ROSS SIMPSON

It was on this day in 1996.

Wreckage from the front portion of the TWA Flight 800 Boeing 747 on display in its reconstructed state in 1997.

The cockpit of TWA Flight 800 is lowered at the U.S. Coast Guard
station at Shinnecock Inlet in Hampton Bays, N.Y.

The Russian Imperial Romanov family (Tsar Nicholas II, his
wife Tsarina Alexandra and their five children Olga, Tatiana,
Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei) and all those who chose to
accompany them into imprisonment were shot, bayoneted
and clubbed to death in Yekaterinburg on this day in 1918
by several Bolshevik troops under the orders of the Ural
Regional Soviet and according to instructions by Lenin.

A drawing of the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

The room in the Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, where the Russian
royal family was brutally murdered.

Disneyland opened in Anaheim, CA. on this day in 1955.

Disneyland theme park is now divided into 8 extravagantly themed
lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Mickey’s
Toontown, Frontierland, Critter Country, New Orleans Square and
Adventureland.

Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966)

Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza resigned and fled to
Miami, Florida in exile on this day in 1979.

Somoza talks to the press after fleeing to safety in Miami.

An Apollo spaceship (left) docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit
on this day in 1975. It was the first link up between the U.S. and
Soviet Union.

It was on this day in 1961.

Coltrane’s first recordings were made when he was
a sailor.

John William Coltrane  (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967)

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer, also
known as "Trane". Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in
his career,Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes and was later at
the forefront of free jazz. He died of liver cancer at a Hospital in New
York on July 17, 1967, at the age of 40.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

Full diplomatic relations were established between the United States
and Vietnam on this day in 1995. President Clinton (above) made the
announcement of the normalization.

The United States’ first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, was killed by Vice President Aaron Burr in a duel on this day in 1804.

On this day in 1979, the abandoned United States space station
Skylab returned to Earth. It burned up in the atmosphere and
showered debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

Babe Ruth debuted in the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox on
this day in 1914.

Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989)

Laurence Olivier was among actors who dominated the British stage of the
mid-20th century. For his work in films, Olivier received four Academy
Awards: an honorary award for Henry V (1947), a Best Actor award and
one as producer for Hamlet (1948), and a second honorary award in 1979
to recognize his lifetime of contribution to the art of film. He was nominated
for nine other acting Oscars and one each for production and direction. Late
in his career, he had considerable success in television roles.

1940

1948

ROSS SIMPSON

From left: John Lennon and Paul McCartney were introduced to each other on this day in 1957.

The first All-Star baseball game was held in Chicago on this day in
1933. The American League beat the National League 4-2.

The Biafran War erupted on this day in 1967. The war lasted two-
and-a-half years. About 600,000 people died.

Late Odumegwu Ojukwu (left) leader of the breakaway Republic
of Biafra from 1967 to 1970.

One of the casualties of the war.

Mexican  painter Frida Kahlo de Rivera (Magdalena Carmen Frida
Kahlo y Calderón)  (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954)

Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon women’s singles tennis title on
this day in 1957. She was the first black athlete to win the event.

Roy Rogers (Leonard Franklin Slye)
(November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998)

Roy Rogers was one of the most popular Western stars of his
era. Known as the "King of the Cowboys", he appeared in over
100 films and numerous radio and television episodes of The
Roy Rogers Show.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Rogers died of congestive heart failure on July 6, 1998. He had
been residing in Apple Valley, CA. Roy was buried at Sunset Hills 
Memorial Park in Apple Valley, as was his wife Dale Evans three 
years later.

SANDY KOZEL

Pictured from left: Elvis Presley, bass player Bill Black, guitarist
Scotty Moore and Sun Records and Memphis Recording studio
head Sam Phillips take a break from a recording session in
Memphis.

Elvis Presley’s first commercial recording session took place in
Memphis, TN. on this day in 1954. He recorded "That’s All Right
(Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

The bikini bathing suit, created by Louis Reard, made its debut
during a fashion show at the Molitor Pool in Paris on this day in
1946. Micheline Bernardini wore the two-piece outfit.

Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles
title when he defeated Jimmy Connors on this day in 1975.

Jimmy Connors (left) congratulates Arthur Ash.

On this day in 1947, Larry Doby signed a contract with the
Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in the
American League.

Lawrence Eugene Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003)

Ted Williams in 1939.

Theodore Williams (Theodore Samuel Williams)
(August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002)

Ted Williams played his entire 19-year Major League
Baseball career as a left fielder for the Boston Red S
ox from 1939 to 1960, only interrupted by service time
during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed
"The Kid", Williams is regarded as one of the greatest
players in baseball history, despite being a below
average defensive left fielder. Williams was a nineteen-
time All-Star, a two-time recipient of the American
League Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL
batting champion, and a two-time Triple Crown
winner.

Ted Williams finished his playing career with a .344
batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base
percentage, the highest of all time. His career batting
average is the highest of any MLB player whose career
was played primarily in the live-ball era, and ranks tied
for 7th all-time (with Billy Hamilton). Williams retired
from playing in 1960 and was inducted into the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1966. He died of cardiac arrest at the age
of 83 on July 5, 2002.

SANDY KOZEL

The amended Declaration of Independence, prepared by Thomas Jefferson, was approved and signed by John Hancock, the
President of the Continental Congress in America on this day
in 1776.

The U.S. Military Academy officially opened at West Point, NY. on
this day in 1802.

Lou Gehrig retired from major league baseball on this day in 1939.

Lou Gehrig’s gives his infamous retirement speech for the New York Yankees. It was one of the most memorable sports speeches of all
time.