2006—At the Washington Nationals home opener, the ceremonial first pitch is thrown by Vice President Dick “Dick” Cheney, who is greeted with raucous jeers and catcalls.
2002—Venezuelan generals replace elected President Hugo Chavez with CIA-approved Pedro Carmona.
1985—Press Secretary Larry Speakes says Ronald Reagan will lay a wreath at Bitburg, where American and German soldiers lie buried. Oops. Americans? No. Waffen SS? Yes.
1968—Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law.
1966—Set out as bait at Xa Cam My by the CO of the Big Red One, Charlie Co., 2/16th Inf., 134 strong, is ambushed. Relief plans go awry, friendly fire happens; 36 KIA, 71 WIA.
1955—Chiang Kai-shek, the GOP’s pet warlord, bombs an airliner. Target Zhou Enlai is not on board, though.
1951—Pres. Truman fires General MacArthur for insubordination.
1950—A U.S. B-29 carrying a nuclear weapon crashes near Albuquerque. The nuke’s high explosives ignite; but the fissile core wasn’t installed.
1938—Richard Whitney, president of New York Stock Exchange, gets five to 10 for larceny.
1913—President Wilson orders federal agencies segregated by race.
1863—An errant balloon takes Portsmouth’s own Gen. Fitz John Porter over Confederate lines, then back to safety during the Seige of Yorktown.