Pvt. Eddie Slovik became the first American soldier since
the Civil War to be court-martialed and executed by firing
squad for desertion—and the only one who suffered such
a fate during World War II.

Pvt. Eddie Slovik was a draftee. Originally classified 4-F
because of a prison record (grand theft auto), he was
reclassified 1-A when draft standards were lowered to
meet growing personnel needs.

In January 1944, he was trained to be a rifleman, which
was not to his liking, as he hated guns.

In August of the same year, Slovik was shipped to France
to fight with the 28th Infantry Division.

Eddie and Antoinette Slovik.

1974

Apollo 14, piloted by astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D.
Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa,was successfully launched from
Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a manned mission to the moon.

Shepard and Mitchell remained on the lunar surface for nearly
34 hours, conducting simple scientific experiments, such as
hitting golf balls into space with Shepard’s golf club, and
collecting 96 pounds of lunar samples. On February 9, Apollo
14 safely returned to Earth.

The crew of Apollo 14 in their spacesuits: Edgar D. Mitchel,
Alan B. Shepard and Stuart A. Roosa.

Brace Beemer, center, with The Lone Ranger cast in the
WXYZ studios.

With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout
of “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” "The Lone Ranger" debuts on Detroit’s
WXYZ radio station on January 31, 1933.

The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran
Striker, the “masked rider of the plains” became one of the most
popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century.

Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and Native American scout,
Tonto, the Lone Ranger battled western outlaws and rebel
Native Americans.

Fred Foy’s ‘Lone Ranger’ lead-in became the best-known introduction in radio history. He died of natural causes
in 2010 at age 89.

Stanley Kubrick’s black comic masterpiece, Dr. Strangelove or:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb opened in
theaters to both critical and popular acclaim.

Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers

A scene from “Dr. Strangelove,” in which the bomber pilot (played by actor Slim Pickens) rides a nuclear bomb to its
target in the Soviet Union.

George C. Scott

SANDY KOZEL

Before and after shuttle explosion (first visible signs of
danger on left, just after explosion on right).

At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle
Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and
Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first
ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space.

McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher
from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her
a place among the seven-member crew of the Challenger.

She underwent months of shuttle training but then, beginning
January 23, was forced to wait six long days as the Challenger‘s
launch countdown was repeatedly delayed because of weather
and technical problems. Finally, on January 28, the shuttle lifted
off.

Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground,
including Christa’s family, stared in disbelief as the
shuttle broke up in a forking plume of smoke and fire.

The Final Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

President Ronald Reagan addressing the nation from the
White House on the day of the space shuttle Challenger explosion.