This Day In History

On October 28, 1956, Elvis Presley received a widely publicized polio vaccination before appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. The event put a familiar face behind a public health message: teenagers, too, needed protection from polio.

On October 27, 1964, Ronald Reagan took a campaign speech for Barry Goldwater to a national television audience. His address introduced many Americans to Reagan as a political speaker and helped bring him wider attention.

On October 26, 1881, the Earp brothers took on the Clanton-McLaury Gang at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The shootout became one of the most famous events in the Old West.

Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa was established on October 25, 1949. The monument protects and interprets the history behind about 200 mounds built by Native Americans centuries ago.

On July 20, 1969, the US effectively won the Space Race when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle lunar module on the Moon’s surface.

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into space when he launched aboard Freedom 7. The brief suborbital flight lasted just over 15 minutes, but it marked a turning point in the United States’ early space efforts.

On March 29, 1974, Mariner 10 became the first space probe to fly by Mercury. It would eventually send back over 2,700 photos, capturing nearly half of the planet’s surface.

On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov did what no human had ever done before—he stepped out of a spacecraft and into the vacuum of space. Suspended above Earth with only a thin tether holding him to life, Leonov’s daring walk marked a turning point in the early Space Race.

On October 29, 1921, William “Bill” Mauldin was born in Mountain Park, New Mexico. Before he turned 40, his sharp, honest cartoons of weary GIs had earned him two Pulitzer Prizes — and the lasting respect of those who served.

On October 29, 1929, the worst stock market crash in history occurred, marking the start of the decade-long Great Depression. FDR’s New Deal and Works Progress Administration helped the US recover.

On October 29, 1863, representatives from around the world joined together to establish the International Red Cross. It’s the oldest and one of the most well-recognized humanitarian organizations in the world.

Actress and singer Fanny Brice was born Fania Borach on October 29, 1891, in New York City.  Most well known for her radio character Baby Snooks, she was the inspiration for the musical and film Funny Girl.