A famous one happened in 1054 C.E. and resulted in the formation of the Crab nebula.  
The abundance of elements heavier than iron is largely due to nucleosynthesis during these events. These events are classified based on their emission spectra and light curves. The Type I kind occurs when a white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit, while Type II kinds of these occur when a massive star starts to collapse.  A famous one happened in 1054 C.E. and resulted in the formation of the Crab nebula.  Neutron stars and black holes often result from these events. For 10 points, name these massive stellar explosions.
The abundance of elements heavier than iron is largely due to nucleosynthesis during these events.
{supernova}e