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.

A McDonnell Douglas DC-8 similar to the aircraft that crashed.

United Airlines Flight 173 was a flight from John F. Kennedy International
Airport in New York City, New York to Portland International Airport in
Portland, Oregon, with a scheduled stop in Denver, Colorado. While the
aircraft was approaching Portland it ran out of fuel and crashed in a
suburban Portland neighborhood near NE 158th Avenue and East
Burnside Street.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the following probable cause: “The failure of the captain (Malburn McBroom) to monitor
properly the aircraft’s fuel state and the crewmember’s advisories regarding
the fuel state. This resulted in fuel exhaustion to all engines. The pilots
inattention resulted from preoccupation with a landing gear malfunction 
and the preparations for a possible landing emergency”.   

The crash site as it looks today.

ED DONAHUE

The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time
at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts on this day in 1620.

The Lockerbie, Scotland terrorist attack bombing of Pan Am flight 
103 occurred on this day in 1988. A total of 259 people on board the plane were killed along with 16 on the ground when large sections
of the aircraft crashed onto residential areas of Lockerbie.

Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon on this day in 1968. The craft landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27.

Apollo 8 climbs after liftoff.

Jane Fonda 1955 senior yearbook photo.

Jayne Seymour Fonda is 80 years old today.

Longtime actress Jane Fonda became known for her Oscar-winning performance
in the 1971 film Klute and for vocalizing her opposition to the Vietnam war. She
dropped out of Vassar College to become a fashion model. Her father is legendary
actor Henry Fonda.