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
SURRY - Roger F. Billings, 60, died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, at his home. He was the husband of Ruth T. Billings. Mr. Billings was born April 23, 1948, in Miami, the son of Priscilla Robb Billings and Elliot A. Billings. He grew up in Miami and in Falmouth, Mass. A graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., Mr. Billings enjoyed a peripatetic college career that began at Colby College, Waterville, and culminated in degrees in English and business from Framingham (Mass.) State College. He spent nearly 40 years working in business operations and financial management. At the time of his death, Mr. Billings was controller of Brooklin Boat Yard, Brooklin. An accomplished sailor, Roger learned to sail at the Coral Reef Yacht Club, Coral Gables, Fla. He was a lifetime member of Quissett Yacht Club, Falmouth, Mass., where he raced and taught throughout his youth. He represented the U.S. in sailing in the Junior Olympics and completed The Transatlantic Race on the yawl Shearwater in 1969.
Birth — 1948
Death — 2009
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