Video: '#11 James K Polk'
(Friday, June 15, 1849, a few minutes before 5:00 p.m. local time) — James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States (1845-1849) and 13th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1835-1839), died this evening in Nashville, only 103 days after leaving office. Continue reading Former U.S. President James K. Polk dies 170 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 15 1849)
Video: 'King George VI And Queen Elizabeth In Washington (1939)'
(Thursday, June 8, 1939, 11:00 a.m. EDT) — With war clouds looming on the European continent, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, welcomed Britain’s King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, today at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Continue reading FDR welcomes Britain’s King George and Queen Elizabeth to Washington 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 8 1939)
Video: 'The Doomed Voyage of the St Louis Documentary'
(Sunday, June 4, 1939) — “Sailing so close to Florida that they could see the lights of Miami,” 907 passengers aboard MS St. Louis, most of them Jewish refugees seeking asylum from Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany, arrived off the American coast today, only to be denied entry into the United States. Continue reading 907 Jewish refugees from Germany aboard MS St. Louis off Florida coast denied U.S. entry 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1939)
(Sunday, April 30, 1939, 3:12 p.m. EDT) — Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to deliver a speech on live television today as he officially opened the 1939–40 New York World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, a public park in the northern part of Queens, New York City. Continue reading FDR delivers first televised presidential speech 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 30 1939)
(Thursday, April 30, 1789, at about 1:00 p.m. local time) — George Washington, 57, was inaugurated as the first President of the United States today at Federal Hall in New York City, then the nation’s capitol, with Chancellor Robert Livingston, the highest judicial officer in the state of New York, administrating the oath of office. Continue reading George Washington sworn-in as first President of the United States 230 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 30 1789)
Video: 'Interview with Sirhan Sirhan'
(Thursday, April 17, 1969, 10:47 a.m. PST) — Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was convicted today of the June 1968 first-degree murder of U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, punishable by either life imprisonment or the death penalty. Continue reading Sirhan found guilty of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 17 1969)
Video: 'NATO 60th Anniversary: 1949 Footage of the Original Signing Session of the North Atlantic Treaty'
(Monday, April 4, 1949, 4:30 p.m. EST; during the Cold War) — 12 nations, including the United States, signed the North Atlantic Treaty today at the Departmental Auditorium in Washington, D.C., by a committee chaired by U.S. diplomat Theodore Achilles. Continue reading 12 nations sign North Atlantic Treaty in Washington 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 4 1949)
Video: 'Death of President Dwight Eisenhower NBC News Huntley Brinkley Report'
(Friday, March 28, 12:25 p.m. EST) — Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953-1961), died today of congestive heart failure at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He was 78 years old. Continue reading Former POTUS Dwight D. Eisenhower dies 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Mar 28 1969)
Video: 'The CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite - March 26, 1979 - Egypt - Israel Peace Treaty'
(Monday, March 26, 1979, 2:11 p.m. EST) — After confronting each other for nearly 31 years as hostile neighbors, Egypt and Israel signed the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty at the White House today to establish peace and “normal and friendly relations.” Continue reading Egypt, Israel sign formal treaty ending three decades of war 40 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Mar 26 1979)
Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History - Cambodia and Laos [8/11]' (Operation Menu at 16:38)
(Tuesday, March 18, 1969, evening local time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Cambodian Civil War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Operation Menu, a covert U.S. bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia on sanctuaries and Base Areas of the North Vietnamese Army and forces of the Viet Cong, began tonight with a raid by 60 B-52 Stratofortress bombers, based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Continue reading Operation Menu: Covert bombing of Cambodia by U.S. planes begins 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Mar 18 1969)
