January 15 in History

The “Miracle on the Hudson,” in which the crew of a US Airways passenger jet, Flight 1549, safely glided the plane to a water landing in the Hudson River after it lost power from its engines after striking geese during takeoff, took place seven years ago today. All passengers and crew survived.

The crash has since been memorialized in a film Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood, and the airplane itself is now on exhibit at the Carolinas Aviation Museum.
Read More

January 14 in History

Today, also known as The Today Show, NBC’s several-hour morning news program, debuted 65 years ago … um, on this date.

The show was created by Sylvester Weaver, who also created programs with counterpart names: Tonight, which also lives on, and Tomorrow, which lives on in the spirit of late-late-night talk programs.
Read More

January 13 in History

The New York Times published an editorial on this date in 1920 that took to task the rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard for his thought that someday rockets could be used to travel to the moon (and beyond).

How would rockets possibly work in the vacuum of space? the writers wondered. After all, thanks to Isaac Newton, any schoolkid knew that actions work as a reaction, and, in the vacuum of space, where would the reaction take place? Here is some of the Times’ fussy editorial (after the jump):
Read More