(History) – The last Packard–the classic American luxury car with the
famously enigmatic slogan “Ask the Man Who Owns One”–rolls off
the production line at Packard’s plant in Detroit, Michigan on this
day in 1956.
Mechanical engineer James Ward Packard and his brother, William
Dowd Packard, built their first automobile, a buggy-type vehicle with
a single cylinder engine, in Warren, Ohio in 1899 (below).
(AP) – On January 15, 1967, Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr
completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception as the Packers rolled over the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in
the first AFL-NFL World Championship game (which would later become
known as Super Bowl I). For his efforts, Starr was named the game’s
MVP and was awarded a shiny new 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
convertible (above). That Corvette is now going up for auction.
The car is documented with a tank sticker that says "Courtesy Delivery –
B. Starr." It presents with its original and patinated Goodwood Green
paint, which was chosen to match the Packers’ home jerseys and is
only slightly touched up. Just 48,000 miles show on the odometer
and the listing says they are believed to be original.
DAVID MELENDY
On this day in 1961, approximately 1,400 U.S.-supported Cuban
exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow
Fidel Castro. It was an unsuccessful attack.
On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 returned to Earth safely after an on-
board accident with an oxygen tank.
The crew members of Apollo 13—Fred Haise (left), Jim Lovell
(center), and Jack Swigert—step aboard the “USS Iwo Jima”
following splashdown and recovery operations in the south
Pacific Ocean.
Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790)
Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He
was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason,
postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and
diplomat.
Franklin suffered from obesity throughout his middle-aged and later years,
which resulted in multiple health problems, particularly gout, which became
worse as he aged. In poor health during the signing of the US Constitution
in 1787, he was rarely seen in public from then until his death. Franklin
died from pleuritic attack at his home in Philadelphia on April 17, 1790,
at age 84.
An Illustration of Benjamin Franklin on His Death Bed.
John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913)
J.P. Morgan was an American financier and banker who dominated
corporate finance and industrial consolidation in the United States
of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Ford Motor Company unveiled its new Mustang model on this
day in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair. Ford anticipated they
would sell around 100,000 units a year, and were somewhat
unprepared when they received 22,000 orders in the first day
alone!
ED DANAHUE
On this day in 1994, Civil war erupted in Rwanda between the
Patriotic Front rebel group and government soldiers. Hundreds
of thousands were slaughtered in the months that followed.
Aftermath of the Genocide.
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947)
The first long-distance TV transmission was sent from Washington,
DC, to New York City on this day in 1927. The audience saw an image
of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover (below).
On this day in 1949, the musical "South Pacific" by Rodgers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway.
Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan) (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959)
Holiday, was a jazz musician and singer-songwriter with a career
spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend
and music partner Lester Young, she had a huge influence on jazz
music and pop singing.
DAVID MELENDY
On this day in 1933, U.S. President Franklin D, Roosevelt gave
his inauguration speech in which he said "We have nothing to
fear, but fear itself."
The American Automobile Association ( the “AAA” or “Triple-A”)
was founded on this day in 1902, in Chicago, Illinois, when in
response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for vehicles,
nine motor clubs with a total of 1,500 members banded together
to form the organization.
