CARLATA BRADLEY

On this day in 1947, over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California,
pilot Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 rocket plane and became the
first person to break the sound barrier.

Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager turned
95 in February.

The Battle of Hastings occurred in England on this day in 1066. The Norman forces of William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II of England.

Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours.

On this day in 1977, singer Bing Crosby died of a heart attack.

singer and actor Bing Crosby was the first multimedia star, Crosby
was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture
grosses from 1931 to 1954. Crosby won an Academy Award for
Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O’Malley in the 1944 motion
picture Going My Way and was nominated for his reprise of the role
in The Bells of St. Mary’s opposite Ingrid Bergman the following year.

1940

1942
 

1944

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr.(May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977)

CAMILLE BOHANNON

President George H. W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas, (above) 
a federal Circuit Judge in 1991, to succeed retiring Supreme Court 
Justice Thurgood Marshall. Senate confirmation hearings on Thomas 
were initially completed until a report of a private interview of Anita
Hill by the FBI was leaked to the press. The hearings were then 
reopened, and Hill was called to publicly testify. She said in the 
televised hearings on this day in 1991, Thomas had sexually
harassed her while he was her supervisor at the Department of
Education and the EEOC.

Anita Faye Hill

Anita Hill turned 62 in July.

Clarence Thomas became 70 years old in June.

On this day in 1975, "Saturday Night Live" was broadcast for the first time. George Carlin (below) was the guest host.

Cheesebuga! Cheesebuga! Cheesebuga!

MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 2001, the U.S. and Great Britain began airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to that state’s support of terrorism and
Osama bin Laden. The act was the first military action taken in
response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11,
2001.

A cross marked the fence where 21-year-old Matthew Shepard
was robbed, beaten and left to die on this day in 1998. He was
lured by two men pretending to also be gay. Shepard was taken
to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days
later from severe head injuries. The fence has since been torn
down.

Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard
(December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998)

Shepard’s death inspired the play The Laramie Project, later
turned into a television movie, countless songs, a foundation
devoted to his memory along with a political lobbying effort
that pressed for, and eventually obtained, a new federal hate
crimes statute named after him. 

From left: Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney
were charged with the murder of Matthew Shepard
and are both serving long prison terms.

John J Mellencamp (previously known as John Cougar Mellencamp)
is 67 years old today.

Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is best known for his #1 hit song, "Jack
& Diane." He has been nominated for more than ten Grammy Awards and
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in an attempt to
win back territory that had been lost in the third Arab-Israel war. The
Support for Israel led to a devastating oil embargo against many
nations including the U.S. and Great Britain on October 17, 1973. It
lasted 2 weeks.

On this day in 1927, "The Jazz Singer" opened in New York starring
Al Jolson. The film was based on the short story "The Day of
Atonement" by Sampson Raphaelson. As the first feature-length
motion picture with not only a synchronized recorded music score,
but also lip-synchronous singing and speech in several isolated sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of
sound films and ended the silent film era.

    
President Bill Clinton on January 26, 1998, watched by First Lady 
Hillary, rejects allegations of improper behavior with Monica
Lewinsky.

    
   
After nearly 14 hours of debate, the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives recommended impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton on two charges, one of perjury and one of obstruction of justice.