ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed
enlarging the U.S. Supreme Court by as many as 15 judges.The controversial plan failed.

The 1937 U.S. Supreme Court.

On this day in 1994, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith (left) was convicted
in Jackson, MS, of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers (right).

De La Beckwith was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He
died while incarcerated seven years later at age 80. He had suffered from
heart disease, high blood pressure, and other ailments for some time.

The above Mississippi home where Medgar Evers was fatally shot
in the back as he was getting out of his car on June 12, 1963.

    (February 25, 2013)

Medgar Evers was the first assassination of a 
high-ranking public figure in the civil rights
movement.                          

SANDY KOZEL

On  this day in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws
that had been restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. The case (Roe vs. Wade) legalized abortion.

On this day in 1968, "Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In", debuted on NBC
television and aired until March 12, 1973. The program was ranked
number 42 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Gary Owens, was the famous voice of “Laugh-In”.

                                                       Lily Tomlin

ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans, but also stated that undeniably
loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not be detained.

Filmmaker Steven Allan Spielberg is72 years old today.

Celebrated director Steven Spielberg achieved box office records with
the blockbuster films Jaws (1975), E.T. (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993).

He received the Academy Award for Best Director for the films Schindler’s
List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). He also directed the action/
adventure classic trilogy Indiana Jones starring Harrison Ford, in the
’80s.

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.