“An army of Romanian civilians, men and women, both young and
old (above) dig anti-tank ditches in a border area, on June 22, 1944,
in readiness to repel Soviet armies.” (AP)
On August 22, 1944, Soviet forces break through to Jassy, in northeastern
Romania, convincing Romania’s king to sign an armistice with the Allies
and concede control of his country to the USSR.
Soviet tanks occupy Bucharest.
The Romanian Communist Party
CAMILLE
BOHANNON
On this day in 1977, Voyager 2 was launched by NASA from a
spaceport in Cape Canaveral, Florida with a Titan IIIE / Centaur
rocket . The spacecraft was carrying a copper phonograph
record containing greetings in dozens of languages and
samples of music (below).
Singer Robert Anthony Plant is 71 today.
Led Zepplin reunited for a show at London’s O2 arena, 2007.
CAMILLE
BOHANNON
Stephen Glenn Martin is 74 years old today.
Actor, comedian, writer, filmmaker, and musician. Steve Martin came to
public notice in the 1960s as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy
Hour, and later as a frequent guest on The Tonight Show. In the 1970s,
Martin performed his offbeat, comedy routines before packed houses on
national tours. Since the 1980s, having branched away from comedy,
Martin has become a successful actor, as well as an author, playwright,
pianist, and banjo player, eventually earning him Emmy, Grammy, and
American Comedy awards, among other honors.
In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100
greatest stand-up comics. He was awarded an Honorary Academy Award
at the Academy’s 5th Annual Governors Awards in 2013.
The Jerk (1979)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
CARLATA BRADLEY
On this day in 1972, the last U.S. combat troops depart Vietnam.
On this day in 1942, the U.S. 1st Marine Division begins Operation Watchtower, the first U.S. offensive of the war, by landing on Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands.
