8-15-12: Today in History

[Rockntractor]

Lead Story
The Woodstock festival opens in Bethel, New York, 1969
American Revolution
"Swamp Fox" routs loyalists while Gates' men fall ill, 1780
Automotive
Henry Ford leaves Edison to start automobile company, 1899
Civil War
Anderson named Department of Kentucky commander, 1861
Cold War
Khrushchev announces he is ready to begin arms talks, 1964
Crime
Wife of slain minister released from jail, 2006
Disaster
Hurricane Alicia pounds Texas coast, 1983
General Interest
Malcolm slays Macbeth, 1057
Panama Canal open to traffic, 1914
India and Pakistan win independence, 1947
Berlin Wall built, 1961
Hollywood
Apocalypse Now released, 1979
Literary
Edna Ferber, author of Show Boat, is born, 1887
Old West
Indian captive William Wells is killed, 1812
Presidential
Hoover looks to combat drought and economic depression, 1930
Sports
Charles Comiskey born, 1859
Vietnam War
Heavy fighting erupts in and around the DMZ, 1968
Woodstock begins in upstate New York, 1969
Regional Forces victorious, 1970
North Vietnamese capture Vietnamese marine base, 1971
World War I
Japan gives ultimatum to Germany, 1914
World War II
The Japanese emperor speaks, 1945

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

[Retread]

1836 - Philip Sublett nominated Sam Houston for president of the Republic of Texas.

1855 - The first Feast of Assumption celebration was held in a small Czech community southern Fayette County. Three years later the community was named Praha. It had previously been known as Mulberry and Hottentot.

1895 - The first U.S. battleship to be named USS Texas was commissioned. Its name was changed to USS San Marcos in 1911.

1935 - Texas native Wiley Post and humorist Will Rogers were killed in a plane crash at Point Barrow, Alaska.

1983 - In Galveston and Houston, TX, Hurricane Alicia killed 21 people. (August 15-21)
personal note - we, in Wichita Falls, TX loaded up a couple of guys with a truckload of clothes, food etc and sent them packing to Corpus Christi to our fellow employees there. A few years later as an employee in CC I was involved in sending a return truck to WF following a major tornado - what goes around, comes around.

1993 - Nolan Ryan got his 324th and final victory. The Texas Rangers beat the Indians 4-1.