BRIAN THOMAS

Buddy Holly (22), Ritchie Valens (17), the Big Bopper (28) and pilot
Roger Peterson died in a plane crash in Iowa on this day in 1959.

Crash site memorial north of Clear Lake, Iowa.

The first rocket-assisted controlled landing on the Moon was made
by the Soviet space vehicle Luna 9 (above) on this day in 1966.

Eileen Marie Collins is a retired NASA astronaut and a retired United States
Air Force colonel. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the
first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle on this day
in 1995 aboard STS-63. She was awarded several medals for her work. She
has logged 38 days 8 hours and 20 minutes in outer space. Collins retired
on May 1, 2006, to pursue private interests.

On this day in 2003, Phillip Harvey Spector became notorious for the murder of the actress Lana Clarkson (below). He was convicted of
murder in second degree.

Recently released prison mugshots of Phil Spector (AP).

Hundreds of people were feared drowned in the Red Sea on this day
in 2006 after an Egyptian ferry carrying 1,400 passengers and crew
sank in rough weather in one of the worst shipping disasters in the
world. Rescuers found at least 200 survivors in lifeboats and were
brought ashore.

Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978)

Norman Rockwell was a 20th-century American author, painter and illustrator
whose works have a broad popular appeal in the U.S. for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations that
depict everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over
nearly five decades.

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
(February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847)

Born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early romantic period. Mendelssohn wrote symphonies, concertos, oratorios, piano music and chamber music. His best-known works include his Overture and incidental music for A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, and the Italian Symphony.

CARLATA BRADLEY

NASA’s space shuttle Columbia exploded while re-entering the
Earth’s atmosphere on this day in 2003. All seven astronauts on
board were killed.

This picture was taken by Eddie Adams in Saigon on February 1,
1968, the second day of North Vietnam’s Tet offensive. It captures
the summary execution of ­Nguyễn Văn Lém by Brigadier General
Nguyễn Ngoc Loan, chief of the South Vietnam police.

Eddie Adams (June 12, 1933 – September 18, 2004)

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (center) was welcomed in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile on this day in 1979.

William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960)

Often referred to as "The King of Hollywood", Clark Gable began his
career as a stage actor and appeared as an extra in silent films between
1924 and 1926, and progressed to supporting roles with a few films for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1931. The following year, he landed his first
leading his first leading Hollywood role and over the next three decades
he became a leading man in more than 60 motion pictures.

1939
 

1961

MIKE GRACIA

Explorer I was put into orbit around the earth on this day in 1958. It
was the first U.S. earth satellite.

From left: William Picketing, James Van Allen, and German scientist Wernher von Braun hold a model of Explorer 1.

On this day in 2001, a Scottish court in the Netherlands convicted
one Libyan )above) and acquitted a second in the bombing of Pan
Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that occurred in 1988.

On this day in 1945, Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S.
soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion.

Norman Kingsley Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007)

Norman Mailer was a novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker,
actor, and political activist. His novel The Naked and the Dead, published
in 1948 brought him fame. His best-known work is widely considered to
be The Executioner’s Song (1979) winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction
and Armies of the Night won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction and the
National Book Award.

Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828)

Austrian composer was extremely prolific during his lifetime, which was only
31 years. His work consists of over 600 secular vocal works, seven complete
symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large amount of
chamber and piano music. Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers
of the late Classical and early Romantic eras and is one of the most frequently
performed composers of the early 19th century.

Franz Schubert at the piano by Rudolf Klingsbögl.

SANDY KOZEL

The U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff on this
day in 1986. All seven of its crewmembers were killed.

President Ronald Reagan. 

Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 – January 28, 1596) 

Sir Francis Drake was an English sea captain, slave trader, and
privateer of the Elizabethan era. Drake carried out the second
circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577
to 1580, and was the first to complete the voyage as captain
while leading the expedition throughout the entire trip. He died
of dysentery after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto
Rico.

José Julián Martí Pérez  (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895)

Marti was a Cuban National Hero and an important figure in Latin
American literature. He was a poet, essayist, journalist, philosopher,
translator, professor, publisher, Freemason, and political theorist.

The Jose Marti memorial in Revolution Square at Havana, Cuba.

Vince Lombardi was named head coach of the Green Bay Packers
on this day in 1959.

Lombardi led the Packers to three straight and five total NFL Championships
in seven years, in addition to winning the first two Super Bowls at the end of
the 1966 and 1967 NFL seasons. Following his sudden death from cancer in
1970, The NFL Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor.

Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970)

The original Vince Lombardi Trophy.

ED DONAHUE

From the White House, President George H.W. Bush announced the
start of Operation Desert Storm on this day in 1991. The operation
was designed to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Space Shuttle Columbia was launched on this day in 2003. It was
destroyed during re-entry on February 1 and all seven astronauts
on board were killed.

Prohibition went into effect in the United States on this day in 1920.

The Shah of Iran and his family fled Iran for Egypt on this day in 1979.

On this day in 1964, the musical "Hello Dolly!" opened at the St.
James Theatre in New York City.