CAMILLE BOHANNON

During World War II on this day in 1940, German war planes bombed
most of the English town of Coventry when about 500 Luftwaffe
bombers attacked.

Coventry Cathedral in ruins following the German attack.

The ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral today, a visible modern-day
reminder of the Blitz of 1940.

Herman Melville’s novel "Moby Dick" was first published in the U.S.
on this day in 1851. 

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891)

MIKE GRACIA

Communist East Germany opened its borders, allowing its citizens to travel freely to West Germany on this day in 1989.

On this day in 1965, the great Northeast blackout occurred as
several states and parts of Canada were hit by a series of power
failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours.

TIM MAGUIRE

On this day in 1946, Hermann Goering, a Nazi war criminal and
founder of the Gestapo, poisoned himself just hours before his scheduled execution.

On this day in 1951, "I Love Lucy" premiered on CBS-TV. It ran
until May 6, 1957 with a total of 180 (including the ‘lost’ original
pilot and Christmas episode) half-hour episodes spanning 6 
seasons. “I Love Lucy” became the most watched show in
the United States in four of its six seasons, and was the first
to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings. In 2012, “I Love
Lucy” was voted the ‘Best TV Show of All Time’ in a survey
conducted by ABC News and People Magazine.

Filming “I Love Lucy” with a studio audience.

Lucy & TV Guide”1953-2013”

TIM MAGUIRE

An international military tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, found 22
top Nazi leaders guilty of war crimes on this day in 1946.

The Berlin Airlift came to an end on this day in 1949. The airlift had
taken 2.3 million tons of food into the western sector despite the
Soviet blockade.

On this day in 1962, James Meredith, a black US military veteran, 
succeeded in registering at the University of Mississippi. It was
his fourth attempt to register. President Kennedy (below) had to
call in the army to get him admitted.

August 18, 1963: James Meredith graduates from Ole Miss.

It was on this day in 1955.

James Dean was driving his brand-new Porsche 550 Spyder to an
auto rally in Salinas, California, when he was involved in a head-on collision.

1955

1955

CAMILLE BOHANNON

The space shuttle Discovery took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida 
on this day in 1988. It was the first manned space flight since the Challenger disaster.

Jerry Lee Lewis is 83 years old today.

Rock ‘n’ roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis is known for the hit "Great Balls of Fire"
and his marriage to his thirteen year old first cousin once removed, Myra Gale Brown. He became the last living member of the Sun Records Million Dollar
Quartet (below) and hence was nicknamed The Killer.

On September 29, 1954, Willie Mays, centerfielder for the New York Giants, makes an amazing over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball hit
by Cleveland Indians first baseman Vic Wertz to rob Wertz of extra
bases in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.