1962

Today in History 08/06 (Voting Rights Act)

Leave a Comment
President Lyndon B. Johnson moves to shake hands with Dr. Martin Luther King while others look on after the signing of the Voting Rights Act on Aug 6, 1965 (© LBJ Library/Yoichi Okamoto)(1965) Protections for minority voting rights signed into US law
President Lyndon Johnson signs the US Voting Rights Act of 1965, making it illegal to bar African Americans and other minorities from voting. Part of a sweep of civil rights legislation, the law is needed to enforce what had already been ratified in 1868 as the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the Civil Rights Movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections. Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the Act secured the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country.
Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. - Voting Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks at the signing of the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965
wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965
4.13.j18

(1965) Protections for minority voting rights signed into US law.
Also on this day,

1945 | Hiroshima destroyed by American atomic bomb
At 8:15 AM, a US B-29 drops a single bomb over Hiroshima, and the first atomic weapon used in warfare detonates with a 13-kiloton blast, destroying nearly 5 square miles of the Japanese city. Upwards of 70,000 die instantly, and tens of thousands will later perish from injury and sickness.
1962 | Jamaica becomes independent from the UK
British flags are replaced with the new Jamaican flag, the first Jamaica Independence Festival is held, and Alexander Bustamante becomes the country’s first prime minister. After decades of protest and debate, British Parliament passed the Jamaican Independence Act on July 19, 1962, setting August 6 as the date of freedom.
2012 | Curiosity rover lands on Mars
NASA lands the robotic rover on the Red Planet to examine the climate and conditions, and determine if Mars had ever been able to support microbial life. It will quickly find hints of an ancient streambed and evidence that the area called Yellowknife Bay may have been habitable in the past.

Today in History 08/06/17

Aerial photograph of Hiroshima, Japan, shortly after the 'Little Boy' atomic bomb was dropped on Aug 8, 1945 (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)(1945) Hiroshima destroyed by American atomic bomb
At 8:15 AM, a US B-29 drops a single bomb over Hiroshima, and the first atomic weapon used in warfare detonates with a 13-kiloton blast, destroying nearly 5 square miles of the Japanese city. Upwards of 70,000 die instantly, and tens of thousands will later perish from injury and sickness.
During the final stage of World War II, the United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. The United States had dropped the bombs with the consent of the United Kingdom as outlined in the Quebec Agreement. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history.
Start date: Aug 06, 1945
End date: Aug 09, 1945
Atomic bombing of Japan
Left picture : At the time this photo was made, smoke billowed 20,000 feet above Hiroshima while smoke from the burst of the first atomic bomb had spread over 10,000 feet on the target at the base of the rising column. Six planes of the 509th Composite Group participated in this mission: one to carry the bomb (Enola Gay), one to take scientific measurements of the blast (The Great Artiste), the third to take photographs (Necessary Evil), while the others flew approximately an hour ahead to act as weather scouts (08/06/1945). Bad weather would disqualify a target as the scientists insisted on a visual delivery. The primary target was Hiroshima, the secondary was Kokura, and the tertiary was Nagasaki. Right picture : Atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, taken by Charles Levy.

wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki
4.4.j17


Today in History 07/05 (Algeria Independence)

A man celebrates the proclamation of independence on July 5, 1962, in Algiers, Algeria (© Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)(1962) Former North African colony casts off French rule
Much bloodshed bookends the occupation of Algeria, and the former colony is now independent after 132 years. The largest country in Africa was a valued territory for France, but growing unrest from a mostly Muslim populace leads to uprisings and a seven-year war for independence.
Algeria, officially the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a sovereign state in North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. The capital and most populous city is Algiers, located in the far north of the country. With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres, Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest in Africa since South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the west by Morocco, to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory, Mauritania, and Mali, to the southeast by Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. The country is a semi-presidential republic consisting of 48 provinces and 1,541 communes. Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been President since 1999.
Founded: 1962
Population: 40.61 million (2016)
GDP: $173.95 billion USD (2017)
Area: 919,595 sq miles
Calling code: 213
Capital: Algiers

Six chefs
The six historical Leaders of the FLN: Rabah Bitat, Mostefa Ben Boulaïd, Didouche Mourad, Mohammed Boudiaf, Krim Belkacem and Larbi Ben M’Hidi.
wiki/Algeria
4.12.j18

(1962) Former North African colony casts off French rule.
Also on this day,

1946 | A two-piece swimsuit makes an explosive debut in Paris
Louis Réard’s abbreviated two-piece swimwear design debuts in a fashion show held at Paris’ Molitor Pool. Réard names his creation, cut from 30 square inches of fabric, after the recent nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll, explaining, “like the bomb, the bikini is small and devastating.”
1975 | Arthur Ashe is first African American men’s Wimbledon champ
Arthur Ashe grew up in Richmond, Virginia, as a skinny kid whose father forbade him to play football, but ‘Bones’ took easily to tennis and began practicing with a racket at age 7. Ashe’s dedication to the sport culminates with the first Wimbledon men’s singles win by an African American.
1989 | Iran-Contra Affair’s controversial colonel is sentenced
Two years after his polarizing presence at the Iran-Contra hearings, retired US Lt. Colonel Oliver North is sentenced on three felony counts, one of which is for obstruction. His three-year suspended prison sentence and $150,000 fine will be overturned a year later with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Today in History 02/20/18

Astronaut John Glenn boards the Friendship 7 capsule for the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission on Feb 20, 1962 (© NASA/Space Frontiers/Getty Images)(1962) First American orbits the earth
The Friendship 7 spacecraft and its pilot, Major John Glenn, make three orbits around the Earth and travel 65,763 nautical miles in just under five hours. Glenn’s flight, called the Mercury-Atlas 6, comes just months after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s successful orbit of Earth on April 12, 1961.
Mercury-Atlas 6 was the third human spaceflight for the U.S. and part of Project Mercury. Conducted by NASA on February 20, 1962, the mission was piloted by astronaut John Glenn, who performed three orbits of the Earth, making him the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth.
Mission start: Feb 20, 1962
Mission end: Feb 20, 1962
Astronaut: John Glenn
Space program: Project Mercury

Launch of Friendship 7 - GPN-2000-000686
Launch of Friendship 7, the first American manned orbital space flight. Astronaut John Glenn aboard, the Mercury-Atlas rocket is launched from Pad 14.
wiki/Mercury-Atlas_6
4.8.d17

Today in History 11/06/17

A sign in Johannesburg, South Africa, circa 1956, reading 'Caution Beware Of Natives' (© Ejor/Getty Images)(1962) United Nations condemns South Africa over apartheid
The UN passes a resolution calling on members to cut ties with South Africa to force the nation to end its racial segregation of black Africans. Change will be slow: The country will not repeal its last apartheid laws until 1991.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761 was passed on 6 November 1962 in response to the racist policies of apartheid established by the South African Government.

The resolution also established the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. The committee was originally boycotted by the Western nations, because of their disagreement with the aspects of the resolution calling for the boycott of South Africa. Even so, the committee found allies in the West, such as the British-based Anti-Apartheid Movement, through which it could work and lay the ground roots for the eventual acceptance by the Western powers of the need to impose economic sanctions on South Africa to pressure for political changes.


wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_1761
4.6.n17

Today in History 10/14/17

Captain Charles E. Yeager in October 1947 standing next to the Bell X-1 supersonic research aircraft, which Yeager named the 'Glamorous Glennis' after his wife (© Underwood Archives/Getty Images)(1947) Yeager’s got the right stuff to fly at Mach 1
Former WWII fighter pilot Chuck Yeager flies an experimental Bell X-1 rocket plane at a supersonic speed that some experts believe will rip apart any aircraft. Yeager pushes it to Mach 1.07, faster than the speed of sound, and afterwards lands safely in the California desert.
Charles Elwood “Chuck” Yeager is a former United States Air Force general officer and record-setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight.
Born: Feb 13, 1923 (age 94) · Myra, WV
Net worth: $1.50 million USD (2016)
Spouse: Victoria Scott D’Angelo (m. 2003) · Glennis Yeager (m. 1945 – 1990)
Children: Michael Yeager (Son) · Don Yeager (Son) · Susan Yeager (Daughter) · Sharon Yeager Flick (Daughter)
Education: Air War College
Awards: Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985) · Purple Heart · Distinguished Flying Cross · Silver Star · Legion of Merit · Bronze Star Medal · Air Force Distinguished Service Medal · Congressional Silver Medal
Highlights
  • 1942: After serving as an aircraft mechanic, in September 1942 he entered enlisted pilot training and upon graduation was promoted to the rank of flight officer (the World War II USAAF equivalent to warrant officer) and became a P-51 fighter pilot.

  • 1945: On February 26, 1945, Yeager married Glennis Dickhouse, and the couple had four children.

  • 1947: In 1947, he became the first pilot confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight.

  • 1947: As the first human to officially break the sound barrier, on October 14, 1947, he flew the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13,700 m).

  • 1953: The Ridley/Yeager USAF team achieved Mach 2.44 on December 12, 1953.

  • 1997: On October 14, 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his historic flight past Mach 1, he flew a new Glamorous Glennis III, an F-15D Eagle, past Mach 1.

Chuck Yeager
Brigadier General Charles Elwood Yeager
wiki/Chuck_Yeager
US President John F. Kennedy makes a national television speech on October 22, 1962, announcing a naval blockade of Cuba until Soviet missiles are removed (© AP)(1962) Missiles in Cuba bring the world to the brink
The Cold War burns hot as a US spy plane documents the first photographic evidence of Soviet nuclear warheads stockpiled in San Cristobal, Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. What follows will be weeks of crisis negotiations between the US and USSR that bring the world perilously close to a nuclear exchange.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis, the Caribbean Crisis, or the Missile Scare, was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union concerning American ballistic missile deployment in Italy and Turkey with consequent Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.
Start date: Oct 16, 1962
End date: Oct 28, 1962
1962 Cuba Missiles
Map created by American intelligence showing Surface-to-Air Missile activity in Cuba, 5 September 1962

wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis
4.4.j17