The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, bringing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict. Photographs taken by a high-altitude U-2 spy plane (above) offered incontrovertible evidence that Soviet-made medium-range missiles in Cuba—capable of carrying nuclear warheads—were now stationed 90 miles off the American coastline.
Over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California on this day in 1947, pilot Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 rocket plane and became the first person to break the sound barrier.
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager turned 94 on February 13.
The Battle of Hastings occurred in England on this day in 1066. The Norman forces of William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II of England.
On this day in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent resistance to racial prejudice in America. He was the youngest person to receive the award.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning in Milwaukee, WI. on this day in 1912. His wound in the chest was not serious and he continued with his planned speech. William Schrenk was captured at the scene of the shooting.
Bloodstained shirt worn by Roosevelt, photographed following the assassination attempt.
William Schrenk
Singer Bing Crosby died of a heart attack at the age of 74 on this day in1977.
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr.(May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977)
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted Watling Island in the Bahamas on this day in 1492. He believed that he had found Asia while attempting to find a Western ocean route to India. The same day he claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain.
On this day in 2000
Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev reportedly pounded a shoe on his desk in protest against a speech critical of Soviet policy at a U.N. General Assembly on this day in 1960.
On this day in 2002, three bombings shatter the peace in the town of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The blasts, the work of militant Islamist terrorists, left 202 people dead and more than 200 others injured, many with severe burns.
Luciano Pavarotti (October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007)
Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti was best known for his performances with Spanish singers Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. Together, they were given the name The Three Tenors. He debuted as an opera singer in La bohème as Rodolfo in 1961. Pavarotti was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. He fought a long, tough battle against pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life at age 71.
The Three Tenors.
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Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997)
On this day in 1997.
A photo of a Long EZ plane, similar to the one that crashed in California’s Monterey Bay, killing singer John Denver.
On this day in 20001, the U.S. and Great Britain began airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to that state’s support of terrorism and Osama bin Laden. The act was the first military action taken in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
On this day in 1985.
On this day in 1991.
Clarence Thomas turned 69 on June 23.
It was on this day in 1998.
The musical "Cats" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on this day in 1982. In 1997 the show became the longest running show in Broadway history.
John J Mellencamp (John Cougar Mellencamp) is 66 today.
Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is best known for his #1 hit song, "Jack & Diane." He has been nominated for more than ten Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.