May 2, 2026
"Nessie" Reported for the First Time (1933)
More than 700 ft (213 m) deep, Loch Ness is the largest freshwater lake in the UK by volume. This makes it the perfect hiding place for a prehistoric creature—or so believers say. Though the legend of the Loch Ness Monster dates back to at least 565 BCE, modern accounts of "Nessie" date only to 1933, the year a local newspaper began reporting sightings of a fearsome, dragon-like creature in the lake. What natural phenomenon, known as a seiche, may be responsible for some of the sightings?
May 1, 2026
U-2 Crisis of 1960 Begins (1960)
After becoming Soviet premier in 1958, Nikita Khrushchev asserted a doctrine of peaceful coexistence with capitalist nations. He toured the US in 1959 and planned a Paris summit with the US, Britain, and France in 1960, but in May of that year, an American U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. Khrushchev cancelled the conference, and the American pilot, F. Gary Powers, was tried in the Soviet Union and sentenced to 10 years in prison. What happened to him?
April 30, 2026
Brightest Supernova in Recorded History Appears in Night Sky (1006)
Around 1,000 years ago, observers in China, Egypt, Iraq, Japan, and Switzerland recorded a new object in the sky. It was hard to miss. Scientists now believe SN 1006 was the brightest supernova in recorded human history. It was described by ancient astronomers as being low on the horizon but shining about half or a quarter as bright as the Moon. It could sometimes be seen during daylight hours and may have been bright enough to read by at night. How far was it from Earth?
