ED DANAHUE
On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress in Montgomery,
AL, refused to give up her seat to a white man. Mrs. Parks was
arrested marking a milestone in the civil rights movement in the
U.S.
The Cleveland Avenue bus Rosa Parks was riding when she was arrested. (Henry Ford Museum)
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005)
JOHN BELMONT
The first airplane flight over the South Pole was made by U.S. Navy Lt. Comdr. Richard E. Byrd on this day in 1929.
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr.
(October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957)
A 1930 documentary film about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd
and his 1st quest to the South Pole.
CAMILLE
BOHANNON
Zebulon Montgomery Pike
(January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813)
Approaching the Colorado foothills of the Rocky Mountains during his second exploratory expedition, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike spots a distant mountain peak
that looks “like a small blue cloud.” The mountain was later named Pike’s Peak
in his honor.
Pike’s explorations of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory of the U.S. began before the nation’s first western explorers, Lewis and Clark, had returned from
their own expedition up the Missouri River. Pike was more of a professional
military man than either Lewis or Clark, and he was a smart man who had
taught himself Spanish, French, mathematics, and elementary science. When
the governor of Louisiana Territory requested a military expedition to explore
the headwaters of the Mississippi, General James Wilkinson picked Pike to
lead it.
TIM MAGUIRE
Actor/producer Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is 45 yeas old today. As
of 2019, his films have earned $7.2 billion worldwide, and he has
placed eight times in annual rankings of the world’s highest-paid
actors. His accolades include an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio at the 88th Academy Awards (2016):
Best Actor, win, for The Revenant.
John "Pops" Witherspoon (John Weatherspoon)
January 27, 1942 – October 29, 2019)
Witherspoon performed in dozens of television shows and films. He is
best known for his role as Willie Jones in the Friday series. The actor
died suddenly at his home.
