On this day in 1858, in a speech in Springfield, IL, Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln said the slavery issue had to be resolved. He declared, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
On this day in 1963, 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova went into orbit aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft for three days. She was the first female space traveler.
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova turned 80 in March.
It was on this day in 1961, Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Soviet Union while in Paris, traveling with the Leningrad Kirov Ballet.
On this day in 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in Miranda v. Arizona, establishing the principle that all criminal suspects must be advised of their specific legal rights when they are placed under arrest. It’s now considered standard police procedure.
China’s Boxer Rebellion against foreigners and Chinese Christians erupted into violence on this day in 1900.
The unmanned NASA space probe Pioneer 10 was launched in March of 1972. The first up-close images of the planet Jupiter were provided by the probe.
On this day in 1961, America was asked by U.S. President Kennedy to work toward putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
President John F. Kennedy delivering his “Space Race” challenge, one of the most memorable speeches of the 20th century.
Mann’s Chinese Theater when "Star Wars" opened on this day in 1977.
In Houston on this day in 2006, former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skillinng were convicted of conspiracy and fraud for the downfall of Enron.
”The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category ten times between 1993 and 2005. It won the award in 1995.
On this day in 1804 the “Corps of Discovery”–featuring approximately 45 men (although only an approximate 33 men would make the full journey)–left St. Louis for the American interior.
Skylab, America’s first space station, was successfully launched into an orbit around the earth on this day in 1973. Eleven days later, U.S. astronauts Charles Conrad, Joseph Kerwin, and Paul Weitz made a rendezvous with Skylab, repairing a jammed solar panel and also conducting scientific experiments during their 28-day stay aboard the space station.
George Walton Lucas Jr. is 74 years old today.
George Lucas began his collegiate career studying anthropology at Modesto Junior College, then transferred to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He attempted to join the U.S. Air Force after graduation but they wouldn’t accept him because of the number of speeding tickets on his record, so instead he re-enrolled at USC as a graduate student in film production.
Francis Albert Sinatra(December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998)
Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
