MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 2001, the U.S. and Great Britain began airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to that state’s support of terrorism and
Osama bin Laden. The act was the first military action taken in
response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11,
2001.

A cross marked the fence where 21-year-old Matthew Shepard
was robbed, beaten and left to die on this day in 1998. He was
lured by two men pretending to also be gay. Shepard was taken
to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days
later from severe head injuries. The fence has since been torn
down.

Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard
(December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998)

Shepard’s death inspired the play The Laramie Project, later
turned into a television movie, countless songs, a foundation
devoted to his memory along with a political lobbying effort
that pressed for, and eventually obtained, a new federal hate
crimes statute named after him. 

From left: Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney
were charged with the murder of Matthew Shepard
and are both serving long prison terms.

John J Mellencamp (previously known as John Cougar Mellencamp)
is 67 years old today.

Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is best known for his #1 hit song, "Jack
& Diane." He has been nominated for more than ten Grammy Awards and
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I into orbit around the Earth on
this day in 1957. Sputnik was the first manmade satellite to enter
space. It fell out of orbit on January 4, 1958.

The rocket that carried Sputnik 1, is shown on the launch pad.

The ‘Great Stone Face’ in 1925.

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966)

Buster Keaton was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark
was physical comedy with a consistent deadpan expression, earning him
the nickname "The Great Stone Face".  Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton’s "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, [when] he worked on a series of
films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor–director in the history of
the movies". His career declined with a loss of his artistic independence
when hired by MGM studios, a divorce and alcoholism. He recovered in 
the 1940s, remarried, and revived his career to a degree as an honored
comic performer for the rest of his life, earning an Academy Honorary 
Award.

1924

1926

1928

CAMILLE BOHANNON

On this day in 1919,  President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive
stroke that left him partially paralyzed.  
            

Final report on President Wilson’s condition written by Dr. Dercum.

It was on this day in 1985.

"Peanuts," the comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz, appeared 
for the first time in seven newspapers on this day in 1950.

Charles Monroe Schulz  (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000)

Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) is 67 years old today.

Multi-instrumentalist and singer for The Police, Sting is known for such
hits as "Don’t Stand So Close to Me" and "Message in a Bottle." He also
became a successful solo artist, releasing his first album The Dream of
the Blue Turtles in 1985, followed by ten more albums within the next
two decades. 

Sting (left) with other members of The Police.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

The space shuttle Discovery took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida 
on this day in 1988. It was the first manned space flight since the Challenger disaster.

Jerry Lee Lewis is 83 years old today.

Rock ‘n’ roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis is known for the hit "Great Balls of Fire"
and his marriage to his thirteen year old first cousin once removed, Myra Gale Brown. He became the last living member of the Sun Records Million Dollar
Quartet (below) and hence was nicknamed The Killer.

On September 29, 1954, Willie Mays, centerfielder for the New York Giants, makes an amazing over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball hit
by Cleveland Indians first baseman Vic Wertz to rob Wertz of extra
bases in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

TIM MAGUIRE

The first televised debate between presidential candidates Richard
M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy took place in Chicago, IL. on this
day in 1960.

The musical "West Side Story" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre
on this day in 1957.

The Broadway production ran for 732 performances before going on tour. It
was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1957, but the
Best Musical award went to Meredith Willson‘s The Music Man.