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.

CARLATA BRADLEY

The Soviet Union, on this day in 1962, exchanged capture American
U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (above) for the Soviet spy Rudolph Ivanovich Abel (below) being held by the U.S.

Alleged Russian spy Rudolf Abel (right) steps down from a patrol
wagon.

The Glienicke bridge just after the Powers swap.

Francis Gary Powers with his U-2 Reconnaissance Aircraft.

On this day in 1992, Mike Tyson (in handcuffs) was convicted in Indianapolis of raping Desiree Washington, Miss Black American contestant.

Arthur Miller’s "Death of a Salesman" opened at the
Morocco Theatre in New York City on this day in 1949.

Left: Mildred Dunnock, Arthur Kennedy, Cameron Mitchell  and 
Lee J. Cobb in a scene from "Death Of A Salesman".

Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005)

The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, bringing the United
States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict. Photographs
taken by a high-altitude U-2 spy plane (above) offered incontrovertible
evidence that Soviet-made medium-range missiles in Cuba—capable of
carrying nuclear warheads—were now stationed 90 miles off the
American coastline.

U-2 Spy Plane

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1961, Berlin was divided by a barbed wire fence to halt the flight
of refugees. Two days later work on the Berlin Wall began.

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016)

Infamous Cuban dictator and revolutionary Fidel Castro came to power in
1959 and served as his country’s Prime Minister until 1976 and its President
from 1976 to 2008.

Present day Mexico City was captured by Spanish conqueror
Hernando Cortez from the Aztec Indians on this day in 1521.

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock  (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980)

Iconic director Alfred Hitchcock is known as The Master of Suspense
for his classic films such as Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), North
by Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958),  and The Birds ( 1965).  As one of
the most influential filmmakers of all-time, he directed over 50 feature
films.

 
     1944

William Bendix from “Lifeboat”. Hitchcock’s obligatory cameo is
shown in a newspaper ad showing his dramatic weight loss from 
dieting.

On this day in 1995.

This 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps "rookie" is
the most valuable post-war card.