Richard Tiffany Gere

On this day in 1949, Richard Gere, the star of such hit films as An Officer
and a Gentleman (1982), Pretty Woman (1990) and Chicago (2002), is born
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gere was raised in the Syracuse, New York area and attended the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst on a gymnastics scholarship. He left college
before graduating to pursue a career in theater. On the big screen, Gere’s
early credits included roles in 1977’s Looking for Mr. Goodbar, with Diane
Keaton, and 1978’s Days of Heaven, with Sam Shepard and Brooke Adams.

2009

CAMILLE BOHANNON

It was on this day in 1997.

Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Spencer)  
(July 1, 1961 – August 31, 1997)

On this day in 1980, Poland’s Solidarity labor movement was born
with an agreement signed in Gdansk that ended a 17-day strike.

Lech Walesa, anti-communist leader of Solidarity in Poland.

Jack the Ripper’s first victim, Mary Ann Nichols was found dead
in London on this day in 1888.

Mary Ann Nichols throat had been slit and her body
horribly mutilated. At the time of her death the East
London Observer guessed her age at 30-35.

It was on this day in 1969.

Undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano and two
other men died when their light plane apparently lost power and crashed
in a cow pasture near Newton, Iowa.

Sir George Ivan Morrison is 83 years old today and was born in
Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Irish musician Van Morrison is best known to American audiences for his
hits "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Moondance." He released his 36th studio
album, Keep Me Singing, in 2016. His father’s impressive record collection
inspired him to pursue music.

Boris Yeltsin (right) with Mikhail Gorbachev after the failure of the
August 21, 1991 coup.

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev returns to Moscow from the
Crimea on August 22, 1991 after a hardline coup failed.

It was on this day in 1940.

Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia on
this day in 1831. He was later executed.

Hawaii became the 50th state on this day in 1959. President Dwight
D. Eisenhower (second from left) also issued the order for the 50
star flag.

After signing Executive Order adding 50th star to US flag, for Hawaii, President Eisenhower (third from left) holds up the new flag.

Kenneth Ray Rogers is 80 years old today. He was born in Houston,
TX.

Country icon Kenny Rogers has sold more than 100 million albums over
the course of his career. His 1970s albums The Gambler and Kenny went
5x platinum and 3x platinum, respectively. In 2013, he was inducted into
the Country Music Hall of Fame.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

U.S. military forces attacked a terrorist camp in Afghanistan and a chemical plant in Sudan on this day in 1998. Both targets were
chosen for cruise missile strikes due to their connection with
Osama bin Laden.

In a speech to the nation, President Bill Clinton detailed strikes
against terrorist-related facilities in Sudan and Afghanistan.

On this day in 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization.

Voyager 2 was launched by the United States on this day in 1977 and
aboard was a copper 12 inch phonograph record containing greetings
in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.

A photo of the 12 inch copper record that was sent into
space on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

Robert Anthony Plant is 70 years old today.

Iconic rock star Robert Plant gained fame as the vocalist and songwriter
of the classic rock band Led Zeppelin, known for such hits as "Stairway
to Heaven" and "When the Levee Breaks." He was named the #1 Lead
Singer of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2011. Plant was once 
training as a chartered accountant, but quit to become part of the
English Midlands blues scene. 

In front of some 12,000 spectators, automotive engineer Louis H.
Schwitzer wins the two-lap, five-mile inaugural race at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

On this day in 1909, the first race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
now the home of the world’s most famous motor racing competition, the Indianapolis 500.

Built on 328 acres of farmland five miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana,
the speedway was started by local businessmen as a testing facility for
Indiana’s growing automobile industry.

 In that first five-mile race on August 19, 1909, 12,000 spectators watched
Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer win with an average speed of 57.4 miles
per hour. The track’s surface of crushed rock and tar proved a disaster,
breaking up in a number of places and causing the deaths of two drivers,
two mechanics and two spectators.

The surface was soon replaced with 3.2 million paving bricks, laid in a bed
of sand and fixed with mortar. Dubbed “The Brickyard,” the speedway
reopened in December 1909.

The above photo showing the bricks that were used to resurface
the speedway track.

Louis Schwitzer (center) and crew.

Louis H Schwitzer
(February 29, 1880 – May 9, 1967)