COUNTDOWN TO NOVEMBER 24TH

November 24th

A day of revolutionary science and enduring mystery — from Darwin's groundbreaking theory to America's most famous unsolved hijacking.

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What Makes This Day Special

November 24th
Significance

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Publication of "On the Origin of Species"

On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin's groundbreaking work "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" was published in England. The first edition of 1,250 copies sold out on its first day. This revolutionary book introduced the scientific theory of evolution through natural selection, fundamentally changing our understanding of biology, life on Earth, and humanity's place in nature. Darwin's work remains one of the most influential scientific texts ever written.

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The D.B. Cooper Hijacking (1971)

On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias "Dan Cooper" (later misreported as "D.B. Cooper") hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle. After receiving $200,000 in ransom and four parachutes, he jumped from the Boeing 727 over the Pacific Northwest wilderness and was never seen again. The case remains the only unsolved air piracy in U.S. history, captivating investigators and enthusiasts for over five decades.

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Discovery of "Lucy" (1974)

On November 24, 1974, paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson discovered the fossilized remains of an early human ancestor in northeastern Ethiopia. Nicknamed "Lucy," the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis provided groundbreaking evidence that human ancestors walked upright long before developing large brains. Lucy remains one of the most important paleontological discoveries in understanding human evolution.

Historical Events

This Day
in History

1859

Darwin Publishes "On the Origin of Species"

Charles Darwin's revolutionary work detailing the theory of evolution through natural selection was published by John Murray in London. The book presented decades of research from Darwin's voyage on HMS Beagle and subsequent studies. It proposed that species evolve over time through a process of natural selection, where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce. The theory sparked intense debate and transformed biology, geology, and our understanding of life itself.

1971

D.B. Cooper Parachutes into History

A man identifying himself as Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305, calmly handed a flight attendant a note claiming he had a bomb, and demanded $200,000 and parachutes. After landing in Seattle to collect the ransom, the plane took off again with only Cooper and the flight crew aboard. Somewhere over southwestern Washington, Cooper lowered the rear stairs and jumped into a rainstorm over dense wilderness. Despite extensive searches and investigations, neither Cooper nor most of the money was ever found, though in 1980, a boy discovered $5,880 of the ransom along the Columbia River.

1963

Jack Ruby Shoots Lee Harvey Oswald

Two days after President Kennedy's assassination, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald as he was being transferred from Dallas police headquarters. The shooting occurred in the basement of the police station and was broadcast live on national television, becoming one of the first major crimes witnessed by millions in real-time. Oswald died at Parkland Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy had died. Ruby's actions added another layer of mystery to the Kennedy assassination.