MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 2001, the U.S. and Great Britain began airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to that state’s support of terrorism and
Osama bin Laden. The act was the first military action taken in
response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11,
2001.

A cross marked the fence where 21-year-old Matthew Shepard
was robbed, beaten and left to die on this day in 1998. He was
lured by two men pretending to also be gay. Shepard was taken
to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days
later from severe head injuries. The fence has since been torn
down.

Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard
(December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998)

Shepard’s death inspired the play The Laramie Project, later
turned into a television movie, countless songs, a foundation
devoted to his memory along with a political lobbying effort
that pressed for, and eventually obtained, a new federal hate
crimes statute named after him. 

From left: Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney
were charged with the murder of Matthew Shepard
and are both serving long prison terms.

John J Mellencamp (previously known as John Cougar Mellencamp)
is 67 years old today.

Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is best known for his #1 hit song, "Jack
& Diane." He has been nominated for more than ten Grammy Awards and
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

CARLATA BRADLEY

Last U.S. combat troops leave Vietnam on this day in 1972.

It was on this day in 1944 during World War 11.

Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. perished in one of the first American 
fatalities associated with a pilotless aircraft, which we usually know today
as a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The older brother of future
president, John F. Kennedy, was taking part in an extraordinary secret war
being waged across the English Channel with new generations of exotic
weapons.

Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (July 25, 1915 – August 12, 1944)

New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey resigned on this day in 2004,
declaring he’s gay.

James Edward McGreevey turned 61 on August 6th.

The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank and its 118-man
crew died during naval exercises in the Barents Sea on this
day in 2000.

Following salvage operations, analysts concluded that 23 sailors in the
sixth through ninth compartments had survived the two explosions. They
took refuge in the small ninth compartment and survived more than six
hours. When the oxygen ran low, crew members attempted to replace a
volatile potassium superoxide chemical oxygen cartridge when it contacted
oily sea water that had seeped into the compartment. A resulting explosion
killed several crew members and triggered a flash fire that consumed the
remaining oxygen, suffocating the remaining survivors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the monument to the sailors who died in the Kursk disaster. 

CARLATA BRADLEY

It was on this day in Seneca Falls.

It was on this day in 1993.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), the official United States policy on gays serving
in the military was announced by President Bill Clinton (below). It allowed
closeted members of the military to serve, while prohibiting those in the
military who were openly gay to serve. Prior to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” there
had been an outright ban on gays in the military.

Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit on this day in 1969.

Daedalus Crater was one of the sights seen as Apollo 11’s command module passed over the far side of the moon.

Baseball’s career hit leader Pete Rose (left) was sentenced on this
day in 1990 to five months in a Federal correctional institution for
filing false income-tax returns. The sentence did not permit parole,
so Rose would serve the full term.

Peter Edward Rose Sr. also known by his nickname "Charlie
Hustle", turned 77 on April 14.

A total 55 countries joined the boycott of the opening ceremony
in Moscow which began on this day in 1980.

CARLATA BRADLEY

Last combat troops began leaving Vietnam on this day in 1972.

Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Jr. (July 25, 1915 – August 12, 1944)

Joseph Kennedy, Jr was a United States Navy lieutenant. He was killed in action
during World War II while serving as a land-based patrol bomber pilot and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. He was the oldest brother of John F.
Kennedy. Joseph was the only Kennedy son who never sought political office.

New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey (left) resigned after revealing
that he was gay on this day in 2004.  

The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank and its 118-man crew
died during naval exercises in the Barents Sea on this day in 2000.

Wreck of the Kursk on a floating dock at Roslyakovo.

Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959)

Cecil B. DeMille was a filmmaker who made a total of 70 features, both
silent and sound films between 1913 and 1956. He is acknowledged as
a founding father of American cinema and the most successful producer-    
director in film history. His films were distinguished by their epic scale
and by his cinematic showmanship.   

1956