Nelson Mandela Inauguration: 5 Powerful Moments in 1994
On May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa’s first black president at the Union Buildings in Pretoria — five inauguration moments that defined the end of apartheid.
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Golden Girls Finale: The 1992 Goodbye That Broke 27M Hearts
On May 9, 1992, the Golden Girls finale brought 27.2 million viewers together as Dorothy Zbornak walked out of the Miami house for good in ‘One Flew Out of the Cuckoo’s Nest.’ Here is how the goodbye played, why Bea Arthur left, and why The Golden Palace could not replace it.
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1984 Olympics Boycott: 7 Cold War Shocks From May 8
The 1984 Olympics boycott began on May 8, 1984, when the Soviet Union announced it would skip the Los Angeles Summer Games — a Cold War retaliation that pulled fifteen Eastern Bloc nations and four allies out of competition just eleven weeks before the opening ceremony. The walkout was the largest Olympic boycott since 1980,…
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Bondi Blue iMac: 7 Bold Choices in Apple’s 1998 Reveal
The Bondi Blue iMac went from prototype to standing ovation on May 6, 1998, when Steve Jobs pulled a sheet off a glowing translucent computer at the Flint Center in Cupertino and quietly told the world Apple was back. The first iMac was the machine that saved Apple from bankruptcy, killed the floppy disk, made…
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The Iranian Embassy Siege: What the SAS Did When Cameras Were Rolling
Iranian Embassy siege: on May 5, 1980, the SAS stormed Princes Gate live on TV in 17 explosive minutes. Seven wild truths about Operation Nimrod, Thatcher, and the day Britain met its most secret regiment.
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The PEPCON Disaster: Inside the Day Henderson, Nevada Exploded
The PEPCON disaster on May 4, 1988 was the most powerful civilian explosion in American history — a rocket-fuel chemical plant in Henderson, Nevada that vaporized itself, leveled the marshmallow factory next door, cracked windows at McCarran International Airport seven miles away, and shoved a 1,000-foot mushroom cloud over Las Vegas while a Boeing 737…
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The Game Boy Launch: How Nintendo’s Grey Brick Changed Gaming Forever
On April 21, 1989, Nintendo launched the Game Boy in Japan and changed portable gaming forever. Here is why that gray brick still matters.
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The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert: What Happened When Rock Said Goodbye
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley on April 20, 1992 united rock’s biggest stars for a billion viewers. 7 iconic moments relived.
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The Tracey Ullman Show: The Simpsons Sketch That Started an Empire
Tracey Ullman Simpsons history starts on April 19, 1987, when the crude little Good Night short introduced TV’s most durable family.
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Wayne Gretzky’s Final Game: The Night Hockey Said Goodbye to the Greatest
On April 18, 1999, Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game at Madison Square Garden. Here is why that farewell still feels huge today.
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The OK Hotel Show: The Night Nirvana Played Smells Like Teen Spirit Live
On April 17, 1991, Nirvana debuted Smells Like Teen Spirit at Seattle’s OK Hotel, months before Nevermind changed rock and Gen X culture.
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April 11, 1984: NASA Saved Solar Max in Orbit
On April 11, 1984, astronauts aboard Challenger completed the first successful satellite repair in orbit and made the shuttle era feel like the future.
