MIKE GRACIA

On this day in 1971, United States President Nixon announced he
would visit the People’s Republic of China to seek a "normalization
of relations."

President Nixon (left) shakes hands with Premier Chou En-lai of the People’s Republic of China.

Fashion Designer Gianni Versace was slain on this day in 1997.       

    
    
    
   

The suspect in the murder of Versace.

Blood on the steps of Gianni Versace’s Ocean Drive mansion in
Miami Beach.

In Seattle, WA, on this day in 1916, Pacific Aero Products was
incorporated by William Boeing. The aviation giant was later 
renamed Boeing Co.         

Famous Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn was born on this
day in 1606.

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1940, the 114-day Battle of Britain began during World
War II.

The Telstar Communications satellite was launched on this day
in 1962. It relayed TV and telephone signals between Europe and
the U.S.

Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874)

Following Zachary Taylor’s death, Millard Fillmore (above)
became the 13th President of the United States on this day
in 1850. He was the last member of the Whig Party to hold
the office of president.

Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850)

The identity and source of Taylor’s illness are the subject
of historical speculation, although it is known that Taylor
and several of his cabinet members had come down with
similar intestinal ailments on July 4, 1850, while attending
holiday celebrations during a fund-raising event.

Shamil Salmanovich Basayev
(January 14, 1965 – July 10, 2006) 

Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and
a leader of the Chechen movement.

He was killed by an explosion on July 10,
2006.  Controversy still surrounds who was
responsible for his death.

Folk singer/songwriter Arlo Davy Guthrie is 71 years older today.

Like his father, Woody Guthrie, he is known for singing songs of protest
against social injustice, and storytelling around a song.

Voice actor/comedian Melvin Jerome Blanc
(May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989)

Having earned the nickname The Man of a Thousand Voices, Blanc is
regarded as one of the most influential people in the voice acting
industry.

Mel Blanc died of advanced coronary artery disease on this day in
1989 at Cedars-Sinai, at the age of 81.

Mel Blanc at the KGW radio studio in Portland,
Oregon, circa 1948.

MIKE GRACIA

It was on this day in 2005.
    
    
    
    
   

It was on this day in 1865.

John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865)

Public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing began on this day in 1987 with testimony from Oliver North.

Oliver Laurence North will be 75 in October.

On this day in 1981, United States President Reagan announced he
was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the
first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Ronald W. Reagan talks with Supreme Court nominee
Sandra Day O’Conner at the White House on July 15, 1981.

Former Beatle drummer Ringo Starr (Sir Richard Starkey) is 78 today.  

SANDY KOZEL

The amended Declaration of Independence, prepared by Thomas Jefferson, was approved and signed by John Hancock, the
President of the Continental Congress in America on this day
in 1776.

The U.S. Military Academy officially opened at West Point, NY. on
this day in 1802.

Lou Gehrig retired from major league baseball on this day in 1939.

Lou Gehrig’s gives his infamous retirement speech for the New York Yankees. It was one of the most memorable sports speeches of all
time.

SANDY KOZEL

The American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, PA, ended after three
days on this day in 1863. It was a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.

U.S. Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental
Army at Cambridge, MA. on this  day in 1775.

 
   
 
Mourners carry coffins of victims from the air disaster through the streets of Tehran.    
    
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    
     
    
     
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

It was on this day in 1962.

Jim Morrison (Left) of The Doors died in Paris at age 27 on this day
in 1971. The cause was allegedly of a heroin overdose.

James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971)

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV is 56 years old today.

Actor Tom Cruise won Golden Globe Awards for his roles in Born on the
Fourth of July (1990), Jerry Maguire (1996), and Magnolia (2000). He had
his breakthrough role in the 1983 film Risky Business and in 1996, he
began playing Ethan Hunt in the popular Mission: Impossible film series. 

Tom Cruise from the 1986 classic summer blockbuster Top Gun.