On July 29, 1967, The Doors’ song “Light My Fire,” from their
debut album, earned the top spot in the Billboard Hot 100,
becoming their first bona fide smash hit and propelling The
Doors from cult favorites of the rock cognoscenti into
international pop stars and avatars of the ’60s counterculture.
James Douglas Morrison
(December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971)
The U.S. Congress passed legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian
agency responsible for coordinating America’s activities in
space, on July 29, 1958.
NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human
and mechanical, that have yielded vital information about the
solar system and universe.
It has also launched numerous earth-orbiting satellites that have
been instrumental in everything from weather forecasting to
navigation to global communications.
NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union’s October 4,
1957 launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I.
President Eisenhower with Hugh Dryden and T. Keith
Glennan, August 19, 1958. Eisenhower (center) swears
in Dr. T. Keith Glennan (right) as the first administrator
of NASA, and Dr. Hugh Dryden (left) as deputy
administrator.
The critically acclaimed movie "On the Waterfront" was released
on this day in 1954, presenting a powerful account of union
corruption.
The film featured one of Marlon Brando’s most memorable
performances, according to Britannica.com.
The film received critical praise and industry accolades for
its acting, directing and moviemaking.
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004)
July 28, 1868: Following its ratification by the necessary three-
quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship
to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including formerly enslaved people—was officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution. Secretary of State William Seward issued a
proclamation certifying the amendment.
William Henry Seward
(May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872)
On Saturday, July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber of the United
States Army Air Forces crashed into the north side of the Empire
State Building in New York City while flying in thick fog.
The crash killed fourteen people (three crewmen and eleven people
in the building), and an estimated twenty-four others were injured.
The building’s structural integrity was not compromised.
