1963

Today in History 12/07 (Long Island Massacre)

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Colin Ferguson (center) is led by Nassau County detectives to his arraignment December 8, 1993 (© Mike Albans/AP)(1993) Gunman opens fire on commuter train, killing six
Colin Ferguson pulls out a gun aboard a Long Island commuter train and begins shooting passengers as he walks down the aisle, killing six and injuring 19. Ferguson, who will represent himself at a bizarre trial, will be sentenced to six life terms without parole.
On December 7, 1993, a Long Island Rail Road train pulled into the Merillon Avenue station in Garden City, New York, when passenger Colin Ferguson pulled out a 9mm pistol and started firing at other passengers. He murdered 6 people and wounded 19 others before being stopped by other passengers. Ferguson’s trial was notable for a number of unusual developments, including his firing his defense counsel and insisting on representing himself and questioning his own victims on the stand.
Born: Jan 14, 1958 (age 60) · Kingston, Jamaica
Nationality: American
Spouse: Audrey Warren (m. 1986 – 1988)
Parents: May Ferguson (Mother) · Von Herman Ferguson (Father)
Education: Adelphi University · Nassau Community College · Calabar High School
Date: Dec 07, 1993

Mug shot of Colin Ferguson. by New York State Department of Correctional Services
Mug shot of Colin Ferguson. by New York State Department of Correctional Services
wiki/Long_Island_Rail_Road_massacre
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(1993) Gunman opens fire on commuter train, killing six.
Also on this day,

1941 | Pearl Harbor bombed as Japanese warplanes attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
In a surprise, early-morning attack, 360 Japanese warplanes bomb the US Pacific naval fleet and in a two-hour assault kill about 2,400 Americans — almost half the casualties are aboard the battleship USS Arizona. The US will declare war on Japan the following day.
1963 | Sports fans watch it all over again for the first time as instant replay debuts
In the Army-Navy football game, TV viewers get something they’ve never seen before: an instant replay of the Army quarterback’s touchdown. Worried this programming innovation will confuse viewers, the announcer explains, “Ladies and gentlemen, Army has not scored again.”
1988 | Massive earthquake wipes out parts of Armenia
An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale devastates the Republic of Armenia in the USSR. Spitak, a town with about 25,000 residents, is flattened beyond repair, and the death toll throughout Armenia will reach about 45,000 people. The tragedy hits as the Soviet Union is suffering an economic decline, so aid and recovery will be slow.

Today in History 12/07/17

Smoke rises from the battleship USS Arizona as it sinks during a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (© AP)(1941) Japanese warplanes attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
In a surprise, early-morning attack, 360 Japanese warplanes bomb the US Pacific naval fleet and in a two-hour assault kill about 2,400 Americans — almost half the casualties are aboard the battleship USS Arizona. The US will declare war on Japan the following day.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack, also known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor, led to the United States' entry into World War II. The Japanese military leadership referred to the attack as the Hawaii Operation and Operation AI, and as Operation Z during its planning.
Date: Dec 07, 1941

Attack on Pearl Harbor Japanese planes view
Photograph taken from a Japanese plane during the torpedo attack on ships moored on both sides of Ford Island shortly after the beginning of the Pearl Harbor attack. View looks about east, with the supply depot, submarine base and fuel tank farm in the right center distance. A torpedo has just hit USS West Virginia on the far side of Ford Island (center). Other battleships moored nearby are (from left): Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee (inboard of West Virginia), Oklahoma (torpedoed and listing) alongside Maryland, and California. On the near side of Ford Island, to the left, are light cruisers Detroit and Raleigh, target and training ship Utah and seaplane tender Tangier. Raleigh and Utah have been torpedoed, and Utah is listing sharply to port. Japanese planes are visible in the right center (over Ford Island) and over the Navy Yard at right. U.S. Navy planes on the seaplane ramp are on fire. Japanese writing in the lower right states that the photograph was reproduced by authorization of the Navy Ministry.
wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor
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Today in History 11/29 (Trans-Canada Air Lines)

Wreckage of the Trans-Canada Airlines DC-8 jetliner near Ste. Therese, north of Montreal (© AP)(1963) Canadian plane crash brings calls for “black boxes” on flights
Shortly after takeoff, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831 plummets into a field near Montreal, killing all 118 people aboard. The DC8 lacks a flight data recorder, which will complicate finding the precise cause of the crash, spurring the push for “black boxes” to be on all Canadian commercial flights.
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831 was a flight from Montréal–Dorval Airport to Toronto International Airport on November 29, 1963. The aircraft was a four-engine Douglas DC-8-54CF airliner, registered CF-TJN. About five minutes after takeoff in poor weather, the jet crashed about 20 miles north of Montreal, near Ste-Thérèse-de-Blainville, Quebec, Canada, killing all 118 people on board: 111 passengers and 7 crew members. The crash was the deadliest in Canadian history at that time. It was also the worst crash of DC-8 at the time, and, as of 2016, the sixth worst.
Fatalities: 118
Date: Nov 29, 1963
Flight origin: Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
Destination: Toronto Pearson International Airport
Survivors: 0
Passengers: 111

Trans Canada Air Lines Douglas DC-8-54CF (CF-TJN) at London Heathrow Airport. This aircraft crashed on 29 November 1963, only several months after this photo as taken
Trans Canada Air Lines Douglas DC-8-54CF (CF-TJN) at London Heathrow Airport. This aircraft crashed on 29 November 1963, only several months after this photo as taken.
wiki/Trans-Canada_Air_Lines_Flight_831
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(1963) Canadian plane crash brings calls for “black boxes” on flights.
Also on this day,

1947 | UN approves Jewish state as it calls for Palestine to be split between Arabs and Jews
The UN General Assembly resolution recommends the creation of an independent Jewish state in Palestine. The resolution also mandates control of Jerusalem and a timeline for the withdrawal of British forces. The Palestine civil war will break out shortly after the resolution passes.
1961 | Enos the chimp is launched in space and orbits Earth
Having completed 1,250 hours of training, Enos takes off from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5, becoming the first chimp to successfully orbit the Earth. He’ll take two spins around the globe before splashing down near Bermuda. On the rescue boat, Enos will jump for joy and shake hands with his rescuers.
1981 | Star of ‘West Side Story,’ Natalie Wood, drowns
The bruised body of the 43-year-old actress is found floating face down near Catalina Island, California. She had been staying on a yacht with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and her co-star in the film “Brainstorm,” Christopher Walken. Wood’s death is ruled an accident, but later is changed to “undetermined.”

Today in History 11/29/17

Enos being prepared for insertion into the Mercury-Atlas 5 capsule in 1961 (© NASA)(1961) Enos the chimp is launched in space and orbits Earth
Having completed 1,250 hours of training, Enos takes off from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5, becoming the first chimp to successfully orbit the Earth. He'll take two spins around the globe before splashing down near Bermuda. On the rescue boat, Enos will jump for joy and shake hands with his rescuers.
Enos was the second chimpanzee launched into space by NASA. He was the first chimpanzee, and third hominid after cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, to achieve Earth orbit. Enos' flight occurred on November 29, 1961.
Died: Nov 04, 1962
Space missions: Mercury-Atlas 5
Space agency: NASA

Mercury-Atlas 5 Enos with handler
Chimpanzee Enos with handler before Mercury-Atlas 5 flight Enos became the first chimp to orbit the earth on November 29, 1961, aboard a Mercury Atlas rocket. Although the mission plan originally called for three orbits, due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos' flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition and both he and the Mercury spacecraft performed well. His mission concluded the testing for a human orbital flight, achieved by John Glenn on February 20, 1962. Enos died at Holloman Air Force Base of a non-space related case of dysentery 11 months after his flight. For more information about Enos and other animals who have made the journey into space, visit: history.nasa.gov/animals.html

wiki/Enos_(chimpanzee)
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