INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBERANCE DAY
New York City (JFK+50) The United Nations designated January 27 as International Holocaust Rememberance Day in 2005 to honor all victims of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.
A candle-lighting ceremony is held to honor the day at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.
United States Holocaust Museum
Photo by John White (2007)
The significance of the date January 27th is that the largest concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, located in Poland, was liberated by Soviet troops on this date in 1945.
NUCLEAR BLASTS IN NEVADA 63 YEARS AGO
Las Vegas, Nevada (JFK+50) Sixty-three years ago today, January 27, 1951, the United States government detonated the first of a series of nuclear bombs at its new test site in Nevada.
The site was located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The flash from the blasts could be seen as far away as San Francisco.
By 1957, after having seen the effects of radiation on soldiers and nearby residents, testing was done underground.
CHURCH COMMITTEE MET 39 YEARS AGO
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) A committee of the United States Senate chaired by Senator Frank Church of Idaho opened its hearings 39 years ago today, January 27, 1975, here in the Nation's Capital.
The Church committee was to investigate the activities of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency.
The committee's report was issued in November 1975.
It will charge both agencies with practicing illegal activities. The report will also say the CIA plotted to assassinate foreign leaders and stockpiled poisons despite a presidential order to destroy them.
RALPH YARBOROUGH DIED 18 YEARS AGO
Austin, Texas (JFK+50) Former progressive senator from Texas, Ralph Yarborough, died eighteen years ago today, January 27, 1996, here in Austin.
Senator Yarborough was elected to the Senate in 1957 and served until 1970.
Senator Yarborough with JFK and LBJ
TELEVISOR DEMONSTRATED 88 YEARS AGO TODAY
London, U.K. (JFK+50) John L. Baird, the Scottish inventor, gave a demonstration here in London 88 years ago today, January 27, 1926, of his "televisor".
This, the first public demonstration of the invention, was attended by fifty scientists.
The brief images shown on the televisor were of the heads of ventriloquist dummies which had been placed in front of a camera out of view of the audience.
In 1928, Baird will make the 1st overseas television transmission from London to New York City over telephone lines.
He will also demonstrate the first COLOR TV that same year.*
*We bought our 1st "black and white" TV set in 1958 when I was 10 years old. Imagine kids today living the 1st 10 years of their lives without TV.
Ten years later, we got our 1st "color" TV. It was a small 10 inch GE "Porta-Color" but we thought it was wonderful.
General Electric Porta-Color TV
