MIKE GRACIA
On this day in 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444
days arrived in the United States and were reunited with their
families.
On this day in 1959, American Airlines had the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.
American Airlines’ inaugural flight crew with Boeing 707 Flagship California.
TIM MAGUIRE
On this day in 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders. During his presidential campaign, he
had announced his intention to pardon those who had failed to
register for the draft or left the country to avoid service.
Vietnam Draft Dodgers in 1977.
On this day in 1976, the French Concorde SST aircraft began regular commercial service for Air France and British Airways.
The official handover ceremony to British Airways of its first
Concorde occurred on 15 January 1976 at Heathrow Airport.
Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944)
People magazine recently reported a retired trawlerman from
England is “utterly convinced” he pulled up the wreck of the
famed American bandleader’s aircraft in his fishing net 32 years
ago. And now, U.S.-based historical aircraft researchers from
TIGHAR say his account is “totally credible.”
According to TIGHAR, which stands for The International Group
for Historic Aircraft Recovery, the man was advised to drop his
unusual catch back into the English Channel, where it has
remained ever since. But he recorded the coordinates and the
magazine noted it is this key piece of evidence that may finally
lead to the site of Miller’s final resting place.
Miller, recognized as “the hottest recording artist of his era,”
dominated the swing music scene during his lifetime and was
famous for his self-penned signature tune, 1939’s “Moonlight
Serenade.”
A C-64 Norseman aircraft (above) is similar to the one Glenn Miller
was traveling to Paris in when it disappeared over the English
Channel on December 15, 1944.
ED DANAHUE
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019)
The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm on
this day in 1991. The operation was designed to drive Iraqi forces
out of Kuwait. Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf is shown above at ease
with his tank troops in Saudi Arabia in January 12, 1991 before the
U.S. executed the operation.
On the evening of January 16,1991, President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation to discuss the launch of Operation Desert
Storm.
Coalition troops from Egypt, Syria, Oman, France and Kuwait
during Operation Desert Storm.
The launch of Space Shuttle Columbia was planned to begin on
January 11, 2001, but the mission was delayed 18 times and
eventually launched on January 16, 2003 (above).
During the lift-off of Columbia’s 28th mission, a piece of foam
insulation broke off from the Space Shuttle’s external tank and
struck the left wing of the craft. An accident investigation board determined the damage to the wing allowed hot atmospheric
gases to inter the heat shield, destroying the internal wing
structure and caused the spacecraft to become unstable and
break apart upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere on February
1, killing all seven crew members.
The crew of Space Shuttle Columbia in October 2001. From left to
right: Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool, Ramon.
Remains of a helmet found in a field after the space shuttle Columbia disaster.
SANDY KOZEL
On this day in 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry (above)
released a report that said that smoking cigarettes was a definite
health hazard.
Amelia Earhart Putnam became the first woman to fly solo from
Wheeler Field in Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland Airport in Oakland,
California on this day in 1935.
Amelia in Oakland, triumphant after the Hawaii-to-California flight.
Amelia Mary Earhart, (born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937)
