LOS ANGELES, CA – On this day in history, several significant events have taken place, spanning from criminal activities to tragic accidents and historical political events. In 1979, the infamous ‘Hillside Strangler’ Kenneth Bianchi was arrested for being involved in a series of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and rape. Serving life imprisonment, Bianchi was last denied parole in 2010 and won’t be eligible to apply for it again until 2025. In 1982, an Air Florida jet tragically crashed into Washington D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge, claiming the lives of 79 people. Moving forward to 1989, Bernhard H. Goetz was sentenced to prison for possession of an unlicensed gun used to shoot four youths on a New York City subway.
In 1992, the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer pleaded guilty, but insane, to the murders of 15 young men and boys. Despite his plea, a jury later deemed him not only guilty but also totally sane. Similarly, in 1994, the bodyguard of skater Tonya Harding and his accomplices were arrested and charged with the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. In 1997, the Supreme Court was involved in a controversial battle over a sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton. The justices eventually ruled unanimously that the lawsuit could proceed. In 2005, US Army reservist Charles Graner was found guilty of abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and was sentenced to ten years in military prison.
Moving on to more recent history, in 2012, the Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia ran aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, tragically causing 32 deaths. In 2016, a record-setting Powerball lottery in America with a $1.6-billion jackpot took place, with ultimately three winning tickets. In 2018, an early-morning ballistic missile alert was sent across Hawaii in error, which was revoked after 38 minutes. And most recently, in 2021, President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives for “incitement of insurrection,” marking the first time in history an American President was impeached twice.
In retrospect, today marks several historical events, ranging from criminal activities and tragic incidents to political milestones. From the arrest of notorious criminals to tragic accidents and historic presidential impeachments, each event has left a lasting impact on history.