1859

Naturalist Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species,” which gave his theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

1865

Mississippi became the first Southern state to enact laws that came to be known as “Black Codes” aimed at limiting the rights of newly freed Blacks; other states of the former Confederacy soon followed.

1963

Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television.

1991

Singer Freddie Mercury died in London at age 45 of AIDS-related pneumonia.