What happened on this day in history: Tutankhamun's tomb is opened, Fidel Castro becomes the prime minister of Cuba, and more historic events from this day.1834: Ernst Haeckel Is Born Ernst Haeckel is born in Potsdam, Germany. A German zoologist, Haeckel is credited with discovering and naming thousands of new species. His colorful illustrations of various species made him a popular naturalist in his day, though he has since been criticized for his racist views on white superiority.

What happened on this day in history: The D-Day landings commence in northern France, Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated, and more.1683: The World’s First University Museum Opens The Ashmolean opens in Oxford, England. The world’s first university museum, it featured the collection of English archaeologist Elias Ashmole, who donated his items to the school in 1677. Today, the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology displays both ancient and contemporary objects.

Although the Peshtigo Fire was the deadliest in American history, there's one astounding reason why few remember it today.Wikimedia CommonsMemorial marking the cemetery of Peshtigo Fire victims, including 350 unidentified bodies. Peshtigo, Wis. “The only light available in the dark of the night was that given off by the fire itself,” reads The Deadly Night Of October 8, 1871, “creating an eerie glow that seemed to taunt the dying and surviving alike like the open mouth of hell.

While you may know her horror classic, Frankenstein, these 17 fascinating Mary Shelley facts will leave you astounded.Required reading likely introduced you to Mary Shelley as a teen, but there’s so much more to the Frankenstein author than you ever learned in English class. Get enlightened with these 17 fascinating Mary Shelley facts: Mary Shelley came from a family of intellectuals: Her parents were Mary Wollstonecraft, one of history's first feminist writers, and William Godwin, a philosopher.

These haunting photos of the RMS Titanic's sinking were taken immediately before and after the historic disaster on April 15, 1912.On the night of April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic’s lookout Frederick Fleet famously yelled, “Iceberg, right ahead!” Despite this warning, the ship wasn’t able to get out of the way in time and crashed right into the iceberg, leading to the Titanic sinking less than three hours later. Experts later said that the weather, ice conditions, and time of year increased the iceberg hazard in the North Atlantic on that tragic night.