November 24

Events - Other

1963day.year

Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is killed by Jack Ruby on live television. Robert H. Jackson takes a photograph of the shooting that will win the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in Photography.

Lee Harvey Oswald, accused assassin of President Kennedy, is fatally shot by Jack Ruby on live television.
On November 24, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was transferred from the Dallas police headquarters to the county jail when nightclub owner Jack Ruby stepped forward and shot him at point-blank range. The killing occurred in full view of television cameras, shocking observers around the globe. Photographer Robert H. Jackson captured the decisive moment, winning the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for his image. Ruby’s motive was claimed to be avenging President Kennedy’s murder, but his actions fueled conspiracy theories. Oswald’s death meant that many questions about the assassination remained unanswered. The event has since become one of the most infamous moments in American media history.
1963 Lee Harvey Oswald John F. Kennedy Jack Ruby Robert H. Jackson 1964 Pulitzer Prize Photography
1971day.year

During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (aka D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.

A daring hijacker known as D.B. Cooper parachutes from a Northwest Orient jet with $200,000 and vanishes.
On November 24, 1971, an unidentified man using the alias Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 en route from Portland to Seattle. He extorted $200,000 in ransom and parachutes, then jumped into a raging thunderstorm over southwestern Washington. Despite an extensive FBI investigation and public fascination, Cooper’s identity, landing site, and fate remain unknown. The incident spurred major overhauls in aviation security, including tightened cockpit access and the introduction of preventive devices like the Cooper vane. To this day, the D.B. Cooper hijacking stands as the only unsolved skyjacking in U.S. aviation history.
1971 Washington hijacker D. B. Cooper Northwest Orient Airlines