President Eisenhower (center) commissioned Dr. T. Keith Glennan, (right), as the first administrator for NASA and Dr. Hugh L. Dryden
(left) as deputy administrator.

On this day in 1958, the U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s activities in space. NASA has
since sponsored space expeditions, both human and mechanical, that
have yielded vital information about the solar system and universe. It has
also launched numerous earth-orbiting communications satellites. The
agency was created in response to the Soviet Union’s October 4, 1957
launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I.

On this day in 1964, President Johnson signed the "Civil Rights Act
of 1964" into law. It made it illegal in the U.S. to discriminate against others because of their race. The ceremony was nationally televised
from the White House.

On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon signs legislation
officially banning cigarette ads on television and radio. Nixon,
who was an avid pipe smoker, indulging in as many as eight
bowls a day, supported the legislation at the increasing
insistence of public health advocates.