Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947)


On this day in 1770, a deadly riot called "The Boston Massacre" took place on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between
American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated
to a chaotic, bloody slaughter killing five people. Two British troops
were later convicted of manslaughter. The conflict energized anti-
Britain sentiment and paved the way for the American Revolution.
Boston Massacre Site Memorial, on the Freedom Trail behind the Old State House.

Patsy Cline (Virginia Patterson Hensley)
(September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963)

On this day in 1963, country music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in the crash of their plane, a
Piper Comanche, near Camden, Tennessee, along with pilot Randy Hughes (Cline’s manager). The investigation determined that Hughes,
a non-instrument-rated pilot, attempted visual flight in adverse
weather conditions, resulting in disorientation and subsequent loss
of control.
A Piper Comanche PA-24-180, similar to the one that crashed.
Patsy Cline aircraft crash site, Camden, Tennessee.

During World War II on this day in 1945, about 30,000 United States
Marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima
from the Imperial Japanese Army.


William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. is 79-years-old today.
Singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive
Smokey Robinson was the founder and front man of the Motown
vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter
and producer. Robinson led the group from its 1955 origins as
"The Five Chimes" until 1972 when he announced a retirement
from the group to focus on his role as Motown’s vice president,
but Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the
following year. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1987.


On this day in 2001, President Bill Clinton escaped indictment by surrendering his Arkansas law license for five years and admitting
that he made false statements under oath about his affair with
Monica Lewinsky.


A twelve-year-old Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton at Sevier High School.
Dolly Rebecca Parton is 73 years young today.
Country singer Dolly Parton has released twenty-six #1 Billboard hits,
including "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," and "9 to 5." Parton’s music
includes 25 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified
gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards.
She grew up alongside eleven brothers and sisters in a one-room cabin
in Appalachia, Tennessee where she learned to sing at church.
She received the nickname The Queen of Country Music after releasing
more #1 hits than any other country singer in U.S. history. Dolly is one
of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association’s
Entertainer of the Year Award and has received 47 Grammy nominations.
Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton in 1969.
On this day in 1925, Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross was sworn in as
governor of Wyoming She was the first female governor in
the United States.

Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross seated at her desk (right) in the
Governor’s Office, Wyoming State Capitol Building.
U.S. Representative and former singer-songwriter Salvatore Phillip
“Sonny” Bono died on this day in 1998. He hit a tree while skiing at
Heavenly Mountain Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California. The
results of an autopsy showed no drugs or alcohol in his body.
Sonny Bono and Cher
Sonny Bono’s headstone in Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, CA.