1971

Today in History 06/13 (Pentagon Papers Published)

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In this June 30, 1971 file photo, workers in the New York Times composing room in New York look at a proof sheet of a page containing the secret Pentagon report on Vietnam (© Marty Lederhandler/AP)(1971) NY Times prints top-secret Defense Department report
The first excerpt of a leaked government report detailing US involvement in Vietnam is published on the front page of the New York Times. The top-secret ‘Pentagon Papers’ will expose secret bombing campaigns, government lies, and motivations behind the Vietnam War never before revealed to the public.
The Pentagon Papers, officially titled Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States’ political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. The papers were released by Daniel Ellsberg, who had worked on the study; they were first brought to the attention of the public on the front page of The New York Times in 1971. A 1996 article in The New York Times said that the Pentagon Papers had demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration “systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress”.
Ngo Dinh Diem at Washington
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower greets South Vietnam’s President Ngo Dinh Diem, whose rise to power was backed by the United States, according to the Pentagon Papers
wiki/Pentagon_Papers
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(1971) NY Times prints top-secret Defense Department report.
Also on this day,
1514 | Europe’s largest warship ‘Great Harry’ is dedicated in England
England’s Woolwich Dockyard launches King Henry VII’s flagship, the ‘Henry Grace à Dieu,’ a 165-foot-long carrack, or “great ship,” fitted with 43 cannons and 141 swivel guns. The ‘Great Harry’ holds a complement of up to 1,000 sailors and at over 1,000 tons is Europe’s biggest warship.
1777 | A teenage Frenchman Lafayette arrives in America to help the Patriots
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, disembarks in America after a two-month sea voyage from France. The wealthy 19-year-old will befriend future presidents Washington and Jefferson, and help train and lead revolutionary regiments against the British in America’s War of Independence.
1967 | Thurgood Marshall nominated to US Supreme Court
Stating it’s “the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place,” President Lyndon Johnson nominates Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to the US Supreme Court. The first African American nominee will be confirmed and serve 24 years on the court.

Today in History 06/13/17

'Great Harry' launched - Lafayette lands in America - Court nod for Marshall](1514) Europe’s largest warship is dedicated in England
England’s Woolwich Dockyard launches King Henry VII’s flagship, the ‘Henry Grace à Dieu,’ a 165-foot-long carrack, or “great ship,” fitted with 43 cannons and 141 swivel guns. The ‘Great Harry’ holds a complement of up to 1,000 sailors and at over 1,000 tons is Europe’s biggest warship.
Henry Grace à Dieu, also known as Great Harry, was an English carrack or “great ship” of the King’s Fleet in the 16th century. Contemporary with the Mary Rose, Henry Grace à Dieu was even larger. The Great Harry was Henry VIII’s flagship. She had a large forecastle four decks high, and a stern castle two decks high. She was 165 feet long, weighing 1,000–1,500 tons and having a complement of 700–1,000 men. It is said that she was ordered by Henry VIII in response to construction of the Scottish ship Michael, launched in 1511.
Launched: 1514

wiki/Henry_Grace_à_Dieu
Marquis de Lafayette as a lieutenant general in 1791. Portrait by Joseph-Désiré Court. (© DeAgostini/Getty Images)(1777) A teenage Frenchman arrives in America to help the Patriots
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, disembarks in America after a two-month sea voyage from France. The wealthy 19-year-old will befriend future presidents Washington and Jefferson, and help train and lead revolutionary regiments against the British in America’s War of Independence.
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, in the U.S. often known simply as Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. A close friend of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette was a key figure in the French Revolution of 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830.
Born: Sep 06, 1757 · Chavaniac-Lafayette, France
Died: May 20, 1834 · Paris, France
Spouse: Adrienne de La Fayette (m. 1774 – 1807)
Children: Georges Washington de La Fayette (Son) · Marie Antoinette Virginie Motier de la Fayette (Daughter) · Anastasie Louise Pauline du Motier de La Fayette (Daughter) · Henriette du Motier de La Fayette (Daughter)
Buried: Picpus Cemetery
Parents: Michel du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (Father) · Marie Louise Jolie de La Rivière (Mother)
Highlights
  • 1774: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette married Adrienne de La Fayette on April 11, 1774; their marriage lasted 33 years till December 24, 1807.

  • 1781: In 1781, troops in Virginia under his command blocked forces led by Cornwallis until other American and French forces could position themselves for the decisive Siege of Yorktown.

  • 1781: On 14 September 1781, Washington’s forces joined Lafayette’s.

  • 1797: Lafayette returned to France after Napoleon Bonaparte secured his release in 1797, though he refused to participate in Napoleon’s government.

  • 1799: In the United States, President Jackson ordered that Lafayette receive the same memorial honors that had been bestowed on Washington’s death in December 1799.

  • 1834: On 20 May 1834, Lafayette died on 6 rue d’Anjou-Saint-Honoré in Paris (now 8 rue d’Anjou in the 8th arrondissement of Paris) at the age of 76.

wiki/Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette
Portrait of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (© Stock Montage/Getty Images)(1967) Thurgood Marshall nominated to US Supreme Court
Stating it’s “the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place,” President Lyndon Johnson nominates Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to the US Supreme Court. The first African American nominee will be confirmed and serve 24 years on the court.
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court’s 96th justice and its first African-American justice.
Lived: Jul 02, 1908 – Jan 24, 1993 (age 84)
Spouse: Cecilia Suyat (m. 1955 – 1993) · Vivian Burey (m. 1929 – 1955)
Education: Howard University School of Law · Lincoln University · Howard University · Frederick Douglass High School
Children: Thurgood Marshall, Jr. (Son)
Founded: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Parents: Norma Africa Marshall (Mother) · William Marshall (Father)
Highlights
  • 1934: He began his 25-year affiliation with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1934 by representing the organization in the law school discrimination suit Murray v. Pearson.

  • 1936: In 1936, Marshall became part of the national staff of the NAACP.

  • 1955: After her death in February 1955, Marshall married Cecilia Suyat in December of that year.

  • 1955: Thurgood Marshall married Cecilia Suyat on December 01, 1955.

  • 1965: Marshall remained on that court until 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to be the United States Solicitor General, the first African American to hold the office.

  • 1993: Marshall died of heart failure at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, at 2:58 pm on January 24, 1993, at the age of 84.

wiki/Thurgood_Marshall
In this June 30, 1971 file photo, workers in the New York Times composing room in New York look at a proof sheet of a page containing the secret Pentagon report on Vietnam (© Marty Lederhandler/AP)(1971) NY Times prints top-secret Defense Department report
The first excerpt of a leaked government report detailing US involvement in Vietnam is published on the front page of the New York Times. The top-secret ‘Pentagon Papers’ will expose secret bombing campaigns, government lies, and motivations behind the Vietnam War never before revealed to the public.
The Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States’ political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. The papers were released by Daniel Ellsberg, who had worked on the study; they were first brought to the attention of the public on the front page of The New York Times in 1971. A 1996 article in The New York Times said that the Pentagon Papers had demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration “systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress”.
Dissident Activities in Indochina

wiki/Pentagon_Papers
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Today in History 06/06/17

British philanthropist Sir George Williams, founder of the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association), circa 1895 (© Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1844) Young Men’s Christian Association offers London refuge
George Williams, formerly of rural Somerset, England, and now working as a draper in London, is shocked by the decadence of city life and so opens the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) to give other Industrial Revolution laborers a wholesome alternative to taverns and brothels.
The Young Men’s Christian Association is a worldwide organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 57 million beneficiaries from 125 national associations. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London and aims to put Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy “body, mind, and spirit.” These three angles are reflected by the different sides of the triangle—part of all YMCA logos.
Website: www.ymca.int
Founded: Jun 06, 1844
Headquarters: Geneva
Founder: George Williams
Phone number: +1 8008729622

wiki/YMCA
Vehicles fill a drive-in theater circa 1950s (© New York Times Co./Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1933) America’s car and movie mania meet in New Jersey
Richard Hollingshead opens his “automobile movie theatre” in Camden County, New Jersey, featuring 400 car slots, a 40-x-50-foot screen, and three 6-foot speakers. The feature at the first US drive-in theater is ‘Wives Beware,’ with admission costing a quarter per car and customer.
A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-ins have small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches.
Inventor: Richard Hollingshead

wiki/Drive-in_theater
Some of the first assault troops to hit the Normandy, France beachhead take cover behind enemy obstacles to fire on German forces during World War II, June 6, 1944 (© AP )(1944) Allied invasion of Europe begins
Four years and two days after Allied forces evacuated from the European mainland, they return in the Normandy landings, the largest amphibious military assault in history. By the end of the day, 5,000 vessels land 160,000 troops on the French coastline, launching the push to defeat Germany.
The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control, and contributed to the Allied victory on the Western Front.
Date: Jun 06, 1944
D-Day Landing

wiki/Normandy_landings
Portrait of American television show host Ed Sullivan in 1971 (© CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)(1971) ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ signs off after 22 years
Truly a ‘really big show,’ Ed Sullivan’s CBS variety hour ends after reigning as perhaps the most widely seen show biz showcase in US history. The Sunday evening staple helped launch the biggest stars of the era, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, and The Supremes.
Ed Sullivan’s show was straight out of old vaudeville; brief acts of every description, from slapstick comedy to operatic arias. At least once, he showed a film, the only known film of Anna Pavlova (doing her Swan Dance). The Muppets’ first TV appearance was on Ed Sullivan. Stiff and expressionless, with a peculiar voice and a talent for mispronunciation, Sullivan was at least as recognizable as Cronkite to early 60’s viewers.
First episode: Jun 20, 1948
Episode duration: 60 minutes
Creators: Ed Sullivan · Marlo Lewis
Theme song: Toast
Producer: Chester Feldman
Awards: Peabody Award · Primetime Emmy Award for Best Variety Series · Golden Globe Award for Television Achievement

wiki/The_Ed_Sullivan_Show
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Today in History 03/26/17

Illustration of the Combat of the Thirty by Pierre Le Baud (Public domain)(1351) The Combat of the Thirty tests chivalry’s limits
Thirty of the best knights from France, and 30 from England, fight with spears, axes, and daggers over who will rule Brittany. Contemporaries hail it as a shining example of chivalry, while historians will see a dark underside.
The Combat of the Thirty was an episode in the Breton War of Succession, a war fought to determine who would rule the Duchy of Brittany. It was an arranged fight between picked combatants from both sides of the conflict.
Date: Mar 26, 1351

wiki/Combat_of_the_Thirty
F. Scott Fitzgerald circa 1920s (© Röhnert/ullstein bild/Getty Images)(1920) F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel is published
Princeton dropout, Army vet, and car-roof repairman F. Scott Fitzgerald sees his first novel, ‘This Side of Paradise,’ published. Its popular and critical success will announce the 23-year-old author as the poet of the Jazz Age. He’ll finish just three other novels in his lifetime, including ‘The Great Gatsby.’
This Side of Paradise is the debut novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920 and taking its title from a line of Rupert Brooke’s poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post–World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive Princeton University student who dabbles in literature. The novel explores the theme of love warped by greed and status seeking.
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
First published: Mar 26, 1920
Number of pages: 305
Characters: Beatrice Blaine · Amory Blaine · Monsignor Darcy · Rosalind Connage · Isabelle Borgé
Genre: Novel

wiki/This_Side_of_Paradise
Pakistani students rally in support of greater autonomy for East Pakistan during a rally in Dacca, Bangladesh in March 1971 (© Michel Laurent/Getty Images)(1971) East Pakistan officially becomes Bangladesh
A Declaration of Independence is issued as East Pakistan formally breaks away from West Pakistan, renaming itself the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. A nine-month war and genocide, especially targeting Bengalis, will follow.
Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It shares land borders with India and Myanmar. Nepal, Bhutan and China are located near Bangladesh but do not share a border with it. The country’s maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal is roughly equal to the size of its land area. Bangladesh is the world’s eighth most populous country. Dhaka is its capital and largest city, followed by Chittagong which has the country’s largest port.
Founded: Mar 26, 1971
GDP: $195.08 billion USD (2015)
Population: 161 million (2015)
Area: 55,598 sq miles (143,998 km²)
Calling code: 880
Capital: Dhaka

wiki/Bangladesh
(From left) Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin in a three-way handshake at the White House on March 26, 1979 (© AFP/Getty Images)(1979) Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty ends 30-year war
Seven months after meeting with US President Jimmy Carter for peace talks at Camp David, Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel sign a treaty ending decades of conflict between their two countries.
The Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty (Arabic: معاهدة السلام المصرية الإسرائيلية‎‎, Mu`āhadat as-Salām al-Misrīyah al-‘Isrā’īlīyah; Hebrew: הסכם השלום בין ישראל למצרים‎‎, Heskem HaShalom Bein Yisrael LeMitzrayim) was signed in Washington, D.C., United States on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The Egypt–Israel treaty was signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, and witnessed by United States president Jimmy Carter.
wiki/Egypt–Israel_Peace_Treaty
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Today in History 02/09/17

Colorized engraving of American soldier, politician and President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis , mid 1800s. (© Stock Montage/Getty Images)(1861) Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis is elected president by the Confederate States Congress, but will gain no diplomatic recognition from foreign countries. He will be captured and charged with treason in 1865 after the South loses the Civil War, but will be released after two years without trial.
Jefferson Finis Davis was an American politician who was a U.S. Representative and Senator from Mississippi, the 23rd U.S. Secretary of War, and the President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He took personal charge of the Confederate war plans but was unable to find a strategy to defeat the more populous and industrialized Union. His diplomatic efforts failed to gain recognition from any foreign country, and at home, the collapsing Confederate economy forced his government to print more and more paper money to cover the war’s expenses, leading to runaway inflation and devaluation of the Confederate dollar.
Lived: Jun 03, 1808 – Dec 06, 1889 (age 81)
Spouse: Varina Davis (m. 1845 – 1889) · Sarah Knox Taylor (m. 1835 – 1835)
Education: United States Military Academy · Transylvania University · Jefferson College
Buried: Hollywood Cemetery
Previous offices: President of the Confederate States of America (1862 – 1865) · President of the Confederate States of America (1861 – 1865) · United States Senator MS (1857 – 1861) · United States Secretary of War
Party: Democratic Party
Highlights
  • 1844: In 1844, Davis met Varina Banks Howell, then 17 years old, whom his brother Joseph had invited for the Christmas season at Hurricane Plantation.

  • 1845: Jefferson Davis married Varina Davis on February 26, 1845.

  • 1861: He was inaugurated on February 18, 1861.

  • 1865: President Davis met with his Confederate Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865, in Washington, Georgia, and officially dissolved the Confederate government.

  • 1865: On June 15, 1865, Union soldiers seized Davis’s personal baggage from the agent, together with some of the Confederate government’s records.

  • 1889: Just when he appeared to be improving, he lost consciousness on the evening of December 5 and died at 12:45 a.m. on Friday, December 6, 1889, in the presence of several friends and with his hand in Varina’s.

wiki/Jefferson_Davis
Sick and starving Japanese soldiers being taken down to the beach by American troops after the capture of an enemy stronghold on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands (© Keystone/Getty Images)(1943) Battle of Guadalcanal ends with American victory
One of the longest and most ferocious battles of WWII comes to an end, as Japanese forces retreat from Guadalcanal Island. It will be the first in a series of decisive American victories in the South Pacific.
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and code-named Operation Watchtower, originally applying only to an operation to take the island of Tulagi, by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II. It was the first major offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.
Start date: Aug 07, 1942
End date: Feb 09, 1943

wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign
Sen. Joseph McCarthy's at a March 9, 1950 session of a hearing on McCarthy's charges of Communist infiltration in the state department (© Herbert K. White/AP)(1950) Senator McCarthy claims US government full of communists
Brandishing a list of 205 “known communists” in the State Department, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy warns of “enemies from within” during a speech that will propel him to infamy as the ringleader of America’s Red Scare in the post-WWII era.
Joseph Raymond “Joe” McCarthy was an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion. He was noted for making claims that there were large numbers of Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers inside the United States federal government and elsewhere. Ultimately, the controversy he generated led him to be censured by the United States Senate.
Lived: Nov 14, 1908 – May 02, 1957 (age 48)
Spouse: Jean Kerr (m. 1953 – 1957)
Movies: Point of Order
Parties: Republican Party · Democratic Party
Previous office: United States Senator WI (1947 – 1957)
Parents: Timothy McCarthy (Father) · Bridget Tierney (Mother)
Highlights
  • 1950: The term “McCarthyism”, coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy’s practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist activities.

  • 1953: In 1953, McCarthy married Jean Kerr, a researcher in his office.

  • 1954: McCarthy subpoenaed Peress to appear before his subcommittee on January 30, 1954.

  • 1954: On March 9, 1954, Vermont Republican Senator Ralph E. Flanders gave a humor-laced speech on the Senate floor, questioning McCarthy’s tactics in fighting communism, likening McCarthyism to “housecleaning” with “much clatter and hullabaloo”.

  • 1954: To counter the negative publicity, McCarthy appeared on See It Now on April 6, 1954, and made a number of charges against the popular Murrow, including the accusation that he colluded with VOKS, the “Russian espionage and propaganda organization”.

  • 1957: McCarthy died in Bethesda Naval Hospital on May 2, 1957, at the age of 48.

wiki/Joseph_McCarthy
Satchel Paige answers questions in New York, Feb. 9, 1971, after being voted into the Baseball's Hall of Fame in a special category designed to honor the outstanding stars of the Negro Leagues. In the background is a photo of Paige in his playing years with the St. Louis Browns. (© Ed Ford/AP)(1971) Baseball Hall of Fame nominates Satchel Paige
Arguably the greatest pitcher in baseball history is recognized for the sport’s highest honor, as Satchel Paige becomes the first player from the segregated Negro Leagues to be voted into the Hall.
Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige was an American Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball pitcher who became a legend in his own lifetime by being known as perhaps the best pitcher in baseball history, by his longevity in the game, and by attracting record crowds wherever he pitched.
Born: Jul 07, 1906 · Mobile, AL
Died: Jun 08, 1982 · Kansas City, MO
Height: 6′ 3″ (1.90 m)
Spouse: Lahoma Brown (m. 1947 – 1982) · Janet Howard (m. 1934 – 1943)
Children: Lula Ouida Paige (Daughter) · Pamela Jean Paige (Daughter) · Rita Jean Paige (Daughter) · Linda Sue Paige (Daughter) · Carolyn Lahoma Paige (Daughter) · Robert LeRoy Paige (Son)
Highlights
  • 1934: On October 26, 1934, Paige married his longtime sweetheart Janet Howard.

  • 1936: In 1936, Paige returned to Pittsburgh where Greenlee acquiesced to Paige’s salary demands and gave him a $600-per-month contract, by far the highest in the Negro leagues.

  • 1938: Six days later he struck out 18 Nashville Elite Giants, a number that was tied in the white majors by Bob Feller in 1938.

  • 1939: On September 22, 1939, in the second game of a double-header against the powerful American Giants, Paige won a 1–0 game, striking out 10 men in the seven innings before the game was called on account of darkness.

  • 1961: At the age of 55, in 1961, Paige signed on with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League, pitching twenty-five innings, striking out 19 and giving up eight earned runs.

  • 1982: Paige died of a heart attack during a power failure at his home in Kansas City on June 8, 1982, a month before his 76th birthday.

wiki/Satchel_Paige
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