ROSS SIMPSON

It was on this day in 1967.

On this day in 1999, NATO suspended air strikes in Yugoslavia after Slobodan Milosevic agreed to withdraw his forces from Kosovo.

Alcoholic Anonymous was founded by William G. Wilson and Dr.
Robert Smith on this day in 1935.

Dr. Robert Smith (Left) and William G. Wilson.

Judy Garland from the Wizard of Oz, 1939.

Judy Garland (Frances Ethel Gumm) (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969)

Movie icon Judy Garland played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and became the youngest winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the
age of 39. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her roles in the films
A Star is Born (1954) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Judy Garland began
performing vaudeville at the age of two and a half. She received a Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1997. 

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004)

Among friends and fellow musicians singer Ray Charles preferred being
called "Brother Ray". He was often referred to as "The Genius". Charles
was blind from the age of seven. He pioneered the soul music genre
during the 1950s by combining blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel
styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic Records.

Ray Charles died at his home in Beverly Hills, California of complications
resulting from acute liver disease. He was 73. 

TIM MAGUIRE

An exchange between Sen. Joseph McCarthy (right) and Joseph
Welch (left) took place on this day in 1954. Sen. McCarthy was
confronted by Welch over his anti-communist stance. Welch
represented the Army during the Army-McCarthy hearings.   

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Charles John Huffam Dickens
(February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870) 

Charles Dickens was an English writer and social
critic. He created some of the world’s best-known
fictional characters and is regarded by many as
the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works
enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime,
and by the 20th century critics and scholars had
recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and
short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Dickens
suffered stroke at his home after a full day’s work
on his final novel Edwin Drood and never regained
consciousness. His ending for the unfinished book
remains unknown.

Comedian/actor Richard Pryor was severely burned by a "free-base" mixture that exploded in his home on this day in 1980. He was hospitalized more than two months.

On this day in 1973, Secretariat won the 105th Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths and ran the fastest 1 1/2 miles on dirt at 2:24.

Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss) (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009)

Les Paul  was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar. He
taught himself how to play guitar, and while he is mainly known for jazz
and popular music, he had an early career in country music. Paul is
credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first
to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known
as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention

Les Paul is the only person to be included in both the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

 

He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and together 
they sold millions of records.

TIM MAGUIRE

Islam’s prophet Muhammad died on this day in 632 AD.

On this day in 1968, James Earl Ray, an escaped U.S. convict, was
arrested in London, England, and charged with the assassination
of African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. on
April 4, 1968. in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day in 1967, Israeli airplanes attacked the USS Liberty in the Mediterranean during the 6-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. 34 U.S. Navy crewmen were killed. Israel later called the incident a tragic mistake in identifying the ship. The U.S. has never publicly investigated the incident.

Frank Lloyd Wright (Frank Lincoln Wright) 
(June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959)

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer
and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures, 532 of which
were completed. Wright believed in designing structures that were in
harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called
organic architecture. His creative period spanned more than 70 years
and was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as
"the greatest American architect of all time".

Fallingwater (Kaufmann Home) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The New York Yankees retired Mickey Mantle’s number (7) on this
day in 1969.

TIM MAGUIRE

John William King

Jasper County Assistant District Attorney Pat Hardy displays the
chain allegedly used to drag James Byrd.

The Communists completed their takeover of Czechoslovakia on
this day in 1948.

Czechoslovakian Communist Party leader Klement Gottwald,
addressing the crowds in Wenceslas Square, Prague, on 25
February 1948.

Israeli F-16 fighter-bombers destroyed Iraq’s only nuclear reactor on
this day in 1981.

On this  day in 1972, the musical “Grease” opened
on Broadway. It had been playing off-Broadway for
about 4 months.

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)

Prince released ten platinum-selling albums and won multiple Grammy
Awards for Purple Rain (1984), including Best Performance and Best
Soundtrack. He became known for releasing over thirty Top Forty single
hits.  He suffered from epilepsy as a child, and began writing music at
age seven. One of the first groups he worked with was 94 East.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

In Beijing on this day in 1989, Chinese troops stormed Tiananmen
Square to crush the pro-democracy movement. It is believed that hundreds, possibly thousands, of demonstrators were killed.

The Battle of Midway began on t his day in 1942. It was the first major victory for America over Japan during World War II. The battle ended
on June 6 and ended Japanese expansion in the Pacific.

An artist’s impression of the Battle of Midway.

On this day in 1896, Henry Ford made a successful test drive of his
new car in Detroit, MI. He called the vehicle a "Quadricycle."

On this day in 1783, a hot-air balloon was demonstrated by Joseph
and Jacques Montgolfier. It reached a height of 1,500 feet.

 
                                                                                    Jacques Montgolfier.

Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by rock singer-songwriter
Bruce Springsteen. It was released by Columbia Records on this day in
1984.The album’s music was written by Springsteen and recorded with
his E Street Band and producers Chuck Plotkin and Jon Landau at The
Power Station and The Hit Factory in New York City.

When Born in the U.S.A. was first released, it was met with positive
reviews and massive commercial success. It produced seven top-10
hit singles and was promoted with a worldwide concert tour by
Springsteen. Born in the U.S.A.became his most commercially
successful album and one of the highest-selling records ever,
having sold 30 million copies by 2012. It has also been cited by
critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album
received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 1985
Grammy Awards.

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen will be 69 September 23.