Bloody Sunday' directly influenced the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark piece of U.S. civil rights legislation.

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming the first human to travel into space and orbit the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. His successful 108-minute flight marked a major milestone in the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union, boosting Soviet prestige and accelerating global interest in space exploration.

The German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The disaster killed 36 people and was famously captured on film and radio, including Herbert Morrison’s anguished broadcast. The tragedy ended the era of passenger airships and cemented airplanes as the future of long-distance travel.

Nazi Germany formally surrendered to the Allied powers, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Celebrations erupted across Europe and the United States as millions rejoiced at the downfall of Hitler’s regime. While the war in the Pacific continued until Japan’s surrender in September, VE Day remains one of the most significant milestones in modern history.

On D-Day, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in history, landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 156,000 American, British, Canadian, and other Allied troops stormed five heavily fortified beaches under intense German fire. The invasion marked the turning point in World War II in Europe, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

The United States dropped the first atomic bomb, nicknamed 'Little Boy,' on the Japanese city of Hiroshima near the end of World War II. The explosion killed over 100,000 people instantly and in the following months due to radiation sickness and injuries. The bombing, followed by another on Nagasaki three days later, forced Japan’s surrender and ended the war, but also introduced the world to the devastating power of nuclear weapons.

Amid the Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon resigned from office, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. Facing almost certain impeachment and removal, Nixon announced his resignation in a televised address. Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, later granting Nixon a controversial pardon. The event marked a crisis of trust in American politics and reshaped public attitudes toward presidential accountability.

On September 11, 2001, members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes in the United States. Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse. A third struck the Pentagon, and the fourth, United Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to retake control. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history. The attacks reshaped U.S. foreign and domestic policy, leading to the War on Terror and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, sailing under the Spanish crown, made landfall in the Bahamas during his first voyage across the Atlantic. His arrival marked the first lasting contact between Europe and the Americas, initiating centuries of exploration, colonization, and cultural exchange known as the Columbian Exchange. While celebrated for opening the New World to Europe, Columbus’s voyages also led to the displacement, conquest, and suffering of Indigenous peoples across the Americas.

After weeks of mounting protests and political pressure in East Germany, the government announced new travel freedoms, prompting thousands of East Berliners to flood checkpoints and cross freely into West Berlin. Jubilant crowds began dismantling the Berlin Wall, a powerful symbol of the Cold War that had divided the city since 1961. Its fall paved the way for German reunification and symbolized the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe.

Japanese forces launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing more than 2,400 Americans, sinking or damaging much of the Pacific Fleet, and destroying aircraft. The attack shocked the nation and led the United States to formally enter World War II the following day. It marked a turning point in global conflict as America shifted from neutrality to full-scale war against Japan and Germany.