this is "nightline." >> tonight, easter massacre. >> a brilliant mind who was going to be a neuroscientist won't make it to his 12th birthday. >> one grieving father speaking out. his son one of the nearly 300 dead after a string of coordinated bombings rocking sri lan lanka, churches, and luxury hotels targeted. the investigation under way after warnings of possible attacks were raised and ignored. plus december of '69. the year of turbu and inspiration. from the music at woodstock to the manson murders to the moon landing. >> america accomplished the impossible. >> packed into one fateful

season in a new docuseries. the groundbreaking events that changed american history forever. and big impact. the 11-year-old receiving global recognition for the change she is making on this earth day. but first, here are the "nightline" 5. and number 1 is c while shopping at sears, you need to place yourself in the moment. you need confidence in the appliances you select to build the home and life you love. our products and services bring moments like this to every family. shop top-brand appliances

including kenmore at sears.

good evening. as we come on the air tonight, a massive investigation into the coordinated and deadly terror attacks on easter sunday. explosions inside houses of worship and luxury hotels, nearly 300 dead. and among the victims an 11-year-old american boy whose father is speaking out tonight. abc's james longman is on the ground inrianka ton on the warnings received and ignored. >> every parent thinks that their son is the best. >> reporter: curious and confident. 11-year-old kieran was such a good student he was about to skip sixth grade. >> kieran was articulate, insightful. he wanted to work on diseases like alzheimer's disease. >> reporter: but now he'll never walk through the doors of his washington, d.c. school again. >> the terrorists didn't know who they were killing. we should know what the world lost, what they took from the world. a brilliant mind who was going

tour be oscientist and now he won't make it to his 12th -- his 12th birthday. >> reporter: kieran shafritz de zoysa was one of nearly 300 killed and at least 500 wounded in coordinated bombings in sri lanka on easter sunday. the island nation coming to terms it one of the worst acts of terror since 9/11. and today more chaos as police continued to find and defuse more bombs. >> a huge explosion just went off just around that corner there. a huge scream went up from the crowd over there. you can see them running toward our position here where we are now. it was a police detonation but that was absolutely terrifying. >> reporter: everyone on edge as we learn officials were warned at least three times of possible terror attacks. many asking why authorities failed to prevent the mass

carnage and what they could have done. it started on the morning of easter sunday. one of the holiest days in christianity. colombo, sri lanka's capital, the first to be hit. we are right outside st. anthony's church where one of the suicide attackers struck. time here forced still at 8:45 a.m. when the first suicide bomber unleashed destruction through the wooden pews as worshippers gathered in prayer. >> the bomb went off and you ran inside the church. >> yeah. >> reporter: this neighbor rushed into the church as soon as he heard the explosion. he told me it was covered in blood and filled with the dead and injured who he brought to the hospital. at the same time about an hour north of the capital a second suicide blast, where the faithful once knelt only glass and debris. a celebration of new life now ravaged by death. minutes later a third explosion shattering a holiday brunch at the shangri-la, a favorite among

foreign tourists. >> even from the 25th floor the impact was very loud and my wife and i just wrapped up our things and decided to evacuate. >> reporter: then around 9:00 a.m. almost simultaneous blasts at three other locations. a church on the country's eastern coast and two hotels in the capital. alex arrow had been trying to reach his only child kieran at one of them, the cinnamon grand hotel. >> couldn't pick up the phone, and he texted me back "can't talk right now." because he was in the elevator going to breakfast. >> reporter: kieran was in sri lanka visiting his mother on that fateful morning. >> he got a shrapnel wound that pierced his heart. it could have been a foot or two in either direction and it would have been totally different. he bled out in the restaurant. there's not a damn thing i can do for him in sri lanka. >> reporter: and even then the terror wasn't over. hours later two more explosions,

one at a hotel just south of colombo and a final one in the suburbs of the capital when a suspect being questioned by police detonated a suicide bomb. eight explosions in total. an overwhelming number of deaths. within hours sri lankan security services apprehended at least 24 suspects and a nuclemurky pictu began to emerge of who authorities say are behind these attacks. sri lankan tv showing security footage being investigated by police that purports to show one of the suicide bombers at st. bastion church in agumbo. local officials say he may have been part of a little known group the nationalal you th aala jaman. >> they are exclusive to sri lanka. they are considered a domestic terrorism group. >> it's the first time authorities say this organization has pulled off such a large-scale attack, leading officials to believe they may have had some help. >> the multi locations, the fact

they used explosive devices that all went off, it's very possible that this terror group is connected to a larger terror group that has that sophistication. >> we don't see that only a small organization in this country can do all that. that is all we have now investigating about the international support for them. >> reporter: but many pointing out that there were ample signs leading up to the easter massacre. >> there was a warning that was issued by a police chief about ten days before the attack. and it's a question of whether that warning was taken seriously by all of the law enforcement agencies and the government throughout sri lanka. >> reporter: this advisory was sent by a sri lankan police official on april 11th, specifically warning of suicide attacks targeting churches by national thawahid jaman. according to the "new york times," a senior adviser to the country's president has denied any security lapses. everyone has done their jobs.

these kinds of alerts are coming from time to time." some now pointing their fingers at the president and the country's prime minister saying political rivalry between them led to a breakdown in communications. sri lanka is no stranger to warring factions and political turmoil. the majority of sri lanka's population are sinhalese andsins buddhist with less than 10% christian. for decades the sri lankan army fought a brutal war against the tamil tigers a militant organization credited for some of the earliest uses of suicide vests in the 1980s. >> the tamil tyiigers used it aa weapon of choice. they killed hundreds, tens of thousands of their adversariead civilians and military. >> reporter: their civil war ended ten years ago when the army defeated the tamil tigers. >> even though the war is over there is this type of violence and inciting of violent rhetoric that has occurred within sri

lanka. so it hasn't ended. the civil war is over, but the activity has not stopped. >> reporter: but an attack of this scale is unprecedented. the number of victims and wounded horrifyingly high. among them at least four americans. like dieter kowalski from denver. he worked for the education company pearson and had just arrived at his haute untotel wh bomb debt nailted. and kieran shafritz de zoysa, that young boy who aspired to be a neuroscientist. >> when this news passes, there won't be attention on this particular incident anymore and it will be on to the next thing. but kieran was -- the world has lost a great mind, and that's why we're doing this interview. >> and we thank james longman for that report. and coming up next here on "nightline," the stories that defined 1969, a year of triumph and turmoil. oh! oh! oh! ♪ ozempic®! ♪

(announcer) people with type 2 diabetes are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than seven and maintained it. oh! under seven? and you may lose weight. in the same one-year study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. oh! up to 12 pounds? a two-year study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. oh! no increased risk? ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may happen,

including pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase the risk for low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. i discovered the potential with ozempic®. ♪ oh! oh! oh! ozempic®! ♪ ask your healthcare provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. has me feeling super healthy. my new beneful superfood blend with salmon, cranberries... ...oh, but we are not done yet! here comes superfood wet with beef, salmon, and pumpkin. it's like a superfood sundae. on a monday. (avo) new beneful superfood blend dry and wet recipes. ♪

our three contestants are all at the big ikea table. contestant #1, impressive knife skills. but contestant #2 fights back by using fresh parsley. make room for the judge! live together. lounge differently. ikea. this spring, it's out with the old and in with the awesome.

as in, in with the fastest, most reliable internet from xfinity xfi. so you can be in with brilliantly connected devices in every room. and in with finding all your favorites on live tv and streaming apps with just your voice. this spring it's out with the old, and in with simple, easy, awesome. during the xfinity spring sale, get started with internet and tv for $35.00 each a month for a 1 year when you bundle both with 20 hours of cloud dvr service included. click, call, or visit a store today.

it was 50 years ago when man first walked on the moon. but what about the women who made that mission possible? their achievements now on full display in "1969," a new abc docuseries that weaves together some of the most compelling stories from a defining era. here's a preview of the first episode, called "moonshot." >> five, four, three -- >> it wasn't science fiction. >> all engine running. >> america accomplished the impossible.

>> apollo 11 was about arriving at a strange place out in space. >> it was kind of a strange time. >> the nasa program seemed to be pulling the country together. >> they had volunteered for what could be a death mission. all the astronauts knew it. >> delta landing. >> delta landing. >> it was incredibly scary, incredibly dangerous. >> i heard neil as he stepped on the surface. he said "that was one small step for man." >> one giant leap for mankind. >> i richard milhous nixon do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> the inauguration of richard nixon in 1969 solidified the fact that there was a deep sea

change in american politics. we had been living through a lot of acrimony the pvi bobby kennedy killed and martin luther king. mayhem in chicago. and we're hungering for an american moon shot that pulls us all together. >> as we explore the reaches of space, let us order the new worlds together. >> neil, buzz and i were informed we would be attempting the first lunar landing. >> a great honor to be selected for any mission in the apollo program. this one of course in particular. >> the hype was mostly around the astronauts at the time. they were everywhere. >> we thought of astronauts as typically male, typically white men. so you'll notice that there are just simply not a lot of women in the room. >> this is james adams, brought handi wipes for dusting. >> women were expected to stay home, take care of the kids, clean the house.

i'm not saying i did that. my name is margaret hamilton. and in 1969 i was building on-board flight software for apollo missions. >> margaret hamilton literally wrote the code that made the lunar landing possible. and we didn't really know about these women at the time. >> at first i was the only woman that was hired to do flight software. this guy that i worked with when i first got there said how can you leave your daughter at home? and i just said to him you do what's right for you and i'll do what's right for me. the software had to be perfect. a person's life was at stake, meaning the astronauts. >> it is july 16th, 1969. >> the drama of watching the apollo 11 in the summer of '69 is can they do it? >> ignition sequence ar fo, two, one, zero.

all engine running. ♪ two, one ♪ lift-off >> lift-off. we have a lift-off. 32 minutes past the hour. lift-off on apollo 11. >> do solemnly swear. ♪ this is ground control to major tom ♪ >> you watch this huge vehicle just lift off effortlessly from the launchpad. >> the vibration that you felt from three miles away, it was -- it's tremendous. >> there's all kinds of little sideway jigs and jags. back and forth spastic little motions. >> it's an 8 1/2-day event. >> people wanted to know every

aspect of the mission. zwlt astronauts sent back a 35-minute color television show of the sights from 150 miles away. >> the astronauts were the ones on the news. and they were all white. you know, if they went up, then they became heroes. >> but nobody seemed to know that this was not just white folks doing the work either. my name is christine darden. and in 1969 i was in the computer section in the re-entry physics branch of the high-speed aerodynamics division. that was what they called the computer. >> the work was to take a monroe or frieden calculator and do the big equations, which could be a page long. i'm joylette hylick. i'm the daughter of katherine johnson. she's the real deal. >> my name is katherine johnson. >> mama got there in '53. the engineers came and asked for specific skills.

the supervisor said oh, well, that's katherine. >> katherine was a leader in her area. she paved the way. she made enormous contributions, did calculations on the trajectory for the apollo program. >> what happened if somebody questioned your work? >> tough. >> nobody seemed to know there were women at nasa. >> the difficulties that they went through, socially and the fact that nasa had them operating i think was a breakthrough back in those days. >> everybody was looking at the television. mama said ooh, i hope he does what we told him to do. because if they did what they told him to do it would be successful. >> tension started filling up the room. >> 2 1/2. picking up some dust. >> picking up some dust. we're there. we've got an engine blowing dust off the moon.

>> houston, tranquility base here. the eagle has landed. >> my gosh, this is really happening. 500 million people watching apollo 11. >> i'm going to step off the lam now. it's one small step for man. one giant leap for mankind. >> it was the first time man walked on the moon and the first time software ran on the moon. >> here you go. >> beautiful view. >> and you can catch the new six-part docerie premiering tomorrow night at 10:00, 9:00 central right here

on abc. coming up next here, the little girl with the very big message on this earth day. it's the idea that if our mothers were diagnosed with cancer, how would we want them to be treated? that's exactly how we care for you. with answers and actions. to hear your concerns, quiet your fears, lift your spirits. that's the mother standard of care. this is how we inspire hope. this is how we heal. cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. but one blows them all out of the water. hydro boost from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. neutrogena® so it bounces back. red lobster's new weekday five days.s here: five deals. for fifteen dollars get a different deal every weekday til six pm like endless shrimp monday admiral's feast tuesday four course feast wednesday and more. five days. five deals.

fifteen dollars. see you before six. and i don't add up the years.. but what i do count on... is boost®. delicious boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, with 26 essential look for savings on boost® in your sunday paper. ( ♪ ) only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol®.

tastier...the best. so what do you got? are you kidding me? i was literally born for this. ♪ thank you. ♪ make it super crispy. so? you had me at fried chicken pacifier. try my new spicy chicken strips combo today. with 100% all-white meat chicken.

finally here tonight, the

young environmentalist and her message inspiring the world. here's abc's robin roberts. >> my name is maya. i'm 11 years old. you can call me little miss -- grader from flint, michigan has a real thirst for environmental change. >> the water's bad. can someone please fix it but they never did fix it. >> reporter: taking matters into her own hands, little miss flint made her mess her message. put on weekly water distribution events for thousands of flint residents with limited access to clean water after flint's water source was switched to the flint river in 2014, nearly 100 people were critically ill, 12 losing their life after drinking the lead-contaminated water. with nearly 100,000 followers, mari receiving global attention, reminding the world that they too can make a difference. as we celebrate earth day today, mari reminds us that a clean earth is worth fighting for.

>> big thanks to robin for that report. and that does it for "nightline." full episodes are streaming on hulu. thank you for watching and good night. (dad) this i(mom)eam cake needs a freezefreezer's full. (vo) only frigidaire's custom flex temp drawer can switch from

fridge to freezer. (son) nice save! (vo) that's using your frigidaire. a van that changed us and chips forever so thanks, keeper of the keys for a chance to chase sweet honey barrel-aged bourbon and mouth-puckering pepperoncini because of that van and because of everybody who loves to crunch like we do we ramble on. knowing that caring for your tastebuds and the planet they hail from is no small potatoes kettle brand chips. no small flavors. no small potatoes. no small flavors. how about letting your hair down a little? how about a car for people who don't play golf? hey mercedes! mix it up a little. how about something for a guy who doesn't want a corner office? hey mercedes, i don't even own a tie. do you think i need a mahogany dashboard? hey mercedes, can you make it a little cooler in here? [ a-class ] i am setting the temperature [ a-class ] to 68 degrees. we hear you. we made a car that does, too. the all-new a-class.