Video: 'The 50 days of Egon Krenz(english) - ZDF History - 2016'
(Monday, August 25, 1997) — Egon Krenz, the last hard-line Communist leader of East Germany, was convicted today in Berlin of manslaughter for the shooting deaths of people trying to cross the Berlin Wall during the Cold War and sentenced to six years in prison. Continue reading Ex-East German chief gets six years for deaths at Wall 20 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 25 1997)
Video: '007-Rachel Kennedy-Clayton Lonetree'
(Friday, August 21, 1987, evening EDT; during the Cold War) — Sgt. Clayton J. Lonetree became the first U.S. Marine to be convicted of spying against the United States as he was found guilty tonight in Quantico, Virginia, of passing secrets to the KGB. Continue reading First U.S. Marine to be tried for spying convicted 30 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 21 1987)
Video: 'Vietnam a Television History Episode 10' (August 17, 1967, at 10:47)
(Thursday, August 17, 1967; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Under Secretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach said today that Congress had authorized President Lyndon Johnson “to use the armed forces of the United States in whatever way was necessary” when it passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in August 1964. Continue reading Katzenbach defends U.S. actions in Vietnam 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 17 1967)
Video: 'Pilot Gary Powers died here'
(Monday, August 1, 1977, at about 12:40 p.m. PDT; during the Cold War) — Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 espionage flight over the Soviet Union touched off a crisis in Soviet-American relations in 1960, was killed today with his cameraman, George Spears, when the helicopter he piloted as a reporter for KNBC-TV ran out of fuel and crashed into a field near Encino, Los Angeles. Continue reading U-2 spy pilot Gary Powers killed in helicopter crash 40 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 1 1977)
Video: 'USS FORRESTAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER FIRE TRIAL BY FIRE MOVIE 1967 42704'
(Saturday, July 29, 1967, 10:51:21 a.m. local time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — An accidental rocket launch on the deck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal today in the Gulf of Tonkin resulted in a fire and explosions that killed 134 U.S. Navy sailors and officers. Continue reading 134 servicemen killed by fire, explosions aboard USS Forrestal 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (July 29 1967)
(Saturday, July 26, 1947, 12:15 p.m. EDT; during the Cold War) — President Harry S. Truman today (aboard his VC-54C presidential aircraft Sacred Cow, the first aircraft used for the role of Air Force One) signed the National Security Act of 1947, which merged the Department of War (renamed as the Department of the Army) and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment (NME), headed by the Secretary of Defense. Continue reading President Truman signs National Security Act of 1947 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (July 26 1947)
Video: '45 85 Part 2' (July 2, 1947, at 6:33)
(Wednesday, July 2, 1947; during the Cold War) — Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov walked out of a conference with representatives of the British and French governments today in Paris, signaling the Soviet Union’s rejection of the Marshall Plan (officially known as the European Recovery Program, ERP), an American initiative to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. Continue reading Soviets reject Marshall Plan European recovery 70 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 2 1947)
Video: '1967 Glassboro Summit'
(Friday, June 23, 1967, 11:22 a.m. EDT; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — President Lyndon B. Johnson, Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin and their advisers opened a three-day summit today at Glassboro State College in New Jersey, talking for five-and-a-half hours about the Middle East, Vietnam and arms control. Continue reading LBJ hosts Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin at Glassboro Summit Conference 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 23 1967)
Video: 'NBC News - Muhammad Ali on not going to war'
(Tuesday, June 20, 1967; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Muhammad Ali, the deposed heavyweight boxing champion, was convicted by a jury tonight in Houston of violating the U.S. Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. Continue reading Ali convicted for refusing draft, gets five years in prison 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 20 1967)
Video: 'President Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech - June 12, 1987'
(Friday, June 12, 1987, 2:20 p.m. CEST) — U.S. President Ronald Reagan, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev today to “tear down this wall,” referring to the Berlin Wall which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. Continue reading Reagan challenges Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall!’ in Berlin 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 12 1987)
