ROSS SIMPSON

It was on this day in 1996.

Wreckage from the front portion of the TWA Flight 800 Boeing 747 on display in its reconstructed state in 1997.

The cockpit of TWA Flight 800 is lowered at the U.S. Coast Guard
station at Shinnecock Inlet in Hampton Bays, N.Y.

The Russian Imperial Romanov family (Tsar Nicholas II, his
wife Tsarina Alexandra and their five children Olga, Tatiana,
Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei) and all those who chose to
accompany them into imprisonment were shot, bayoneted
and clubbed to death in Yekaterinburg on this day in 1918
by several Bolshevik troops under the orders of the Ural
Regional Soviet and according to instructions by Lenin.

A drawing of the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

The room in the Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, where the Russian
royal family was brutally murdered.

Disneyland opened in Anaheim, CA. on this day in 1955.

Disneyland theme park is now divided into 8 extravagantly themed
lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Mickey’s
Toontown, Frontierland, Critter Country, New Orleans Square and
Adventureland.

Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966)

Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza resigned and fled to
Miami, Florida in exile on this day in 1979.

Somoza talks to the press after fleeing to safety in Miami.

An Apollo spaceship (left) docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit
on this day in 1975. It was the first link up between the U.S. and
Soviet Union.

It was on this day in 1961.

Coltrane’s first recordings were made when he was
a sailor.

John William Coltrane  (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967)

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer, also
known as "Trane". Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in
his career,Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes and was later at
the forefront of free jazz. He died of liver cancer at a Hospital in New
York on July 17, 1967, at the age of 40.

ROSS SIMPSON

In New York on this day in 2002, a ceremony was held to officially
mark the end of the clean up from the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

On this day in 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, at the age of 19.

Bronze statue of Joan of Arc on Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

On this day in 1982,  MLB legend Cal Ripken Jr. began his record-
breaking streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. He entered
the Orioles’ lineup and didn’t leave until three more presidents
were inaugurated and nearly two decades passed.

Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. will be 58 August 24.

Benjamin David "Benny" Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986)

Benny Goodman was a jazz clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King
of Swing". In the mid-1930s, Goodman led one of the most popular musical
groups in the United States. His bands launched the careers of many major
jazz artists.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

Marilyn Monroe performed a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy (below). The event was a fund-raiser at
New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Malcolm X  (Malcolm Little) (May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965)

Iconic Muslim minister, leader of the Nation of Islam, and human rights
activist, Malcom X spoke out against disenfranchisement of African
Americans and white supremacy.  His autobiography, published shortly
after his assassination in 1965, is considered one of the most important
nonfiction books of the 20th century. 
 
 

John and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Aristotle and Jacqueline Onassis.

Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis (Bouvier)  
(July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994)

In Massapequa, NY. on this day in 1992, Mary Jo Buttafuoco
was shot and seriously wounded by Amy Fisher. Fisher was
her husband Joey’s teen-age lover.

Amy Elizabeth Fisher will be 44 on August 21. 

Mary Jo and her husband Joey Buttafuoco.

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is 73 years old today.

Pete Townshend is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and
multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead guitarist, backing
vocalist, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Who. His
career with the Who spans over 50 years, during which time the
band grew to be considered one of the most influential bands of
the 20th century.

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1992, rioting began after a jury decision to acquit four
Los Angeles policemen (below) in the Rodney King beating trial. A
total of 54 people were killed in 3 days.

Rodney King, central figure in L.A. riots.

On this day in 1945, the Nazi death camp, Dachau, was liberated and
on the same day in a bunker in Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun
(below) were married. 
    
    
    
   

President Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of secretly made White House tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal.

Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is 64 years old today. He was born in
Brooklyn, New York.

Stand-up comedian, producer, actor, and writer Jerry Seinfeld co-created
and starred in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which became one of the most
popular television comedies of all time, winning ten Emmy Awards during
its run which began in 1989 and aired for nine seasons. In 2012, he began
the internet comedy series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, where he
chats with other comedians. 

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974)

One of the jazz worlds most influential figures. He led his famed orchestra
from 1923 until his death. He called his music American Music, not jazz. He
helped compose more than 1,000 original pieces, many of which became
standards. Ellington was called Duke by his friends growing up because
his suave sophistication reminded them of a nobleman.

ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1917, the U.S. Congress approved a declaration of war
on Germany and entered World War I on the Allied side.

Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson claimed to be the
first men to reach the North Pole on this day in 1909.

The first modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece on this
day in 1896.

Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) the country
singer was born in Oildale, California.

Tammy Wynette (Virginia Wynette Pugh) (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998)

After years of medical problems which resulted in^[ numerous hospitalizations, roughly 15 major operations and an addiction to pain medication, country
singer Tammy Wynette died on April 6, 1998 at the age of 55 while sleeping
on her couch. Wynette’s doctor from Pennsylvania said she died of a blood
clot in her lung. Despite her persistent illnesses, she continued to perform
until shortly before her death and had other performances scheduled.

Wynette was called the "First Lady of Country Music", and her best-known
song, "Stand by Your Man", is one of the best-selling hit singles by a woman
in the history of country music. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, she
charted 20 number-one songs. Along with Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton,
Tammy is credited with having defined the role of women in country music
during the 1970s.