1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.

1963 - I Have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963.

June 17, 1972 – August 9, 1974 - Watergate Scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Members of President Richard Nixon's administration attempted to cover up their involvement. The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of several administration officials.
1973 - January 22 - Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179: The U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S.

1973 - March 29 - The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam

The cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper of Motorola. On April 3, 1973, he made the first handheld mobile phone call with the Motorola DynaTAC. This device weighed 2.5 pounds and was 10 inches long, offering 30 minutes of talk time and requiring 10 hours to charge. The first commercial cell phone was released in 1983, revolutionizing communication and leading to the modern smartphones we use today.

1981 - June 5 - First reported case of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
1986 - January 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger accident - The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

1989 - The World Wide Web is invented at CERN (Tim Berners-Lee, UK)
2001 - September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Coordinated terrorist attacks by the extremist group al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, leading to significant changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy, including the War on Terror.
Obituary
Thompson - Russell C. Kopas, age 64, died Monday, June 4, 2012, at UMASS Memorial Health Care - University Campus, Worcester.
He leaves his wife of 43 years, Eileen M. (Johnson) Kopas of Thompson; a son, David R. and his wife Monique Kopas of Thompson, Russell's granddaughter, Ariel Kopas; a brother, Brian D. Kopas of Dudley.
He was born in Worcester, son of Charles E. Kopas of Dudley and the late Barbara M. (Korch) Kopas. He lived in Dudley before moving to Thompson 35 years ago. He was a United States Army veteran, having served in Vietnam. He was a textile factory worker, having worked many years at Cranston Print Works in Webster.
There are no calling hours. Funeral services and burial are private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, 48 School Street, Webster is directing arrangements.
Charitable donations may be made in Russell's memory to the following
Death — 20124 June 2012
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
He died at the age of 64.
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