On August 15, 1977, a routine scan by Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope recorded something no one had seen before: a strong, narrowband radio signal coming from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.

In January 1928, Nikola Tesla was granted U.S. Patent No. 1,655,114 for what he called a “helicopter-airplane.”

Long before chocolate became a global indulgence, it was a medical ingredient in Mesoamerica. The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations used cacao in various medicinal preparations.

In 1932, a powerful earthquake shook Southern California, collapsing Tunnel 15 along the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway line through Carrizo Gorge.

Between 1861 and 1865, the American Civil War claimed an estimated 750,000 lives. It was the deadliest conflict in U.S. history, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of grieving families.

In 1996, 128 Nepalese women were lured to Mumbai with promises of jobs. Instead, they were forced into brothels and held against their will.

At just 19 years old, Louis Zamperini made the U.S. Olympic team and competed in the 5,000-meter race at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

In 2016, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan unveiled America, a fully functional toilet made entirely of 18-karat gold. Weighing over 100 kilograms and valued at more than $4 million in gold alone, the artwork was created for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

This handmade wooden vehicle, designed for strength and economy, has carried livelihoods on its two wheels for decades.

In 1942, in just 110 days, a city rose from the marshlands between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Named Vanport, it was built to house thousands of workers drawn to Henry Kaiser’s shipyards during World War II.