At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing
Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit
of Mount Everest, which at 29,035 feet above sea level is the highest point
on earth. The two, part of a British expedition, made their final assault on
the summit after spending a fitful night at 27,900 feet. News of their
achievement broke around the world on June 2, the day of Queen Elizabeth
II’s coronation, and Britons hailed it as a good omen for their country’s
future.

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SANDY KOZEL

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy
(May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)

John F. Kennedy served as the 35th president of the United States
from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. As a 
member of the Democratic Party, he represented Massachusetts in 
the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate prior to becoming
president.

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TIM MAGUIRE

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin
E. Aldrin, Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon.

                     
Neil Alden Armstrong                                Buzz Aldrin 
                                                                     (Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.)

On this day in 1976, America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing on Mars.

A Viking lander being tested in the Mojave Desert prior to launch.

On this day in 1944, Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler cheats death as a
bomb planted in a briefcase goes off, but fails to kill him. Hitler
(second from left) Shows Mussolini the Destroyed Barracks at
"The Wolfschanze" shortly after the assassination attempt.

Mountaineer Sir Edmund Percival Hillary
(July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008) 

Musician Carlos Santana is 71 years old today.

Guitarist Carlos Santana blended rock with Latin American
music and fronted Santana. He won the Best Rock Album
and the Album of the Year Grammys for Supernatural, two
of the eight total Grammys he won in 2000.

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SANDY KOZEL

Edmund Hillary (left) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became first men
to  reach the top of Mount Everest on this day in 1953.

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy
(May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)

Commonly referred to by his initials JFK, John F. Kennedy 
was a politician who served as the 35th President of the
United States from January 1961 until his assassination 
in November 1963.

John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy the morning of November 22,
1963.

On this day in 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the
Stamp Act before Virginia‘s House of Burgesses.

Today, churchgoers still attend services at St. John’s
Episcopal Church in Richmond, Va., where Patrick
Henry made his “Give me Liberty, or give me Death” 
speech.  

Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope  (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003)

Legendary vaudeville comedian, radio personality, and actor Bob
Hope entertained military personnel in 57 USO tours between 1942
and 1988. He performed hundreds of acts with his special humor
per year during the height of his career, hosted The Academy
Awards fourteen times, and appeared in over 70 films and shorts.

At a young age, he began performing for voluntary donations on the
Luna Park streetcar by singing and making jokes. In 1915 Bob Hope
won an amateur talent contest for his Charlie Chaplin impersonation.    

In 1997, the U.S. Congress declared Bob Hope the "first and only
honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces."

Comedian Bob Hope and his wife, Dolores are shown in their Palm
Springs, Calif., home in May 1998.

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TIM MAGUIRE

Astronaut Neil Armstrong

America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing
on Mars on this day in 1976.

First image taken by Viking 1 form the surface of Mars.

An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf
Hitler failed on this day in 1944. The bomb exploded at Hitler’s Rastenburg headquarters. He was only wounded.

The conference room soon after the explosion that wounded
Hitler.

Sir Edmund Percival "Ed" Hillary
(July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008)

Adventurer and philanthropist Sir Edmund Hillary became one
of the first people to reach the top of Everest with the help of his
guide, Tensing Norgay. He became a beekeeper during the
summer so as to keep himself available to climb in the winter.

His adventures led to him being named one of the most influential
people by Time Magazine of the 20th century.

Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay.

Carlos Santana is 70 years old today.

Guitarist Carlos Santana blended rock with Latin American music and fronted
Santana. He won the Best Rock Album Award and the Album of the Year
Award for Supernatural in 2000. He began playing the guitar when he was
eight and turned down an opportunity to attend Humbolt State University to
pursue a career in music.

In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 20 on their list of
the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and
three Latin Grammy Awards.

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