1962

Today in History 11/06 (Abraham Lincoln)

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President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 (© Alexander Helser/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)(1860) Abraham Lincoln elected president of a divided nation
Lincoln becomes the first Republican to win the White House at a time when the Democratic Party, and the country as a whole, are deeply divided over the issue of slavery. The Civil War will break out a few months after Lincoln’s inauguration.
The United States Presidential Election of 1860 was the nineteenth quadrennial presidential election to select the President and Vice President of the United States. The election was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1860. In a four-way contest, the Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged triumphant. The election of Lincoln served as the primary catalyst of the American Civil War.
Election year: Nov 06, 1860

1860 Electoral College
Presidential Election 1860. Red shows states won by Lincoln/Hamlin, green by Breckinridge/Lane, orange by Bell/Everett, and blue by Douglas/Johnson Numbers are Electoral College votes in each state by the 1850 Census.
wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1860
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(1860) Abraham Lincoln elected president of a divided nation.
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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.
1975 | Here’s the Sex Pistols as Punk pioneers perform for the first time
Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, and Paul Cook perform together for the first time at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London. The Sex Pistols’ brief set includes only a few covers before the headlining band pulls the plug, but it marks the start of the U.K. punk movement.
1996 | Cleveland Browns football team leaves Cleveland for Baltimore
Hearts break in Ohio as Browns owner Art Modell reveals he’s taking his NFL team elsewhere. Local voters fund stadium upgrades, but it’s not enough. In a deal, Modell will agree to leave the name ‘Browns’ behind. The Baltimore Ravens are born.

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
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Today in History 10/24 (United Nations)

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President Harry S. Truman and the American delegation look on as Sen. Tom Connally signs the United Nations Charter in San Francisco on June 26, 1945 (© AP)(1945) United Nations begins operating
The United Nations charter, written earlier in the year at a conference in San Francisco, takes effect. The first meetings of the General Assembly and Security Council will take place the following January in London. The New York headquarters will be completed in 1952.
The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II with the aim of preventing another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world.
Website: www.un.org
Founded: Oct 24, 1945 · Lake Success, NY
Headquarters: New York, NY
Founders: Commonwealth of the Philippines · Haiti · Dominican Republic · Panama · Guatemala · Cuba · Norway · Argentina · United States · El Salvador · Netherlands · Denmark · Belgium · Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic · Nicaragua
Subsidiaries: World Health Organization · International Monetary Fund · Food and Agriculture Organization · UNICEF · United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees · World Intellectual Property Organization · International Telecommunication Union · World Tourism Organization · United Nations University · United Nations Population Fund · United Nations Human Settlements Programme

A map of United Nations member states at the end of 1945. Light blue are member states, Dark blue are colonies of member states, grey are non-member states
The UN in 1945: Founding members in light blue, protectorates and territories of the founding members in dark blue
wiki/United_Nations
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(1945) United Nations begins operating.
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1260 | Chartres Cathedral consecrated as French Gothic architecture soars heavenward
Workers broke ground 115 years before, and now the Chartres Cathedral is finally consecrated. The Gothic church will stand through the ages as a magnificent achievement, despite lightning damage, having its roof melted down for bullets, and being slated for destruction by Allied forces in WWII.
1857 | The world’s most popular sport kicks off in Sheffield as 1st football team founded
Sheffield is a goliath of steel manufacturing in South Yorkshire, England, and now claims the world’s first football team, as Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest meet to form the Sheffield Football Club. The sport will kick around Britain awhile before scoring worldwide popularity.
1962 | James Brown at Apollo as The godfather of Soul captures lightning in a bottle
His studio cuts can be mind-blowing, but James Brown and his fans know there’s nothing like seeing the R&B dynamo live, fronting his Famous Flames. When a recording of tonight’s session at the Apollo Theater in Harlem is released as an album, it will rocket up the charts.

Today in History 10/24/17

The ratification of the Treaty of Münster, part of the Peace of Westphalia, to end the 30 Years War in 1648 (© Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)(1648) A balance of power arrives to calm a war-torn Europe
Stretching for three brutal decades and encompassing almost the entirety of Europe, what began as a struggle between Catholics and Protestants metastasized into an all-out territorial power grab, and now the conflict finally finds resolution as the Peace of Westphalia treaties are signed.
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts, as well as the deadliest European religious war, in history. It took place in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648 and resulted in eight million casualties.
Start date: May 23, 1618
End date: May 15, 1648
Map Thirty Years War
Map of the Thirty Years' War

wiki/Thirty_Years'_War
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Today in History 10/14 (Cuban Missile Crisis)

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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
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(1962) Missiles in Cuba bring the world to the brink.
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1066 | Anglo-Saxon rule ends as the Normans conquer England in Battle of Hastings
Almost three weeks after landing his invasion force in England, Duke William I of Normandy takes on King Harold II and his infantry at the Battle of Hastings. By sunset, the Anglo-Saxon Age ends and William the Conqueror’s Norman rule begins, with Harold dead and William soon to be crowned king.
1934 | Must-see TV, on the radio as Lux Soap lures listeners with drama on the airwaves
At 2:30 PM, the NBC Blue Network comes on the air from New York with ‘Seventh Heaven,’ an adaptation of the Broadway play and the first program in the new ‘Lux Radio Theatre’ show. The anthology series will become hugely popular and remain on the air for the next 20 years.
1947 | Sound barrier broken as 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.

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
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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 10/05 (Enzo Ferrari)

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Enzo Ferrari at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo ES in Tuscany, Italy, in 1921 (© AP)(1919) Ferrari takes to the track
Enzo Ferrari, 21, drives in his first competition at the Parma-Poggio di Berceto hillclimb race and takes fourth place. His race results will rise in the coming years but the Modena, Italy native will find more fame by founding a company whose products are as fast as they are flash.
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. He was widely known as “il Commendatore” or “il Drake”. In his final years he was often referred to as “l’Ingegnere” or “il Grande Vecchio”.
Lived: Feb 18, 1898 – Aug 14, 1988 (age 90)
Height: 6′ 2″
Spouse: Laura Dominica Garello Ferrari (m. 1932 – 1978)
Founded: Ferrari · Scuderia Ferrari
Children: Alfredo Ferrari (Son) · Piero Ferrari (Son)
Movies: The Snake and the Stallion
Highlights
  • 1919: He was later promoted to race car driver and made his competitive debut in the 1919 Parma-Poggio di Berceto hillclimb race, where he finished fourth in the three-litre category at the wheel of a 2.3-litre 4-cylinder C.M.N. 15/20.

  • 1920: In 1920, Enzo joined the racing department of Alfa Romeo as a driver.

  • 1932: Enzo Ferrari married Laura Dominica Garello Ferrari in 1932; their marriage lasted 46 years till 1978.

  • 1937: In 1937 Scuderia Ferrari was dissolved and Ferrari returned to Alfa’s racing team, named Alfa Corse.

  • 1982: He rarely left Modena and Maranello, except for when the annual Italian Grand Prix at Monza just outside Milan took place, or when he took a trip to Paris to broker a compromise between the warring FISA and FOCA parties in 1982.

  • 1988: Ferrari died on 14 August 1988 in Maranello at the age of 90.

Enzo Ferrari at the wheel of a racing car
Enzo Ferrari at the wheel of a racing car in the 1920s
wiki/Enzo_Ferrari
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(1919) Enzo Ferrari takes to the track.
Also on this day,

1892 | Dalton Gang outlaws meet their match on Kansas streets
Coffeyville, Kansas proves to be the end of the line for the infamous Dalton Gang, as a plan to stage two simultaneous bank robberies in broad daylight goes awry. The citizens put a stop to the gang’s two-year crime spree after a delay in one of the robberies allows folks to arm themselves for a standoff.
1962 | James Bond premieres as ‘Dr. No’ launches Agent 007 into cinema legend
Bond, James Bond, makes his cinematic entrance, as ‘Dr. No’ premieres in London. The film will be released in the rest of the world over the next several months, and the film’s lead, Sean Connery, will become forever associated with the super spy. The Bond film series will be long-lived and lucrative.
1969 | ‘Monty Python’ first airs as BBC-TV premieres something completely different
Five Brits and one American write and star in the BBC’s new sketch comedy show, ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus.’ Their particular brand of silly, surreal mayhem will change the comedy landscape over 45 episodes that at first garner a cult following before achieving worldwide fame.

Today in History 10/05/17

Cast of 'Monty Python' (© Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)(1969) BBC-TV premieres something completely different
Five Brits and one American write and star in the BBC's new sketch comedy show, 'Monty Python's Flying Circus.' Their particular brand of silly, surreal mayhem will change the comedy landscape over 45 episodes that at first garner a cult following before achieving worldwide fame.
And now for something completely different: Monty Python's Flying Circus was simply the most influential comedy program television has ever seen. Five Englishmen, all working under the constraints of conventional TV shows such as The Frost Report (for which the five Englishmen wrote), gathered together with an expatriate American in the spring of 1969 to break the rules. The result, first airing on BBC-1 on October 5, 1969, has influenced countless future men and women in the media and comedy since.
First episode: Oct 05, 1969
Episode duration: 30 minutes
Creator: Monty Python
Theme song: The Liberty Bell
Producer: Ian MacNaughton
Awards: BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award · British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Programme · British Academy Television Award - General Category

wiki/Monty_Python's_Flying_Circus
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