Michael Jackson Dies: King of Pop Gone at 50
He rehearsed "This Is It" for fifty concerts at the O2 Arena for six weeks before he died. Conrad Murray injected propofol into Michael Jackson's bloodstream as a sleep aid on the night of June 24, 2009. It wasn't a medical procedure; it was a nightly ritual. Jackson never woke up. He was fifty years old. "Thriller" still holds the record as the best-selling album in history, somewhere between 66 and 100 million copies depending on who's counting. He'd spent half his life being famous, half being famous and accused. The trial ended in acquittal. The music stays.
June 25, 2009
17 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on June 25
The Burgundians thought they had allies. They didn't. At Vézeronce in 524, the Frankish forces under Chlodomer's brothers crushed the Burgundian army — but Chlo…
The Burgundians crushed the Frankish army at the Battle of Vézeronce, securing a temporary reprieve for their kingdom against Merovingian expansion. This victor…
Three brothers tore the Carolingian Empire apart in a single afternoon. At Fontenay-en-Puisaye, Charles the Bald and Louis the German crushed Lothair I's forces…
The Battle of Fontenay erupted as Frankish forces clashed with their rivals, the Bretons, in a fierce struggle for dominance. This confrontation solidified the …
Venetian galleys destroyed a larger Genoese fleet at the Battle of Acre during the War of Saint Sabas, a conflict between Italian merchant republics over commer…
Authorities in Schaffhausen tortured and executed thirty Jewish residents after accusing them of the blood libel, the false charge that Jews murdered Christian …
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.