MIKE GRACIA

On  this day in 1962, United States President Kennedy went on radio
and television to inform the United States about his order to send U.S.forces to blockade Cuba. The blockade was in response to the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island.

On this day in 1979, the ousted Shah of Iran, Mohammad Riza
Pahlavi was allowed into the U.S. for, what was called, life-
saving medical treatment, a decision made by then President
Jimmy Carter. This was one of the most controversial decisions
of post-World War Two foreign policy.

President Carter (left) raising a toast to the ousted Shah of Iran.

Admitting the deposed Shah of Iran to the U.S.triggered the Iranian hostage crisis, effecting American-Iranian relations.

A man holds a sign during a protest of the crisis in Washington, D.C..

CAMILLE BOHANNON

On this day in 1984, President Ronald Reagan was preparing for his weekly radio broadcast when, during testing of the microphone, the President said of the Soviet Union, "My fellow Americans, I am
pleased to tell you that I just signed legislation that would outlaw
Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

In Bloomington, MN, the Mall of America opened on this day in 1992. It
was the largest shopping mall in the United States.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

Christopher Columbus left Palos, Spain with three ships on this day
in 1492. The voyage led him to what is now known as the Americas.

On this day in 1914, Germany declared war on France. The next day World War I began when Britain declared war on Germany.

Alger Hiss (above) was a government official who was accused
of being a Soviet spy on this day in 1948. His case became one 
of the defining – and still highly controversial – episodes of the
Cold War.

Whittaker Chambers is seated on the left in the above photo.

On this day in 1981, U.S. traffic controllers with the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), went on strike. They were
fired just as President Ronald Reagan had warned.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded on this day
in 1949.

Singer Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto) is 92 today.

Tony Bennett is known for his renditions of show tunes, jazz, and popular
songs like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Rags to Riches."

He dropped out of school to work as a copy boy in order to help support
his family. He was a painting and music student at New York’s School of
Industrial Art.

CARLATA BRADLEY

The Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade on this day in 1948.

William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey
(June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983)

Professional boxer and cultural icon of the 1920s, Jack
Dempsey competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as
the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926.

Nicknamed "Kid Blackie" and "The Manassa Mauler".

It was on this day in 1987.

John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987)

In 1986, doctors determined that Jackie Gleason was suffering from terminal
colon cancer, which had metastasized to his liver. Gleason was also suffering
from diabetes. He kept his medical problems private, although it had been
rumored that he was seriously ill.  A year later, on June 24, 1987, Gleason
died at his Florida home at age 71.

Jackie Gleason with fellow cast members Art Carney
and Audrey Meadows in The Honeymooners.

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969)

President Dwight D. Eisenhower (above) coins one of the most
famous Cold War phrases when he suggests the fall of French
Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia. The so-called “domino theory” dominated U.S.
thinking about Vietnam for the next decade.