President John F. Kennedy
Today in History: October 22
Today in History: October 22: In 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a naval blockade of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the island nation. In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas. In 1928, Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover spoke of the “American system of rugged individualism” in a speech at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In 1934, bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio. In 1968, Apollo 7 returned safely from Earth orbit, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1995, the largest gathering of world leaders in history marked the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. In 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and received a lifetime ban from Olympic sports after the International Cycling Union chose not to appeal doping charges against Armstrong. In 2014, a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament building before he himself was shot and killed. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. (The Cubs would go on to win the World Series.)
Today in History: October 16
Today in History: October 16: In 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis began; In 1793 Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was beheaded; In 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry; In 1934, Chinese Communists, under siege by the Nationalists, began their “long march”; In 1964, China set off its first atomic bomb; In 1978, John Paul II was elected Pope; In 1995, the Million Man March was held in Washington D.C.
Today in History: September 12
Today in History: September 12: This day seems to be connected to outer space exploration. In 1959, the Soviet Union launched “Luna 2.” In 1962, President Kennedy committed to sending a man to the moon. In 2013, Voyager 1 exited the solar system.