On May 18, 1980, the tranquility of Washington state was shattered when Mount St. Helens erupted in a cataclysmic display of nature’s power. The blast, one of the most devastating in U.S. history, claimed 57 lives and caused an estimated $2.7 billion in damages. The eruption spewed a mushroom cloud…

In a unanimous decision that forever altered the landscape of American civil rights, the United States Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional on May 17, 1954, in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision was a decisive…

On May 16, 1868, a historic event unfolded in the U.S. Senate as President Andrew Johnson narrowly avoided conviction on impeachment charges by just one vote. This marked the climax of a political storm that had engulfed the nation in the turbulent years following the Civil War. The impeachment of…

In a landmark decision, the California Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, making California the second U.S. state to legalize such unions. This ruling follows Massachusetts’ 2004 trailblazing decision, which set a precedent for marriage equality in the United States. The California Supreme…

On May 14, 1973, the United States launched Skylab, its first space station, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s space exploration efforts. Developed by NASA, Skylab was designed to serve as an orbiting laboratory, enabling astronauts to conduct scientific research, perform experiments, and study the effects of prolonged spaceflight…