On This Day, March 24: Germanwings crash kills 150 in France
March 24 (UPI) -- In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died after 44 years of rule. She was succeeded by King James VI of Scotland, uniting England and Scotland under a single British monarch.
In 1934, the United States granted independence to the Philippine Islands, effective July 4, 1946.
In 1975, the beaver became the official symbol of Canada.
In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil in the largest oil tanker spill in U.S. history.
In 1998, four girls and a teacher at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark., were killed by bullets fired from a nearby wooded area. The shooters were two boys, ages 11 and 13, who were convicted as juveniles and served prison time.
In 1999, NATO airstrikes hit military targets across the Yugoslav union of Serbia-Montenegro after ethnic cleansing launched by Serbian forces against Kosovar Albanians.
In 2004, the European Commission fined software giant Microsoft $613 million for EU antitrust violations.
In 2012, former U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney, 71, underwent heart transplant surgery at a hospital in Falls Church, Va.
In 2015, a Germanwings plane carrying 150 people, including German high school students, crashed in the French Alps in southern France. Everyone on board died.
In 2018, student activists pushed for an end to gun violence in the March for Our Lives protests across the country less than two months after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Fla., left 17 people dead.
In 2023, a powerful EF4 tornado touched down in Rolling Fork, Miss., and continued on into Silver City, Miss. The tornado -- one of many in a four-day outbreak of twisters -- remained on the ground for more than an hour, killing 17 people and injuring dozens of others.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Last Falklands era warship given ‘respectful farewell' as it heads to scrapyard
Veterans and members of the public have turned out to give a 'respectful farewell' to a former Royal Navy flagship that played a 'vital role' in the Falklands conflict. HMS Bristol was towed out of Portsmouth Harbour on Wednesday, almost five years after it was decommissioned. The warship, which was the last ship serving from the Falklands war, is being taken to a Turkish scrapyard. The Type 82 destroyer was commissioned in March 1973 but having been designed to defend a class of aircraft carriers which was never built, it was the only warship of its class to enter service. Bristol led a group of two destroyers, five frigates and an RFA supply ship providing reinforcements in the Falklands war and later joined the carrier battle task group as an air defence destroyer. In 1987 it became a training ship as part of the Dartmouth Training Squadron before an explosion in its boiler led to it being used as a harbour training vessel at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth, until it was decommissioned in October 2020 after nearly 48 years of service. Members of the public and veterans congregated on Old Portsmouth's Round Tower to wave off Bristol, which was visually rust-stained, as it left the Hampshire naval base. Chris Howe, of the South Atlantic Medal Association 1982, said: 'As HMS Bristol embarks on its final voyage to the scrapyard in Turkey, we pause to reflect on its remarkable and unique legacy. 'This ship played a vital role in the 1982 Falklands conflict, serving as a headquarters and providing steadfast support to British forces. 'For many veterans, Bristol was more than a vessel – it was a home, a place of camaraderie, and a symbol of resilience. 'Its departure marks the end of an era, but its contributions to our history and the memories of those who served aboard will endure. 'We honour all who sailed in her and bid HMS Bristol a respectful farewell.' HMS Bristol was sold for recycling by ship recycling experts from the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Defence Recycling & Disposals Team (DRDT), on behalf of the Royal Navy. A DE&S spokesman said it would be taken to a specialist recycling facility within an EU-approved yard in Turkey, with all reusable equipment having been removed for sale. Alistair Hughes, head of DRDT, said: 'Recycling of ships at the end of their hull life is routine business for the Royal Navy and our aim is to achieve maximum value for money for defence in an environmentally compliant manner – HMS Bristol is a fitting example of this after her many dedicated years of service.'
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Shipwreck treasure worth $20B found near Colombia -- coins could be the 'holy grail' proof
Officials claim they used coins discovered inside a shipwreck off the coast of Colombia to prove the underwater graveyard is the legendary San José that was carrying a $20 billion treasure when it sank. The Colombian government used an unmanned vehicle to inspect the wreckage of the 18th-century vessel to prove it has found the lost Spanish galleon. The underwater craft carried out a non-intrusive investigation to document areas of the shipwreck that have yet to be photographed that contained coin-like objects, according to a study from Antiquity. 7 Coins discovered in a hoard area of the stern of the shipwreck off the coast of Colombia. ARC-DIMAR 2022/VARGAS ARIZA ET AL. ANTIQUITY 2025 Coins found in a hoard area in the ship's stern were photographed and analyzed. Scientists used photogrammetry on the images to produce 3-D models of the treasure, along with models of similar coins, to determine its age and origin. Engraved markings revealed the coins were minted back in 1707 in Lima, Peru. Heraldic symbols were discovered to bear the crests of the crowns of Castile and Leon indicating a Hispanic galleon, the study found. The coins also bear a Jerusalem Cross, Columns of Hercules, sea waves, and symbols denoting the Lima mint and the number 8 for 'Escudo de 8,' the type of coin. 'Coins are crucial artifacts for dating and understanding material culture, particularly in shipwreck contexts,' lead researcher Daniela Vargas Ariza in the study. 'Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins—known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish— served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries.' 7 Heraldic symbols were discovered to bear the crests of the crowns of Castile and Leon indicating a Hispanic galleon, the study found. ARC-DIMAR 2022/VARGAS ARIZA ET AL. ANTIQUITY 2025 7 The shipwreck of what is believed to be the San José sits at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Colombia. Presidencia de la República – Colombia Vargas Ariza is from the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH). The San José was the flagship vessel of the Flota de Tierra Firme, a fleet tasked with transporting the treasures from South America across the Atlantic back to the Spanish Empire to South America during the War of the Spanish Succession. During one voyage, the doomed ship was struck by a British warship during an ambush and sank on June 8, 1708. The prized haul is believed to include emerald, gold, and silver worth as much as $20 billion. 7 The San José galleon explodes after an ambush from a British warship during the June 8, 1708, battle off Cartagena, Colombia. 7 Tea cups were discovered buried in the sand among the wreckage. Colombian Presidency/AFP via Get The resting place for the ship was unknown until at least the late 20th century, when the American company Glocca Morra — now Sea Search Armada — claimed to have discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Colombia. The company shared the coordinates with the Colombian government in a deal that would net them half the fortune of treasure on board, approximately $10 billion. Colombian officials say they've never found a shipwreck at the coordinates but claim they found the missing San José in an undisclosed location in 2015. 7 The prized haul is believed to include emerald, gold, and silver worth as much as $20 billion. Colombian Presidency/AFP via Get Sea Search has sued the Colombian Government under the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement believing the country found part of the same debris field in 2015 that it first discovered 34 years earlier. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the shipwreck to be preserved and the treasure exhumed from the bottom of the ocean by the time his term ends in 2026. In 2024, Colombia proclaimed the shipwreck to be a 'protected archeological area' that would ensure its 'long-term preservation.' Colombia's culture ministry said it 'guarantees the protection of heritage' and would allow for the 'development of research, conservation and valuation activities,' the AFP reported. 7 The resting place for the ship was unknown until at least the late 20th century. ARC-DIMAR 2022/VARGAS ARIZA ET AL. ANTIQUITY 2025 Petro initially wanted to bring the 62-gun, three-masted ship to the surface and had requested a public-private partnership be formed. No official declaration of discovery has been made of the San José.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Airfield falls silent to remember Old Sarum squadrons with key role in WWII
OLD Sarum Airfield fell silent on Tuesday morning (June 10) to commemorate specialist squadrons founded during the Second World War. Several Air Observation Post (AOP) squadrons were founded at the former RAF airfield in the early 1940s, including Squadron 653, which moved to Normandy in June 1944 and supported the Army in France and the Netherlands. During the war, AOP squadrons flew unarmed aircraft to spot enemy targets, radioing their locations to direct artillery fire. Veterans and serving members of the Army Air Corps watch the memorial service (Image: Spencer Mulholland) Later, in 1957, the Army Air Corps (AAC) was created from the foundations of the Glider Pilot Regiment and Air Observation Post Squadrons. Veterans in the Air Observation Post Association were joined by past and present members of the AAC at the airfield on Tuesday to commemorate the formation of Squadron 653, 83 years on. The AAC flew an Apache helicopter to the airfield at 10am, and the ceremony began next to a memorial dedicated to AOP squadrons an hour later. Lieutenant General Sir Gary Coward, president of the Air Observation Post Association, served in the 653 in Germany in the early 1980s. During the ceremony, he said: 'We are here today to commemorate the formation of 653 Squadron in June 1942; one of 12 British Air OP squadrons created during the Second World War. During that conflict, 117 members of the Air OP made the supreme sacrifice. 'Their courage was recognised by the award of two DSOs (Distinguished Service Order), five MCs (Military Cross), 132 DFCs (Distinguished Flying Cross), a DFM (Distinguished Flying Medal) and a Military Medal. 'Eighty-three years on, we will remember them. 'A number of us here today serve, and have served, in 653 Squadron, continuing the proud traditions first laid down here at Old Sarum in 1942, in Normandy in 1944 and beyond.' An Apache helicopter landed on the grass airstrip at 10am (Image: Spencer Mulholland) He told the assembled crowd that his father-in-law had also served in the squadron in Normandy as a flight medic. He said: 'It took a while, and a few whiskeys, to draw these memories out of him in later life.' The service took place next to Hangar 3, a First World War structure that was badly damaged by a large fire in April. Read more: Salisbury Business Expo set to welcome hundreds of firms Read more: Salisbury runners unite against cancer and raise £53k Sir Gary said: 'On behalf of the association, can I thank the airfield owner, Mr Grenville Hodge, and his team for allowing us to hold this event today, and for remediating the site after the tragic events of April 17.' He also thanked the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection for supporting the event and his fellow members of the Air Observation Post Association committee. Attendees then enjoyed a tour of the aviation collection and a buffet lunch.
