SANDY KOZEL

An expedition led by Captain Christopher Newport went ashore at
Jamestown, Virginia on this day in 1607. The group had arrived 
at the location the day before. This became the first permanent
English colony in America.

William Clark set off the famous expedition from Camp Dubois on this day in 1804. A few days later, in St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis joined the group. The group was known as the "Corps of Discovery."

On this day in 1948, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (R) proclaimed
the independent State of Israel as British rule in Palestine came to an
end. U.S. President Harry S. Truman is on his left.

Skylab One was launched into orbit around Earth as the first U.S. manned space station on this day in 1973.

George Walton Lucas Jr. is 74 years old today. He was born in
Modesto, California.

Filmmaker George Lucas is best known as the creator of the Star Wars
and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as the founder of Lucasfilm and
Industrial Light & Magic. He was the chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm,
before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012.

Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998)

Frank Sinatra was a singer, actor, and producer who was one of the most
popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the
best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million
records worldwide. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants,
Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry
James and Tommy Dorsey.

Sinatra died with his wife at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles on May 14, 1998, aged 82, after a heart attack. Sinatra was in ill
health during the last few years of his life, and was frequently hospitalized
for heart and breathing problems, high blood pressure, pneumonia and
bladder cancer. He was further diagnosed as having dementia. He had
made no public appearances following a heart attack in February 1997

Frankie Valli (Francesco Stephen Castelluccio) was born in Newark,
New Jersey. 
       

Frankie Valli has been the front man with the Four Seasons since 1960. The
groups hits included "Big Girls Don’t Cry" and "Sherry." He was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Four Seasons. Frankie had 29
Top 40 hits with The Four Seasons and 9 more as a solo artist. Before fame,
Frankie Valli once worked as a barber until his singing career was able to
support him.

SANDY KOZEL

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21 1527) 

Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher,
humanist, and writer of the Renaissance period. He has often been
called the father of modern political science.

On this day in 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities
were legally unenforceable.

In his debut at Yankee Stadium against the St. Louis Browns on
this day in 1936, the “$75,000 rookie”, Joe DiMaggio recorded a
triple and two singles in six plate appearances, showcasing that consistently sweet swing that fans would come to know and love.

He was the only Yankees player to get a hit off of Browns’ relief
pitcher Russ Van Atta that day, as New York defeated St. Louis,
14-5.
 

Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014)

Pete Seeger had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member
of the Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly‘s "Goodnight,
Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the
Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger
re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in
support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, and environmental causes.

As a songwriter, Pete Seeger’s best-known songs include "Where Have
All the Flowers Gone?" (with Joe Hickerson), "If I Had a Hammer (The
Hammer Song)" (with Lee Hays of the Weavers), and "Turn! Turn! Turn!".

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006)

Singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader,
James Brown is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul". In a career
that lasted 50 years, he influenced the development of several music
genres. Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia.

James Brown & The Famous Flames At The Apollo.

ROSS SIMPSON

Six people were killed and more than a thousand injured when a van exploded in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center in
New York City on this day in 1993. The bomb had been built by
Islamic extremists.

The Tower Commission rebuked President Reagan on this 
day in 1987 for failing to control his national security staff 
in the wake of the Iran-Contra affair.

Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the Island of Elba on this day in
1815. He then began his second conquest of France.

Singers who were born on this day:

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr.
(February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017)

John R. Cash (J. R. Cash)  (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003)

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1776, Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed
the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, NJ.

Map of Delaware River area depicting route George Washington
and his Army made during the crossing. (click to enlarge)

On this day in 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on television to announce his resignation as leader of a Communist superpower that had already gone out of existence.

On this day in 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu
and his wife, Elena, were executed following a popular uprising.

"Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of
St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria (above) on this day in 1818.

Josephus Franciscus Mohr (December 11, 1792 – December 4, 1848)