Also Within this year in history

As the Vietnam War expanded into Cambodia, anti-war rallies flared at home; at Kent State University in Ohio, National Guardsmen killed four unarmed student protesters, shocking the nation. Americans held their breath as NASA scrambled to bring Apollo 13 astronauts home safely after their aborted moon mission. Some 20 million people celebrated the first Earth Day, rock icons Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix both died of drug overdoses at age 27, and the Beatles called it quits.

Mar

16

Arts & Entertainment

Motown soul singer Tammi Terrell dies

On March 16, 1970, Motown star Tammi Terrell died of complications from the malignant brain tumor that caused her 1967 collapse.

Portrait Of Tammi Terrell

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1966: Motown recording star Tammi Terrell poses for a portrait circa1966 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Apr

17

Space Exploration

Apollo 13 returns to Earth

With the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth on April 17, 1970.

Apollo 13 Mission

Flight controllers man the control room of the NASA Mission Control Center in Houston as the Apollo 13 reenters earth's atmosphere for splashdown and recovery. (Photo by F. Carter Smith/Sygma via Getty Images)

Sygma via Getty Images

May

04

Crime

National Guard kills four students in Kent State shootings

On May 4, 1970, in Kent, Ohio, 28 National Guardsmen fire their weapons at a group of anti-war demonstrators on the Kent State University campus, killing four students, wounding eight and permanently paralyzing another. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Vietnam, and further galvanized the anti-war movement.

National Guard Troops Force Students from Campus

Following the May 4, 1970 shooting of students at Kent State University students at UNM took over the student union building. After several days of the occupation the National Guard were called upon to clear the students from the building. (Photo by Steven Clevenger/Corbis via Getty Images)

Corbis via Getty Images

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.