What Happened Today

In 1959, Buddy Holly was one of the biggest Rock 'n' Roll stars, the Big Bopper was a chart topper, and Richie Valens was a 17 year old sensation. They all were on a Midwest tour, playing small venues throughout the early part of 1959. The winter tour was poorly planned and saw a series of bus problems and health issues from the cold among the musicians. Therefore, after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly arranged for a plane to take him and his band to their next stop. Shortly after takeoff, however, the young pilot lost control of the plane, and all four people onboard died instantly. This would seem to be a groundbreaking moment in Rock 'n' Roll's arc, with the musicians involved seeming to have been snuffed out with so much work ahead of them. It also came at a time when much of the rock world was suffering from other losses. The event would later be christened as "The Day the Music Died," but actually it was a setback and Rock 'n' Roll would pick right back up with groups influenced by Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper.

Alexander Selkirk was a Scottish sailor and privateer, who became notable first when he insisted on being let off on a remote island from his voyage, declaring that he believed the ship was dangerous. As soon as he saw the ship sail away from the island of Mas a Tierra, Selkirk regretted his decision. Nonetheless, Selkirk had to survive, using only the musket, knife, hatchet, clothing, and bedding he was left with by his former shipmates. He managed to hunt goats, build two cabins, and domesticate feral cats to chase away the rats. He stayed sane through reading the Bible and fit through hunting. Eventually, over four years after he was stranded, a British ship came to Mas a Tierra. Selkirk was overjoyed and joined the mission, not returning to Britian for another two years. Once he did, he was a celebrity, inspiring Daniel DeFoe to write Robinson Crusoe.

When Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr, and David Richmond sat down at a Woolworth's lunch counter, they were seeking to do more than simply get some food. They were directly challenging the segregationist laws and practices of the Jim Crow South. Although their protest effort was a little more than four years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Civil Rights Movement had slowed down somewhat. By sitting at the Woolworth's lunch counter and refusing to leave, the four young men helped kick off a new chapter in the Civil Rights Movement. The next day, dozens of fellow students and a small contingent of the media show up when the sit-in is continued the next day. The Greensboro sit-in would then be a model for students in the rest of the state and then the rest of the South. The embrace of the principles of nonviolent resistance by the Greensboro sit-in helped lead a new successful wave of protests against Jim Crow laws.

Eddie Slovik is the only person executed for desertion by the United States Military since the American Civil War. Until he was actually executed, Eddie Slovik's story is not particularly uncommon. Slovik was an ex-con, who had spent most of his teen years in prison, and so was initially not drafted. In the final stages, the standards changed, and Slovik, recently married after finding a steady job, was called into the Army. As soon as he made his way to France, Slovik hated the idea of fighting. So he deserted. Typically, deserters were brought before a court martial, and then given a death sentence. Slovik's case took a turn when no one, from the sentencing officer to Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to commute his sentence. That is how Eddie Slovik became the only American soldier executed for desertion in World War II.

When Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland was executed for treason against the state of England, much of the world and a large portion of England was appalled. Executing a sovereign was an unheard of event, but it also happened after a series of events that made it clear Charles would be executed. Charles was tried by a High Court of Justice, which was assembled by the "Rump Parliament." The Rump Parliament was the smaller Parliament of England that existed after Pride's Purge, a culling of the opponents of the New Model Army by Colonel Thomas Pride. That Parliament was the successor of the Long Parliament, which first met five years before and was the inciting element of the English Civil War. The English Civil War pitted Royalist forces against Parliamentary forces, with Parliament winning decisively. When Charles tried to change the terms of the end of that Civil War, he was basically saying he would declare war against Parliament. So they arrested him, tried him for treason, and executd him.

During his first State of the Union Address after the September 11th terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush specifically cited the threat of an "Axis of Evil," which consisted of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Other than all seeking chemical or nuclear weapons, these states had very little in common. More strikingly, none of them had anything to do with the September 11th attacks. Instead, speechwriter David Frum was given the brief of detailing an argument for going to war against Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq. He made a larger point, making an ominous warning about possible future, unknown attacks from state actors. Just a little over a year later, fueled by the emotions generated by the September 11th attacks, the Bush administration led the country into a war with Iraq. Osama bin Laden, the actual mastermind of the terror attacks, would not be killed until 2011.

The Franco-Prussian War was not a large scale war in terms of its casualties, engagements, or scale. It was massive in the geopolitical results in the aftermath of the war, however, and a large reason was that it ended with a months long siege of Paris. Before that siege had even begun, the Empire of France had lost its Emperor, Napoleon III, after he lost the Battle of Sedan. Now France was facing a large Prussian Army staring down its capital, while its government was a provisional one known as the Government of National Defense. This government tried its best to hold on, but also was trying to argue for peace. Eventually, after a few small skirmishes on the outskirts of Paris, the leaders of the French government agree to Armistice terms with Otto von Bismarck, newly christened Chancellor of Germany. The former King of Prussia had also been turned into the German Kaiser, gaining acclaim and territory as the French have to rebuild a Republican government.

Apollo 1 was the first mission in the Apollo Program, which was the first NASA program with the stated aim of reaching the moon. Apollo 1, being the first step, only had the goal of making sure the new spacecraft could make it into space and come back. The moon landing was a later goal. Despite this limited brief, Apollo 1 ran into a large number of problems. Although its crew, veteran astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White as well as rookie Roger Chafee, were specially selected, the North American Aviation designed spacecraft had numerous issues throughout its entire development. Still, keeping with the space race, Apollo 1 pushed ahead depsite the problems. During a test on January 27, 1967, the three crewmembers were assessing how everything would behave during a "plugs out" simulation. An electrical problem created a fire, which instantly engulfed the spacecraft and killed all three crewmembers within minutes. Despite the tragedy, NASA pushed on with the Apollo missions, reaching the moon in less than three years.

Rumors of affairs and sexual liasions had dogged Bill Clinton since well before he became President. By late 1997, a court case brought by a woman named Paula Jones had revealed that a former White House intern named Monica Lewinsky was discussing her affair with the President. This information was revealed by a former Civil Servant named Linda Tripp, who recorded her conversations with Lewinsky and gave those tapes to special Independent Counsel Ken Starr and Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff. Ken Starr brought Lewinsky up on charges of perjury, while Isikoff wrote a story that could not be published due to a lack of verifiable sources. Nonetheless, the online outlet The Drudge Report said that Newsweek had the story. That made Bill Clinton vehemently deny he ever had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. Eventually, Lewinsky would be offered immunity, Bill Clinton would give a deposition denying a sexual relationship, and the US House would bring impeachment proceedings against Clinton.

When Henry VIII of England married Anne Boleyn, much more happened than just a royal wedding. Henry's marriage to Anne was the cause of the English Reformation, which saw England leave the Catholic Church and placed the monarch of England at the head of the Church of England. It also was years in the making, as Henry had to figure out how to end his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry argued that it was because Catherine had married his deceased elder brother that he only had one child, a daughter, from Catherine's multiple pregnancies. He also began seeing Anne Boleyn, who was vivacious, stimulating, and younger. Anne Boleyn also introduced Henry to people interested in Lutheran ideals, men like Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell. Eventually, he would decide to ignore the Pope, who said he could not annul his marriage, and split the Church in England from the Roman Catholic Church. This would allow him to be the Head of the Church of England and marry Anne Boleyn.