FRANCIS GARY POWERS SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON IN USSR FOR ESPIONAGE
Moscow, USSR (JFK+50) American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, captured after being shot down over the Soviet Union on May 1, was sentenced here today to a prison term of 10 years for espionage.
Powers was shot down over Sverdlovsk in the Ural Mountains. Although able to eject before the crash & make it safely to the ground by parachute, Powers was quickly taken into custody by Soviet authorities.
Powers pleaded guilty.*
*18 months later, Powers was released in exchange for KGB spy Rudolf Abel. Mr. Powers died in 1977 when his helicopter crashed.
U2 Model
Powers Used During a
Senate Armed Services
Committee Hearing
August 19, 1961
JFK WELCOMES SECRETARY DILLON HOME
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy hosted a reception at the White House this evening for his Secretary of Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon.
Mr. Dillon, who just returned from the Inter-American Economics & Social Conference at Punta del Este, Uruguary, was given a reception in the Blue Room.
Mrs. Dillon also attended as did Secretary of State Dean Rusk & his wife.
C. Douglas Dillon
by Charles J. Fox
August 19, 1946
WILLIAM JEFFERSON BLYTHE III BORN
Hope, Arkansas (JFK+50) William Jefferson Blythe III was born today in Hope, Arkansas.*
*Bill Blythe III later took the name of his stepfather, Roger Clinton.
Bill Clinton Boyhood Home
Hope, Arkansas
Photo by Billy Hathorn (2008)
Bill Clinton was Arkansas's representative to Boys Nation when he shook hands with President Kennedy. William Jefferson Clinton was inspired by the meeting to enter the political profession & in 1992 was elected 42nd President of the United States.
August 19, 1934
ADOLF HITLER BECOMES GERMAN PRESIDENT
Berlin, Germany (JFK+50) Chancellor Adolf Hitler was elected president of Germany today with a 90% majority vote.
Adolf Hitler
April 20, 1937
German Federal Archive
August 19, 1909
LOUIS SCHWITZER WINS FIRST INDY RACE
Indianapolis, Indiana (JFK+50) Automotive engineer Louis Schwitzer won today the 1st race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The inaugural race at the speedway was 2 laps & covered 5 miles.*
*The 1st Indianapolis 500 was held in 1911. In that race, Schwitzer's average speed was 57.4 mph. Later the speedway was covered with 3.2 million paving bricks & became known as "The Brickyard".
Joe Dawson Gets Checkered Flag
as he wins the Indy 500
May 30, 1912
Photo by Bain News Service
August 19, 1895
JOHN WESLEY HARDIN SHOT DEAD IN TEXAS
El Paso, Texas (JFK+50) John Wesley Hardin, one of the bloodiest gunfighters of the West, was shot & killed in El Paso, Texas today by John Selman, an off duty policeman who had earlier arrested Hardin's girlfriend.
Selman walked up behind Hardin a saloon here in town & shot him in the head.
John Wesley Hardin
August 19, 1812
USS CONSTITUTION DEFEATS GUERRIERE
Halifax, Nova Scotia (JFK+50) The USS Constitution, commanded by Issac Hull, was victorious in battle with the British frigate HMS Guerriere today off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The battle lasted 20 minutes & ,when the smoke cleared, HMS Guerriere was virtually destroyed with the Constitution sustaining minimal damage.
Painting by Anton Otto Fischer
Department of the Navy
Naval Historical Center
British sailors reportedly said that their cannon balls "bounced off" the American ship "as if her sides were made of iron".*
*The USS Constitution became known as "Old Ironsides". Today it can be toured at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston.
The USS Constitution was built in Boston, Massachusetts & launched on October 21, 1797.
