Vietnam War – Operation Rolling Thunder Ended……
October 31, 1968…….
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that the U.S. will cease the bombing of North Vietnam, just before the Presidential election. This would bring an end to 3½ years of Operation Rolling Thunder. The campaign had cost more than 900 American aircraft, 818 pilots dead or missing, and hundreds in captivity. Nearly 120 Vietnam People’s Air Force planes were also destroyed in air combat, accidents, or by friendly fire. According to U.S. estimates, 182,000 North Vietnamese civilians had been killed and 22,000 Chinese support personnel were also casualties of the bombing campaign.
The Game that Changed Football…….
November 1, 1913……..
During the first Army vs. Notre Dame football game, Notre Dame uses the forward pass to win 35-13 and revolutionize football. Notre Dame’s quarterback Charley “Gus” Dorais and receiver Knute Rockne were able to use the forward pass to counteract Army’s size advantage. Dorais completed 14 of 17 attempts for 243 yards. Previously, receivers would come to a stop and wait for the ball, but Dorais passed to Rockne while Rockne was in full stride. American football would never be the same again, as the forward pass went from a seldom-used play to a major strategy of the game.
Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose……..
November 2, 1947……..
The billionaire Howard Hughes flies his 200-ton wooden aircraft for its first and only flight, flying for 26 seconds at 70 ft (21 m) off the water at a speed of 135 miles per hour (217 km/h) for about one mile (1.6 km). It was contracted in 1942 for the war effort, but wasn’t completed until 1947, well after the war had ended. It cost $23 million (equivalent to $211 million in 2019 dollars) to build. It was the world’s largest plane at the time and was built from wood due to WWII restrictions on the use of aluminum and other war materials. Although called the Spruce Goose, it was made almost entirely of birch.