1865

John Wilkes Booth, the assassin ofAbraham Lincoln, was surrounded by federal troops near Port Royal, Virginia, and killed.

1977

The legendary nightclub Studio 54 had its opening night in New York.

1986

An explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused radioactive fallout to begin spewing into the atmosphere.

1994

Voting began in South Africa’s first all-race elections. This was a victory for the African National Congress and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president.