November 28th, 2009

Today in History

1979:
The Mount Erebus disaster: an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashes into Mount Erebus on a sightseeing trip, killing all 257 people on board.

1960:
Mauritania becomes independent of France.

1944:
Albania is liberated by the Albanian partisans. German Nazi troops recede from Albania.

1907:
In Haverhill, Massachusetts, scrap-metal dealer Louis B. Mayer opens his first movie theater.

1520:
After navigating through the South American strait, three ships under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan reach the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.