MIKE GRACIA

In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F.
Kennedy announces on October 22, 1962 that U.S. spy planes 
discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites—
under construction but nearing completion—housed medium-
range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in
the United States, including Washington, D.C.

Kennedy announced that he was ordering a naval “quarantine”
of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from transporting any more
offensive weapons to the island and explained that the United
States would not tolerate the existence of the missile sites
currently in place. The president made it clear that America
would not stop short of military action to end what he called a “clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace.”

John Joseph Gotti Jr. (October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002)

Mafia boss John Gotti (above), who was nicknamed the “Teflon Don”
after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s, is
sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on 14 accounts
of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering. Moments after
his sentence was read in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, hundreds 
of Gotti’s supporters stormed the building along with smashing
and overturned cars before being forced back by police officers.

Lufthansa cargo terminal at JFK Airport.      
    

On December 11, 1978 half a dozen masked robbers raided the Lufthansa
Airlines cargo building at JFK Airport in New York, making off with more
than $5 million in cash ($21 million in today’s dollars) and almost $1
million in jewelry. To this day, the Lufthansa heist, as it is known, is
considered one of the greatest in U.S. history. The plan was dreamed
up by Peter Gruenewald, a Lufthansa cargo worker at JFK Airport. The 
heist was dramatized in the classic mafia film "Goodfellas."

A van used during Lufthansa Airlines robbery at JFK
International Airport.

Vincent Asaro, a member of the Bonanno crime family, allegedly
helped carry out the bold heist of cash and jewelry from a cargo
terminal at JFK airport.

1990

MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 1962, President John F. Kennedy went on radio and television to inform the United States about his order to send U.S.
forces to blockade Cuba. The blockade was in response to the
discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island.

Aerial view of missile launch site at San Cristobal, Cuba.

TIM MAGUIRE

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began an oil-
embargo against several countries including the U.S. and Great Britain
on this day in 1973. The incident stemmed from Western support of
Israel when Egypt and Syria attacked the nation on October 6, 1973. It
lasted until March of 1974.

American troops defeated British forces in Saratoga, NY. on this day in 1777. It
was the turning point in the American Revolutionary War.

An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale hit the San Francisco Bay
area in California on this day in 1989. The quake caused about 67 deaths,
3,000 injuries, and damages up to $7 billion.

Al Capone was convicted on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11
years in prison on this day in 1931. He was released in 1939.

Arthur Miller on a trip with his wife,
actress Marilyn Monroe.