The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 began as Typhoon Freda that formed 500 miles
from Wake Island in the central Pacific ocean and became an extratropical cyclone
as it headed towards the west coast of the United States. It was one of the most
intense storms to every strike the Pacific Northwest since 1948. Wind gusts reached
116 mph at Portland’s Morrison Street Bridge. In Salem a wind gust of 90 mph was observed. In less than 12 hours, over 11 billion board feet of timber was blown
down in northern California, Oregon and Washington combined.

The estimated dollar damage was around $280 million for California, Oregon and Washington combined, with nearly $200 million occurring in the state of Oregon
alone.  At least 46 fatalities were attributed to The Columbus Day Storm, more
than for any other wind storm in the Pacific Northwest, and injuries were in the
hundreds. A well-known insurance company called the Columbus Day Storm the
nation’s worst natural disaster of 1962.

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Mia Farrow

Peyton Place is a prime time soap opera, based upon the 1956 novel of the
same name by Grace Metalious, which aired on ABC-TV in half-hour episodes
from September 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969. The show was produced by 20th
Century Fox Television and was the only prime time series ever to run episodes continuously without reruns. Many guest stars appeared in the series for extended
times, such as Dan Duryea, Susan Oliver, Leslie Nielsen, Gena Rowland’s and Lee
Grant, who won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama. The series helped launch the careers of such actors
as Mia Farrow (above), Ryan O’Neal, Chris Connelly, and Mariette Hartley.

The State Police assault which ended a four-day prison riot at Attica Correctional
Facility in Attica, New York has been called the bloodiest one-day encounter in
this country since the Civil War. The riot began on September 9, 1971 when
prisoners responded to the death of a black radical activist inmate at San
Quentin Prison in California on August 21. About half of Attica’s inmate
population of 2,200 rebelled and seized control of the facility, taking 33 staff
members hostage and demanded better living conditions. Some agreements  
were reached during the four days of negotiations. On orders from then New  
York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, state police regained control of the prison 
on the 13th of September. When it was over, at least 39 people were dead,
including ten correctional officers and civilian employees.

Damage to the Pentagon from the crash of American Airlines Flight 77

Humorist Will Rogers, left, and famed aviator Wiley Post, at the Renton
airport before their fatal Alaska trip.    

The crash site