(History) – On this day in 1973, “American Graffiti,” a nostalgic coming-of-
age tale set  in 1962 on the streets and steeped in the car-centric culture of suburban California, was released in theaters across the U.S. The movie 
went  on to become a sleeper hit.   

“American Graffiti” was the second full-length feature film directed by George Lucas (below) who would later become best known for the blockbuster hit
“Star Wars” (1977) and its sequels.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

On this day in 1984, President Ronald Reagan was preparing for his weekly radio broadcast when, during testing of the microphone, the President said of the Soviet Union, "My fellow Americans, I am
pleased to tell you that I just signed legislation that would outlaw
Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

In Bloomington, MN, the Mall of America opened on this day in 1992. It
was the largest shopping mall in the United States.