1958

Today in History 10/13 (ABA Basketball)

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Larry Kenon of the New York Nets goes up to shoot over Roger Brown of the Indiana Pacers during a 1973 ABA game. (© Focus on Sport/Getty Images)(1967) New league takes a shot at competing with the NBA
The Anaheim Amigos take on the Oakland Oaks to tip off the first season of the American Basketball Association. Known for its colorful ball and colorful personalities, the league will last until 1976, launching the careers of some future NBA stars.
The original American Basketball Association was a men’s professional basketball league, from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading several teams to join the National Basketball Association and the introduction of the 3-point shot in the NBA.
Founded: 1967
Founders: Dennis Murphy · Richard Tinkham · Joe Newman
Teams: Springfield Sting

American Basketball Association (shield logo)
This is a logo for American Basketball Association.
wiki/American_Basketball_Association
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(1967) New league takes a shot at competing with the NBA.
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1773 | Messier spots another otherworldly ‘object’ and Whirlpool Galaxy is found
While searching the skies for celestial objects that might mislead comet seekers, French astronomer Charles Messier finds a cluster of stars that will later be named the Whirlpool Galaxy. It will eventually be found to have a spiral structure, the first spiral galaxy discovered, and will be plotted at over 23 million light-years away.
1958 | Paddington Bear’s debut as deepest, darkest Peru sends a small bear to London
A small stowaway bear with a distinct fondness for marmalade has turned up at London’s bustling Paddington Railway Station, where Mr. and Mrs. Brown decide to take him home. Author Michael Bond’s book for children, ‘A Bear Called Paddington,’ will launch this upstanding ursine into enduring fame.
1962 | George and Martha invite their new friends over for drinks as ‘Virginia Woolf’ opens
Edward Albee’s new play, ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ opens on Broadway, featuring four characters, a three-hour performance, and dialogue so barbed it could be weaponized. The chronicle of social niceties shredded by drink and neurosis will be adapted into an equally famous film.

Today in History 10/13/17

This 2005 image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) (© NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), Hubble Heritage Team STS/AP)(1773) Messier spots another otherworldly 'object'
While searching the skies for celestial objects that might mislead comet seekers, French astronomer Charles Messier finds a cluster of stars that will later be named the Whirlpool Galaxy. It will eventually be found to have a spiral structure, the first spiral galaxy discovered, and will be plotted at over 23 million light-years away.
The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way, but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million light-years. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure and galaxy interactions.
Apparent magnitude: 8.40
Absolute magnitude: 8.40
Apparent mass: 160 billion solar-mass
Distance to Earth: 23,157,103 light-year (7,100,000 parsec)
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Galactic group: M51 Group
Messier 51
The Whirlpool Galaxy (Spiral Galaxy M51, NGC 5194), a classic spiral galaxy located in the Canes Venatici constellation, and its companion NGC 5195.

wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy
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Today in History 10/01 (NASA)

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Partial view of the port wing of the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 (© NASA/Getty Images)(1958) A new space agency takes off
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) becomes active, replacing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Congress had approved the new agency earlier in the year in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
Website: www.nasa.gov
Customer service: (202) 358-0001
Founded: Jul 29, 1958 · United States
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
Founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Space programs: Apollo program · Space Shuttle program · Project Mercury · Project Gemini · Voyager program · Mariner program · New Frontiers program · International Space Station program · Discovery Program · Mars Exploration Program · Lunar Orbiter program · Mars Scout Program · Mars Surveyor ’98 program · Small Explorer program · Deep …
Spacecraft: Curiosity · 2001 Mars Odyssey · Nautilus-X · Mariner 9 · Ulysses · Landsat 8 · Aqua · Terra · Solar Orbiter · International Cometary Explorer · Uhuru · Explorer 33 · Graham · LAGEOS-1 · LAGEOS-2

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building
Vehicle Assembly and Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center
wiki/NASA
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(1958) A new space agency takes off.
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331 BCE | Alexander the Great defeats the Persians
His warriors severely outnumbered, Alexander shows why he’s called “Great,” routing Darius III’s Persian army at Gaugamela, Mesopotamia near modern day Mosul, Iraq. With the defeat, almost two centuries of Persian rule ends and over two centuries of Hellenistic rule begins.
1908 | Ford makes autos affordable to ‘the great multitude’ as Model T on market
Henry Ford’s new auto is offered to the public at a relatively economical $825, and buyers can choose any color Model T as long as it’s black. Offering a four-cylinder engine, around 20 mpg, and a top speed of 40 mph, the Detroit automaker markets his car to America’s burgeoning middle class.
1946 | Judgments at Nuremberg as Nazis are sentenced
After a war that decimated Europe, and a holocaust that killed upwards of 11 million people, 24 convicted Nazi war criminals hear their sentences read out in a Nuremberg, Germany court following nearly a year of trials. Twelve will be executed, including Gestapo chief Hermann Goering.

Today in History 10/01/17

Leading Nazi figures during courtroom proceedings for war crimes in Nuremberg, Germany (© Raymond D'Addario/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)(1946) Judgments at Nuremberg as Nazis are sentenced
After a war that decimated Europe, and a holocaust that killed upwards of 11 million people, 24 convicted Nazi war criminals hear their sentences read out in a Nuremberg, Germany court following nearly a year of trials. Twelve will be executed, including Gestapo chief Hermann Goering.
The Nuremberg trials were a series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces under international law and the laws of war after World War II. The trials were most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany, who planned, carried out, or otherwise participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes. The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and their decisions marked a turning point between classical and contemporary international law.
Start date: Nov 20, 1945
End date: Oct 01, 1946

wiki/Nuremberg_trials
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Today in History 08/04 (Jesse Owens 1936 Summer Olympics)

Jesse Owens practices in the Olympic Village in Berlin in August 1936 (© AP)(1936) Triumph for Owens at Hitler’s Olympics
Adolf Hitler is not pleased as US track-and-field star Jesse Owens, an African American, continues to rack up wins at the Summer Olympics held in Hitler’s Germany. But the Berlin stadium crowds cheer Owens’ long jump win and the show of camaraderie with his competitor, Germany’s Luz Long.
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in 1936 in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain, on 26 April 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona. It marked the second and final time the International Olympic Committee gathered to vote in a city that was bidding to host those Games.
Number of athletes: 3,963
Start date: Aug 01, 1936
End date: Aug 16, 1936
Number of countries: 49

Jesse Owens at start of record breaking 200 meter race during the Olympic games 1936 in Berlin
Jesse Owens won four gold medals in Berlin. (Jesse Owens at start of record breaking 200 meter race during the Olympic games 1936 in Berlin)
wiki/1936_Summer_Olympics
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(1936) Triumph for Owens at Hitler’s Olympics.
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1821 | An icon of Americana publishes its first Post
A new weekly paper is published using Benjamin Franklin’s printing presses, and its four pages of news and a few ads will grow to become The Saturday Evening Post, a defining magazine of American life featuring great writers and iconic illustrators, most memorably Norman Rockwell.
1914 | World powers take sides as the guns of August loom
A global conflagration flares higher as the United Kingdom joins France, Russia, Belgium, and other European powers in either mobilizing armies or declaring war on an aggressive Germany, whose support of Austria-Hungary advances what will be a war of immense destruction.
1958 | Hot tunes get their definitive US ranking on Billboard Hot 100
Ricky Nelson’s ‘Poor Little Fool’ takes the top spot on a new Billboard Magazine countdown of America’s most popular songs. The Billboard Hot 100 rankings are based on a combination of in-store singles record sales, radio DJ airplay, and jukebox purchases.

Today in History 08/04/17

New recruits march with English officers in 1914 following the outbreak of WWI (© Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1914) World powers take sides as the guns of August loom
A global conflagration flares higher as the United Kingdom joins France, Russia, Belgium, and other European powers in either mobilizing armies or declaring war on an aggressive Germany, whose support of Austria-Hungary advances what will be a war of immense destruction.
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war, a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents' technological and industrial sophistication, and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench warfare. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. Unresolved rivalries still extant at the end of the conflict contributed to the start of the Second World War only twenty-one years later.
Start date: Jul 28, 1914
End date: Nov 11, 1918

wiki/World_War_I
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Today in History 08/03 (TRS-80)

A 1970s TRS-80 computer system (© Mark Madeo/Future Publishing/Getty Images)(1977) Radio Shack unveils the TRS-80 computer
Tandy announces one of the first mass-market home computers, the TRS-80, to be sold in its Radio Shack stores. It features 4K of RAM and sells for $399 (or $599 with a monitor and tape recorder for storage). Upgrades will keep various TRS-80 models on the market until 1991.
The TRS-80 Micro Computer System is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of Tandy/Radio Shack, Z-80 microprocessor. It was one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail personal computers.
Radio Shack TRS80
Radio Shack Tandy TRS-80 Model I with Expansion Interface
wiki/TRS-80
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(1977) Radio Shack unveils the TRS-80 computer.
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1778 | A palace of song is inaugurated in Milan, Italy
Music rings out among the glimmering oil lamps and luxurious boxes of the neoclassical New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala. Later known by its more familiar name, La Scala, the Milan opera house will offer some of the world’s greatest musical performances.
1861 | A pip of a tale finishes with a flourish
Chapters 58 and 59 of Charles Dickens’ latest novel, ‘Great Expectations,’ are published in a British periodical, finishing a tale that has been doled out to the reading public in monthly installments. The story will later be sold as a stand-alone book for those who prefer to binge read.
1949 | Two basketball leagues join to form a powerhouse NBA
Founded in June 1946, the Basketball Association of America meets with rival National Basketball League to join forces and create one organization. The merger will prove fruitful, as the National Basketball Association, or NBA, sees its sport grow from relative obscurity to a worldwide phenomenon.
1958 | America’s nuclear sub first to glide under the North Pole
The world’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, is now the first seagoing craft to reach the geographic North Pole. The ‘Operation Sunshine’ sub will spend 96 hours traveling nearly 2,000 miles under the Arctic ice and boost US morale a year after the Soviets launched Sputnik.

Today in History 08/03/17

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus in August 1958 (© AP)(1958) America's nuclear sub first to glide under the North Pole
The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, is now the first seagoing craft to reach the geographic North Pole. The 'Operation Sunshine' sub will spend 96 hours traveling nearly 2,000 miles under the Arctic ice and boost US morale a year after the Soviets launched Sputnik.
USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. The vessel was the first submarine to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole on 3 August 1958. Sharing names with Captain Nemo's fictional submarine in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and named after another USS Nautilus that served with distinction in World War II, Nautilus was authorized in 1951 and launched in 1954. Because her nuclear propulsion allowed her to remain submerged far longer than diesel-electric submarines, she broke many records in her first years of operation, and traveled to locations previously beyond the limits of submarines. In operation, she revealed a number of limitations in her design and construction. This information was used to improve subsequent submarines.
Keel laid: 14 Jun 1952
Launched: 21 Jan 1954
Builder: General Dynamics Electric Boat

wiki/USS_Nautilus_(SSN-571)
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Today in History 05/09/17

Illustration of Colonel Thomas Blood (G Scott)(1671) Captain Blood tries to pinch England’s Crown Jewels
Following an elaborate ruse played on the Tower of London’s custodian, Captain Thomas Blood and his henchmen attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. The Sceptre is sawn in two, the Crown flattened, and the Sovereign’s Orb hidden down a pair of trousers. Blood will be captured, but pardoned by King Charles II.
Colonel Thomas Blood was an Anglo-Irish officer and self-styled colonel best known for his attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. Described in an American source as a “noted bravo and desperado,” he was known for his attempt to kidnap and, later, to kill, his enemy, the Duke of Ormonde. He had switched allegiances from Royalist to Roundhead during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and despite his subsequent notoriety received a Royal free pardon and found favour at the court of King Charles II.
Born: 1618 · County Meath, Ireland
Died: Aug 24, 1680 · Westminster, England
Buried: St Margaret’s, Westminster
Highlights
  • 1642: At the outbreak of the First English Civil War in 1642, Blood returned to England and initially took up arms with the Royalist forces loyal to Charles I. As the conflict progressed he switched sides and became a lieutenant in Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads.

  • 1653: In 1653 at the cessation of hostilities Cromwell awarded Blood land grants as payment for his service and appointed him a justice of the peace.

  • 1660: Following the Restoration of King Charles II to the Crowns of the Three Kingdoms in 1660, Blood fled with his family to Ireland.

  • 1670: In 1670, despite his status as a wanted man, Blood returned to England and is believed to have taken the name Ayloffe and practised as a doctor or an apothecary in Romford Market, east of London.

  • 1671: On 9 May 1671, in furtherance of the deception, Blood convinced Edwards to show the jewels to him, his supposed nephew, and two of his friends while they waited for a dinner that Mrs Edwards was to put on for Blood and his companions.

  • 1674: He died in 1674 and his tomb rests in the chapel of St Peter’s Ad Vincula, at the Tower of London.

wiki/Thomas_Blood
Anna M. Jarvis, founder of Mother's Day (© Bettmann/CORBIS)(1914) President Wilson makes Mother’s Day a federal holiday
Since 1905, Anna Jarvis has lobbied various officials to adopt a holiday honoring mothers, and she’s succeeded in convincing many US states to take part. Today, President Woodrow Wilson proclaims the second Sunday in May to be Mother’s Day and a US federal holiday.
Mother’s Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother’s Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the positive contributions that they make to society. It was established by Anna Jarvis, with the first official Mother’s Day was celebrated at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908.
wiki/Mother’s_Day_(United_States)
L. Ron Hubbard addresses the first national meeting of Dianetics Auditors in 1951. (© AP)(1950) ‘Dianetics’ self-help book published
L. Ron Hubbard publishes ‘Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,’ a system of self-help psychology. Though the American Psychological Association and other organizations will criticize Hubbard’s work, his book will go on to sell millions of copies and become the basis for Scientology.
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, better known as L. Ron Hubbard and often referred to by his initials, LRH, was an American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology. In 2014, Hubbard was cited by the Smithsonian magazine as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all time, as one of the eleven religious figures on that list. After establishing a career as a writer, becoming best known for his science fiction and fantasy stories, he developed a system called Dianetics which was first expounded in book form in May 1950. He subsequently developed his ideas into a wide-ranging set of doctrines and practices as part of a new religious movement that he called Scientology. His writings became the guiding texts for the Church of Scientology and a number of affiliated organizations that address such diverse topics as business administration, literacy and drug rehabilitation. The Church’s dissemination of these materials led to Hubbard being listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated and published author in the world. The Guinness World Record for the most audio books published for one author is also held by Hubbard.
Website: www.lronhubbard.org
Lived: Mar 13, 1911 – Jan 24, 1986 (age 74)
Height: 6′ 0″ (1.83 m)
Spouse: Mary Sue Hubbard (m. 1952 – 1986) · Sara Northrup Hollister (m. 1946 – 1951) · Margaret Grubb (m. 1933 – 1947)
Parents: Harry Ross Hubbard (Father) · Ledora May (Mother)
Children: Quentin Hubbard (Son) · Ronald DeWolf (Son) · Arthur Hubbard (Son) · Diana Hubbard (Daughter) · Suzette Hubbard (Daughter) · Alexis Valerie Hubbard (Daughter)
Education: George Washington University · Helena High School

wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard
James Stewart in 'Vertigo,' 1958 (© Everett Collection/REX)(1958) Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ premieres in San Francisco
A tale of manic obsession and cruel deception, Alfred Hitchcock’s latest thriller has its world premiere. ‘Vertigo’ will disappoint at the box office and receive lukewarm reviews, but will grow in stature to be considered one of history’s greatest films.
A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend’s wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
Release date: May 09, 1958 (United States)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Gross revenue: $7.30 million USD
Music by: Bernard Herrmann
Screenwriters: Maxwell Anderson · Samuel A. Taylor · Alec Coppel
Story by: Pierre Boileau · Thomas Narcejac

wiki/Vertigo_(film)
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