ON THIS DAY~APR 17

APR 17~ 1970  Apollo 13 Returns to Earth

With the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth.

 

1629  Horses were First Imported into the Colonies by the Massachusetts Bay Colony on this Day

 

 

1815  Volcanic Eruption Kills 80,000

 

Heavy eruptions of the Tambora volcano in Indonesia are letting up by this day in 1815. The volcano, which began rumbling on April 5, killed almost 100,000 people directly and indirectly. The eruption was the largest ever recorded and its effects were noted throughout the world.

 

 

1924  MGM Formed

On this day in 1924, Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company merge to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM. The group was owned by Loew's Inc., a chain of theaters run by Marcus Loew.

 

 

1937  Daffy Duck Debuts

Daffy Duck makes his debut in the Warner Bros. short Porky's Duck Hunt. In the 1920s, movie houses had started showing a short cartoon before feature presentations, but the form became more innovative and popular after sound was introduced in 1928.

 

1941  Igor Sikorsky Accomplished the First Successful Helicopter (or heliocopter as it was called then) lift-off from water near Stratford, CT.

 

 

1961  The Bay of Pigs Invasion Begins

The Bay of Pigs invasion begins when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The attack was an utter failure.

 

 

1964  Ford Introduces Mustang

 

Ford introduced the Ford Mustang on the first day of the New York World's Fair in Flushing, Queens

 

1971 - Joy to the World, by Three Dog Night, made it to the top of the pop music charts on this day. The song was number one for six weeks.

 

1975  Cambodia Falls to the Khmer Rouge

The Khmer Rouge troops capture Phnom Penh and government forces surrender. The war between government troops and the communist insurgents had been raging since March 1970, when Lt. Gen. Lon Nol had ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk in a bloodless coup and proclaimed the establishment of the Khmer Republic.

 

For Robin & Gabby of Yellow Brick Road and their baby froglets

Joy To the World