BRIAN THOMAS

Buddy Holly (22), Ritchie Valens (17), the Big Bopper (28) and pilot
Roger Peterson died in a plane crash in Iowa on this day in 1959.

Crash site memorial north of Clear Lake, Iowa.

The first rocket-assisted controlled landing on the Moon was made
by the Soviet space vehicle Luna 9 (above) on this day in 1966.

Eileen Marie Collins is a retired NASA astronaut and a retired United States
Air Force colonel. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the
first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle on this day
in 1995 aboard STS-63. She was awarded several medals for her work. She
has logged 38 days 8 hours and 20 minutes in outer space. Collins retired
on May 1, 2006, to pursue private interests.

On this day in 2003, Phillip Harvey Spector became notorious for the murder of the actress Lana Clarkson (below). He was convicted of
murder in second degree.

Recently released prison mugshots of Phil Spector (AP).

Hundreds of people were feared drowned in the Red Sea on this day
in 2006 after an Egyptian ferry carrying 1,400 passengers and crew
sank in rough weather in one of the worst shipping disasters in the
world. Rescuers found at least 200 survivors in lifeboats and were
brought ashore.

Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978)

Norman Rockwell was a 20th-century American author, painter and illustrator
whose works have a broad popular appeal in the U.S. for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations that
depict everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over
nearly five decades.

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
(February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847)

Born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early romantic period. Mendelssohn wrote symphonies, concertos, oratorios, piano music and chamber music. His best-known works include his Overture and incidental music for A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, and the Italian Symphony.

MIKE GRACIA

Explorer I was put into orbit around the earth on this day in 1958. It
was the first U.S. earth satellite.

From left: William Picketing, James Van Allen, and German scientist Wernher von Braun hold a model of Explorer 1.

On this day in 2001, a Scottish court in the Netherlands convicted
one Libyan )above) and acquitted a second in the bombing of Pan
Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that occurred in 1988.

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

Norman Kingsley Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007)

Norman Mailer was a novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker,
actor, and political activist. His novel The Naked and the Dead, published
in 1948 brought him fame. His best-known work is widely considered to
be The Executioner’s Song (1979) winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction
and Armies of the Night won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction and the
National Book Award.

Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828)

Austrian composer was extremely prolific during his lifetime, which was only
31 years. His work consists of over 600 secular vocal works, seven complete
symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large amount of
chamber and piano music. Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers
of the late Classical and early Romantic eras and is one of the most frequently
performed composers of the early 19th century.

Franz Schubert at the piano by Rudolf Klingsbögl.

MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration
camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.

The Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris on this day in 1973.

At Cape Kennedy, FL, on this day in 1967, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft.

Mozart was born on this day in 1756.

Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945)

Jerome Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular
music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the
early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage
works, including such classics as "Ol’ Man River", "Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat
Man", and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes".

    
    
    
    
    
    

John Howard Carpenter

Director and composer John Carpenter is known for his horror,
thriller and science fiction films. His filmography includes The
Thing (1982), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Halloween (1978),
Escape from New York (1981) and Starman (1984). He has
composed most of the music for his films. Carpenter made
short horror films on 8mm before high school.

1983

Carpenter at the keyboard.

MIKE GRACIA

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978)

Japanese Chief Government Spokesman Koichi Kato issues an
official apology concerning World War ll sex slaves.

On this day in 1992, Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean
women to serve as sex slaves or “comfort girls”, as they were called, for the 
Japanese soldiers during World War II. He said, "We cannot deny that the
former Japanese army played a role" in abducting and detaining the "comfort
girls," and "We would like to express our apologies and contrition".

L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, the nation’s first elected black
governor, took the oath of office in Richmond on this day in 
1990.

Lawrence Douglas Wilder will turn 87 on January 17.

Emile Zola’s "J’accuse" was published in Paris on this day in 1898.

Stephen Collins Foster  (July 4, 1826 – January 13, 1864)

Foster is known as "the father of American music", was an American
songwriter known primarily for his parlor and minstrel music. Foster
wrote over 200 songs; among his best-known are "Oh! Susanna",
"Camptown Races", "My Old Kentucky Home", and "Beautiful
Dreamer".