Today in History: January 24, suicide bomber kills 37 at Moscow airport

"In 1978, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, Kosmos 954, plunged through Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated, scattering radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada. In 1984, Apple Computer began selling its first Macintosh model, which boasted a built-in 9-inch monochrome display, a clock rate of 8 megahertz and 128k of RAM. In 1989, confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair."

"Also on this date: In 1835, a major slave rebellion began in Bahia, Brazil, leading to the deaths of dozens of enslaved people in clashes with troops, police and armed civilians in the provincial capital of Salvador. The uprising was seen as influential in helping to bring about an end to slavery in the country decades later. In 1848, James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, a discovery that sparked the California gold rush."

"In 2003, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn as the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security. In 2013, President Barack Obama's Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the lifting of a ban on women serving in direct ground combat roles. In 2018, former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who had admitted to molesting some of the United States' top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison."

January 24 is linked to a range of historical events across centuries. A suicide bomber attacked Moscow's busiest airport on Jan. 24, 2011, killing 37 people; Chechen separatists claimed responsibility. In 1835 a major slave rebellion began in Bahia, Brazil, leading to dozens of deaths in Salvador and influencing the eventual end of slavery. In 1848 James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill, sparking the California Gold Rush. Notable later events include wartime executions in 1945, Winston Churchill's death in 1965, Kosmos 954's radioactive reentry in 1978, Apple's Macintosh release in 1984, Ted Bundy's 1989 execution, and high-profile legal and security developments from 2003 to 2018, including DHS formation and the sentencing of Larry Nassar.

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