John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison) (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)


On this day in 1995, the Oklahoma City bombing was a
domestic terrorist truck bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Buildingin downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the
bombing happened at 9:02 am and killed at least 168 people,
injured more than 680 others, and destroyed one – third of
the building.
One of the many injured in the bombing attack.
A firefighter holding a dying toddler in his arms.
Bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh (center) is escorted from
the courthouse in Perry, Oklahoma.
The Beatles arrived at JFK airport in New York City to begin their
first U.S. tour on this day in 1964. The arrival of the Fab Four from
England was dubbed…“Beatlemania”. A new era of Rock ‘n’ Roll
began.

Troyal Garth Brooks is 57 years old today.
Pop country singer and musician Garth Brooks was named the Best-Selling
Solo Artist of the Century in the United States by the RIAA in 2007. His first
album, an EP, hit #2 on the Country Billboard in 1989. Brooks released six
albums that went diamond by the time he returned from retirement in 2009.

On this day in 1958, Explorer 1 became the United States’ first
satellite in space. The launch of the satellite — twice the size
of a basketball — was an important moment for the country,
as the Space Race with the Soviet Union was just beginning.
The three men responsible for the success of Explorer 1, at left is Dr. William H. Pickering, former director of JPL, which built and operated
the satellite. Dr. James A. van Allen, center, of the State University of Iowa, designed and built the instrument on Explorer that discovered
the radiation belts which circle the Earth. At right is Dr. Wernher von Braun, leader of the Army’s Redstone Arsenal team which built the
first stage Redstone rocket that launched Explorer 1.

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

On this day in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws
that had been restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. The case (Roe vs. Wade) legalized abortion.


On this day in 1968, "Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In", debuted on NBC
television and aired until March 12, 1973. The program was ranked
number 42 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Gary Owens, was the famous voice of “Laugh-In”.