Fun On this date in history...

In 1777, American forces won the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington.

In 1812, Detroit fell to British and Indian forces in the War of 1812.

In 1858, a telegraphed message from Britain's Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.

In 1888, T.E. Lawrence, known worldwide as Lawrence of Arabia, was born in Tremadog, Caernarfonshire, Wales.

In 1899, actor Glenn Strange, best-known for his work in the classic Universal horror movies, was born in New Mexico Territory, USA.

In 1930, actor/director/screenwriter Robert Culp was born in Oakland, CA. Years later, he'd look after that guy with the suit from the aliens.

In 1933, actress Julie Newmar was born in Los Angeles. She later make several attempts to commit the purr-fect crime.

Also in 1933, astronaut Stuart Roosa, CSM pilot for Apollo 14, was born in Durango, CO.

In 1937, the American Federation of Radio Artists was chartered.

In 1954, "Sports Illustrated" was first published by Time Inc.

In 1956, actor Bela Lugosi died in Los Angeles at age 73.

In 1962, it was announced that Pete Best had been fired as drummer for the Beatles, and had been replaced by Ringo Starr.

In 1987, people worldwide began a two-day celebration of the "harmonic convergence," which heralded what believers called the start of a new, purer age of humankind.

Also In 1987, 156 people were killed when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed while trying to take off from Detroit; the sole survivor was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan.

In 1997, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" broadcast episode 816, featuring "Prince of Space". Our weapons are useless against it.

 

R.I.P to my hero

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 17th:

In 1807, Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat began heading up the Hudson River on its successful round trip between New York and Albany.

In 1863, Federal batteries and ships began bombarding Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor during the Civil War, but the Confederates managed to hold on despite several days of pounding.

In 1893, actress Mae West was born in Brooklyn, NY.

In 1915, a mob in Cobb County, Georgia, lynched Jewish businessman Leo Frank, whose death sentence for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan had been commuted to life imprisonment. (Frank, who'd maintained his innocence, was pardoned by the state of Georgia in 1986.)

In 1920, actress Maureen O'Hara was born in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1930, producer/screenwriter Harve Bennettwas born in Chicago, IL. Years later, he'd say that he could, indeed, make a "Star Trek" movie for less than 45 ****ing million dollars.

In 1933, actor Glenn Corbett was born in El Monte, CA. He's best known for playing the original incarnation of Zefram Cochrane on the original "Star Trek" TV series, and for playing Linc Case on the "Route 66" TV series, cited as the first Vietnam War veteran to be a lead character in an American TV series.

Also in 1933, NASA flight director Gene Kranz was born in Toledo, OH. While he never actually said "Failure is not an option", he did use it as the title of his autobiography.

In 1943, the Allied conquest of Sicily during World War II was completed as U.S. and British forces entered Messina.

In 1951, Muppeteer Richard Hunt was born in the Bronx, NY.

In 1962, East German border guards shot and killed 18-year-old Peter Fechter, who had attempted to cross the Berlin Wall into the western sector.

In 1969, Hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi coast as a Category 5 storm that was blamed for 256 U.S. deaths, three in Cuba.

Also in 1969, at Woodstock, Yippie Abbie Hoffman attempted to address the crowd during a set by the Who. Accounts vary on whether Who guitarist Pete Townsend merely shouted at him to leave, or physically struck him with his guitar.

In 1978, the first successful trans-Atlantic balloon flight ended as Maxie Anderson, Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman landed their Double Eagle II outside Paris.

In 1982, the first commercially produced compact discs, a recording of ABBA's "The Visitors," were pressed at a Philips factory near Hanover, West Germany.

In 1983, lyricist Ira Gershwin died in Beverly Hills at age 86.

In 1990, singer/actress Pearl Bailey died in Philadelphia, PA at age 72.

Also in 1990, producer/script editor/screenwriter Graham Williams, best-known for producing "Doctor Who" in the late 1970's, died in Tiverton, Devon, England at age 45.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton admitted in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day, he admitted before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.

 

On This Day...

On August 18, 1992, Soviet Hard liners place Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest, beginning what is ultimately a failed coup.

 

In 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born in present-day America, on what is now Roanoke Island in North Carolina. (However, the Roanoke colony ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony and grandfather of Virginia Dare, returned from a supply trip to England and found the settlement deserted.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I, saying, "The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name during these days that are to try men's souls."

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing all American women's right to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

In 1934, baseball player Roberto Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

In 1952, actor Patrick Swayze was born in Houston, TX. He'd later recommend that we should be nice, until it was time not to be nice.

In 1956, composer John Debney was born in Glendale, CA. His later projects would include scores for the "Star Trek" TV franchise, and the McGann movie.

In 1957, actor/producer/comedian Denis Leary was born in Worcester, MA.

In 1963, James Meredith became the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, wound to a close after three nights with a mid-morning set by Jimi Hendrix.

In 1992, filming began on "Emissary", the first episode of the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" TV series.

In 1998, actress Persis Khambatta died in Mumbai, Maharashta, India at age 49.

In 2004, composer Elmer Bernstein died in Ojai, CA at age 82.

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 19th:

In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, earning the nickname "Old Ironsides."

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces landed at Benedict, Maryland, with the objective of capturing Washington, D.C.

In 1921, producer/screenwriter Gene Roddenberry was born in El Paso, TX.

In 1924, actor William Marshall, best-known for his lead role in the "Blacula" films and his appearance as Richard Daystrom in the original "Star Trek" series, was born in Gary, IN.

In 1938, actress Diana Muldaur was born in New York City. Her later TV work included several appearances in the "Star Trek" franchise and "L.A. Law".

In 1942, during World War II, about 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a disastrous raid against the Germans at Dieppe, France, suffering more than 50-percent casualties.

In 1946, Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the U.S. was born in Hope, AR.

In 1952, actor/director Jonathan Frakes was born in Bellefonte, PA. Years later, he'd appear on some TV show created by the previously-mentioned Gene Roddenberry that was somewhat popular.

In 1964, The Beatles opened their first full-fledged U.S. tour as they performed at San Francisco's Cow Palace.

In 1973, actor Ahmed Best, best-known for playing Jar Jar in the STAR WARS PT and related spin-offs, was born in New York City.

In 1976, actor Alistair Sim died in London at age 75.

In 1977, actor/comedian Groucho Marx died in Los Angeles at age 86.

In 2005, a series of strong storms hit Southern Ontario, resulting in tornadoes and serious flash flooding in the city of Toronto and surrounding areas.

In 2010, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" officially ended.

In 2011, director/screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, best-known for his work with Hammer Films, died at age 83.

 

On This Day...

On August 20, 1920, seven men, including Jim Thorpe came together to form the forerunner to the National Football League, giving birth to professional football.

 

And countless horrific Superbowl halftime shows.

 

I missed it, too. My apologies. Anyway...

In 1833, Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the U.S., was born in North Bend, OH.

In 1858, Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory.

In 1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, months after fighting had stopped.

In 1882, Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" had its premiere in Moscow.

In 1907, actor Alan Reed was born in New York City. He's best-known for providing the original voice of Fred Flintstone.

In 1910, a series of forest fires swept through parts of Idaho, Montana and Washington, killing at least 85 people and burning some 3 million acres.

In 1920, the first commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), begins operations in Detroit, MI.

In 1932, actor Anthony Ainley was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, England. He'd later play a Time Lord who clashed with another Time Lord played by Sylvester McCoy.

In 1939, actor Eddie Paskey, best-known for his frequent appearances as Mr. Leslie on the original "Star Trek" TV series, was born in Delaware.

In 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid tribute to the Royal Air Force before the House of Commons, saying, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

In 1942, actor/singer/musician Isaac Hayes was born in Covington, TN.

In 1943, actor Sylvester McCoy was born in Dunoon, Scotland. He'd later play a Time Lord who clashed with another Time Lord played by Anthony Ainley.

In 1953, the Soviet Union publicly acknowledged it had tested a hydrogen bomb.

In 1962, actress Sophie Aldred was born in Greenwich, England. She'd later play a Companion who observed a Time Lord played by Sylvester McCoy clashing with another Time Lord played by Anthony Ainley.

In 1963, filming on the "Doctor Who" TV series began, with Bernard Lodge creating the show's title sequence.

In 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization drive.

In 1972, the Wattstax concert took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In 1977, the U.S. launched Voyager 2, an unmanned spacecraft carrying a 12-inch copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature. (It has been alleged that extraterrestrials responded with, "Send more Chuck Berry.")

In 1991, Irving A. Feinberg, property master for the original "Star Trek" TV series, died at age 82.

In 2009, Abdel Baset al_megrahi, the only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, returned home to Libya after his release on compassionate grounds from a Scottish prison. Said to have only months to live because of prostate cancer, he died nearly three years later, claiming his innocence.

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 21st:

In 1614, Transylvanian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, believed complicit in the killings of dozens, possibly hundreds, of young women and girls, was found dead at age 54 nearly four years after being sealed off in her castle chambers.

In 1831, Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people. (He was later executed.)

In 1858, the first of seven debates between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place.

In 1863, the town of Lawrence, KS was destroyed and over 160 of its citizens were killed in an attack by the pro-Confederate Quentrill's Raiders.

In 1904, composer/musician Count Basie was born in Red Bank, NJ.

In 1906, animator Friz Freleng was born in Kansas City, MO.

In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. (The painting was recovered two years later in Italy.)

In 1920, Christopher Robin Milne, the son of author A.A. Milne and the basis for the character of Christopher Robin in the Winnie the Pooh stories, was born in London.

In 1935, Benny Goodman and his band began a successful engagement at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, the opening concert of which is now recognized as the beginning of the "Swing Era" in popular music.

In 1940, exiled Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in a Mexican hospital from wounds inflicted by an assassin the day before.

In 1944, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China opened talks at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington that helped pave the way for establishment of the United Nations.

In 1956, actress Kim Cattrall was born in Liverpool. She'd later be the subject of a song performed by a movie-riffing robot.

In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order making Hawaii the 50th state.

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr., ending a self-imposed exile in the United States, was shot dead moments after stepping off a plane at Manila International Airport.

In 1991, the hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian Federation President Boris N. Yeltsin.

In 1993, in a serious setback for NASA, engineers lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft as it was about to reach the red planet on a $980 million mission.

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 22nd:

In 1485, England's King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, effectively ending the War of the Roses.

In 1864, twelve nations signed the First Geneva Convention, the first codified international treaty that covered the sick and wounded soldiers in the battlefield.

In 1902, actress/director Leni Riefenstahl was born in Berlin.

In 1920, author Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, IL. He'd later give some unhelpful travel directions to Bugs Bunny.

In 1922, Michael Collins, Commander-in-chief of the Irish Free State Army, was shot dead during an Anti-Treaty ambush in County Cork during the Irish Civil War.

In 1925, actress Honor Blackman was born in Plaistow, West Ham, Essex, England. MI-6 refuses to discuss her involvement in an alleged robbery attempt at Fort Knox, KY.

In 1932, the British Broadcasting Corp. conducted its first experimental television broadcast, using a 30-line mechanical system.

In 1945, writer/director/producer David Chase was born in Mount Vernon, NY. He probably still gets complaints about that smash cut to black.

In 1947, actress Cindy Williams was born in Van Nuys, CA. She'd later star in some period piece set in 1962, where she got to ride in a '57 Chevy driven by a future Corellian.

In 1950, officials of the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) accepted Althea Gibson into their annual championship at Forest Hills, NY making her the first African-American player to compete in a U.S. national tennis competition.

In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle survived an attempt on his life in suburban Paris.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to South America.

In 2004, armed thieves stole one of four versions of the Edvard Munch (moongk) masterpiece "The Scream" and a second Munch painting, "Madonna," from the Munch museum in Oslo, Norway.

 

On This Day...

On August 23, 1983, Pete Rose was given a lifetime ban from Baseball and the baseball HOF for gambling. A ban that still exists to this day.

 

In 1305, Scottish rebel leader Sir William Wallace was executed by the English for treason.

In 1775, Britain's King George III proclaimed the American colonies to be in a state of "open and avowed rebellion."

In 1912, actor/dancer/director Gene Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, PA.

In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World War I.

In 1926, actor Rudolph Valentino died in New York City at age 31.

In 1927, amid protests, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery.

In 1931, actress Barbara Eden was born in Tucson, AZ.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow.

In 1946, musician Keith Moon was born in Wembley, England. Destroying a hotel room to mark this is not encouraged.

In 1960, librettist/producer Oscar Hammerstein II died in Doylestown, PA at age 65.

In 1970, actor River Phoenix was born in Madras, OR.

In 1973, a bank robbery-turned-hostage-taking began in Stockholm, Sweden; the four hostages ended up empathizing with their captors, a psychological condition now referred to as "Stockholm Syndrome."

In 1974, actor/martial artist Ray Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He'd later play the first Sith Lord to be bisected on-screen.

In 1989, in a case that inflamed racial tensions in New York, Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black youth, was shot dead after he and his friends were confronted by a group of white youths in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

In 2005, actor Brock Peters died in Los Angeles at age 78.

In 2012, Muppeteer Jerry Nelson died in Cape Cod, MA at age 78.

In 2013, cinematographer Gilbert Taylor died in Newport, Isle of Wight at age 99.

 

Okay, I laughed really really hard at the Keith Moon one.

 

If I May...

ON AUGUST 24th:

In A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash; an estimated 20,000 people died. (This date is in dispute.)

In 1572, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington D.C., setting fire to the Capitol (which was still under construction) and the White House, as well as other public buildings.

In 1821, the Treaty of Cordoba was signed, granting independence to Mexico from Spanish rule.

In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim the English Channel.

In 1912, Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska Territory.

Also in 1912, Congress approved legislation establishing Parcel Post delivery by the U.S. Post Office Department, slated to begin on January 1, 1913.

In 1916, actor Hal Smith, best-known for his role as Otis Campbell on "The Andy Griffith Show", was born in Petoskey, MI. Please do not get a snoot-full of moonshine to mark the occasion.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, making her the first woman to fly solo, non-stop, from coast to coast.

In 1934, actor Kenny Baker was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. He'd later play the only character in the STAR WARS series to know the full story.

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty came into force.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.

In 1957, actor/writer/producer Stephen Fry was born in Hampstead, London. He'd later play the several adversaries to several Blackadders.

In 1964, the first Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in English took place at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

In 1970, an explosives-laden van left by anti-war extremists blew up outside the University of Wisconsin's Sterling Hall in Madison, killing 33-year-old researcher Robert Fassnacht.

In 1973, voice actress Grey DeLisle was born in Fort Ord, CA.

In 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage; 43 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm.

In 2006, in a controversial decision, the International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a planet, demoting it to the status of a "dwarf planet."

In 2014, actor/producer/director Richard Attenborough died in London at age 90.

 

On This Day...

Great Moon Hoax: On August 25, 1835, The New York Sun published the first of six articles claiming there was life on the Moon.

 

In 1916, the National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior.

In 1921, the United States signed a peace treaty with Germany.

Also in 1921, TV host Monty Hall was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Those wishing to celebrate have the choice of Door #1, Door #2 or Door #3.

In 1930, actor/producer Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Do I really need to remind people of his most famous role?

In 1939, the U.K. and Poland formed a military alliance in which the UK promised to defend Poland in case of invasion by a foreign power.

In 1944, during World War II, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation.

In 1950, President Harry Truman ordered the U.S. Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to avert a strike.

In 1981, the U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2 came within 63,000 miles of Saturn's cloud cover, sending back pictures of and data about the ringed planet.

In 1989, Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune, its final planetary target.

In 2000, cartoonist Carl Barks, best-known for his stories featuring Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck, died in Grants Pas, OR at age 99.

In 2012, the Voyager 1 spacecraft entered interstellar space becoming the first man-made object to do so.

Also in 2012, astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, died in Cincinnati, OH at age 82.

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 26th:

In 1789, France's National Assembly adopted its Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

In 1930, actor Lon Chaney, Sr. died in Los Angeles at age 47.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In a world much like ours...in the year 1940...on a day that seemed much like any other... announcer/voice actor Don LaFontaine was born in Duluth, MN.

In 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi occupation.

In 1958, Alaskans went to the polls to overwhelmingly vote in favor of statehood.

In 1974, aviator/inventor Charles Lindbergh died in Maui at age 72.

In 1977, author/illustrator H.A. Rey died.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected pope following the death of Paul VI. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I.

In 1980, director/animator Tex Avery died in Burbank, CA at age 72.

In 1983, "The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew" was released in the U.S., one week after it's Canadian release.

In 1991, the original version of "An Unearthly Child", the first episode of the "Doctor Who" TV series, was first broadcast. It featured several differences from the final, reworked version that aired in 1963.

 

If I may...

ON AUGUST 27th:

In 1776, the Battle of Long Island began during the Revolutionary War as British troops attacked American forces, who ended up being forced to retreat two days later.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of cataclysmic explosions; the resulting tidal waves in Indonesia's Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.

In 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the U.S., was born in Stonewall, TX.

In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, outlawing war and providing for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In 1939, the first turbojet-powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, went on its first full-fledged test flight over Germany.

In 1949, a violent white mob prevented an outdoor concert headlined by Paul Robeson from taking place near Peekskill, New York. (The concert was held eight days later.)

In 1952, actor/comedian Paul Reubens was born in Peekskill, NY.

In 1953, Roman Holiday, starring Gregory Peck and featuring Audrey Hepburn in her first starring movie role, premiered in New York City.

In 1962, the United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus in December 1962.

In 1964, the Walt Disney movie musical fantasy "Mary Poppins," starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Also in 1964, actress/comedienne Gracie Allen died in Los Angeles at age 69.

In 1967, Brian Epstein, best-known as the manager of the Beatles, died in London at age 32.

In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 1996, actor Greg Morris died in Las Vegas at age 62.

In 1997, TV network executive Brandon Tartikoff died in Los Angeles at age 48.

In 2011, Hurricane Irene struck the U.S. east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.

 

Yeah, I remember Irene not so fondly. Didn't suffer any personal damage, but it caused a mess along long stretches of Virginia, including massive flooding and some major tunnels being closed because of flooding gates failing. Not to mention to damage to tourism here. One of the many reasons I'm glad Cristobal decided to stay off shore this weekend.

 

In 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 received Royal Assent, abolishing slavery through most the British Empire.

In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run (also known as Second Manassas) began in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Civil War; the result was a Confederate victory.

In 1898, pharmacist Caleb Bradham invented the carbonated soft drink that will later be called Pepsi-Cola.

In 1917, author/illustrator Jack Kirby was born in New York City,

In 1922, the first-ever radio commercial aired on station WEAF in New York City; the 10-minute advertisement was for the Queensboro Realty Co., which had paid a fee of $100.

In 1944, during World War II, German forces in Toulon and Marseille, France, surrendered to Allied troops.

In 1945, the Allies began occupying Japan at the end of World War II.

In 1955, Emmett Till, a black teen-ager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle's home in Money, Mississippi, by two white men after he had supposedly whistled at a white woman; he was found brutally slain three days later.

In 1963, more than 200,000 people listened as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

In 1964, two days of race-related rioting erupted in North Philadelphia over a false rumor that white police officers had beaten to death a pregnant black woman.

In 1968, police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president.

In 1972, Mark Spitz of the United States won the first two of his seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics, finishing first in the 200-meter butterfly and anchoring the 400-meter freestyle relay.

In 1977, Brazilian soccer superstar Pelé led the New York Cosmos to victory in the Soccer Bowl, the championship of the North American Soccer League (NASL).

In 1996, the divorce of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, was finalized.