Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth’s season home-run record with 61st round-tripper 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1961)

1960s


Video: 'Roger Maris 1961 - 61st Home Run as Called by Red Barber, WPIX-TV, 10/1/1961'

(Sunday, October 1, 1961, 1:46 p.m. EDT) — Baseball player Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run of the season in the fourth inning of the last game of the season (against the Boston Red Sox) today at Yankee Stadium in New York, breaking Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old record of 60 set in 1927. Continue reading Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth’s season home-run record with 61st round-tripper 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1961) →

Majdanek concentration camp near Lublin in German-occupied Poland becomes operational 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1941)

1940s, The Holocaust, World War II


Video: 'Majdanek Concentration Camp' (23 videos)

(Wednesday, October 1, 1941; during The Holocaust, part of World War II) — Majdanek (or Lublin), a Nazi concentration and extermination camp built and operated by the SS on the outskirts of the city of Lublin during the German occupation of Poland in World War II, became operational today. Continue reading Majdanek concentration camp near Lublin in German-occupied Poland becomes operational 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1941) →

Walt Disney World entertainment resort complex opens near Orlando 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1971)

1970s, Television, Television 1960s


Video: 'Disney World Opens - 1971 | Today In History | 1 Oct 18'

(Friday, October 1, 1971, 10:00 a.m. EDT) — Walt Disney World, an entertainment resort complex near Orlando, Florida, opened this morning. Continue reading Walt Disney World entertainment resort complex opens near Orlando 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1971) →

Special SS squads begin massacring nearly 34,000 Jewish men, women and children at Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 29 1941)

1940s, The Holocaust, World War II


Video: 'The Rape of Humanity at Babi Yar - War Against Humanity 019 - September 1941 Pt. 2' (Sept. 29, 1941, at 6:09)

(Monday, September 29, 1941, approximately 8:00 a.m. Central European Summer Time; during the Babi Yar massacre and The Holocaust, part of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front of World War II) — SS and German police units and their auxiliaries, under guidance of members of Einsatzgruppe C, began murdering a large portion of the Jewish population of Kiev today at Babi Yar, a ravine northwest of the city. Continue reading Special SS squads begin massacring nearly 34,000 Jewish men, women and children at Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 29 1941) →

Former U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon announces he’ll run for governor in California, bars 1964 presidential bid 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 27 1961)

1960s, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'Nixon Speaks On His Future (1961)'

(Wednesday, September 27, 1961, scheduled for 7:00 PST) — Former Vice President Richard M. Nixon, who had narrowly lost the U.S. presidential race in 1960, announced tonight in Los Angeles that he would not run for president in 1964, and that he would run for Governor of California in 1962, challenging incumbent Democrat Edmund G. “Pat” Brown. Continue reading Former U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon announces he’ll run for governor in California, bars 1964 presidential bid 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 27 1961) →

‘Blue Champagne’ by Jimmy Dorsey peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago today #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 27 1941)

1940s, Popular Music 1940s

(Saturday, September 27, 1941) — “Blue Champagne” by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (fox trot vocal chorus by Bob Eberly) peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart for one week. Continue reading ‘Blue Champagne’ by Jimmy Dorsey peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago today #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 27 1941) →

Sandra Day O’Connor sworn in as first female justice on U.S. Supreme Court 40 years ago this hour (Sep 25 1981)

1980s, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'Sandra Day O’Connor: her milestones and legacy'

(Friday, September 25, 1981, a few minutes past 2:00 p.m. EDT) — Sandra Day O’Connor took her seat today as the 102nd Justice and the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

President Ronald Reagan, who fulfilled a campaign promise to name a woman to the Court by nominating the 51-year-old Arizona judge, attended the brief ceremony in the courtroom.

The ceremony, formally known as an investiture, lasted barely 10 minutes. The courtroom was filled well beyond its 400-seat capacity with Judge O’Connor’s family and friends and with Government officials, including a number of Senators. The Senate confirmed Judge O’Connor on Tuesday by a vote of 99 to 0.

Potter Stewart, whose retirement from the Court in July paved the way for today’s event, watched from a seat at the side of the courtroom.

The Chief Justice administered the oath of office, which is identical with that taken by all Federal officials.

‘I Woke Up in Love This Morning’ by The Partridge Family peaks at #13 in USA 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 25 1971)

1970s, Popular Music 1970s

(Saturday, September 25, 1971) — “I Woke Up in Love This Morning” by The Partridge Family peaked at #13 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the first of two weeks. Continue reading ‘I Woke Up in Love This Morning’ by The Partridge Family peaks at #13 in USA 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 25 1971) →

‘The Mountain’s High” by Dick and Dee Dee peaks at #2 in USA 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 25 1961)

1960s, Popular Music 1960s

(Monday, September 25, 1961) — “The Mountain’s High” by Dick and Dee Dee peaked at #2 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the first of two weeks. Continue reading ‘The Mountain’s High” by Dick and Dee Dee peaks at #2 in USA 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 25 1961) →

U.S. President John F. Kennedy says Western powers will defend Berlin by ‘whatever means’ in address to UN General Assembly 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 25 1961)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'TNC:20 (excerpt) JFK on Nuclear Weapons'

(Monday, September 25, 1961, 11:30 a.m. EDT; during the Cold War) — Six weeks after construction of the Berlin Wall began, U.S. President John F. Kennedy told the United Nations today that’ the United States and its allies have decided to defend West Berlin by “whatever means are forced upon them.” Continue reading U.S. President John F. Kennedy says Western powers will defend Berlin by ‘whatever means’ in address to UN General Assembly 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 25 1961) →