On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
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s to Cong; text; illus; visits Mt Vernon and Arlington Cemetery
WPB approves H J Kaiser bldg of 500 Mars type planes
US Capt Ellsberg and crew raise Massawa, Eritrea, drydock destroyed by Axis during Eritrean campaign; map; role of US technicians and instructors in repairing planes, tanks and other equipment damaged in African battles discussed
Engineer Amphibian Command to be headed by Col D Noce
Australians hold US aid to Australia equaled by Australian aid to other fronts
1942Garrison Keillor, American humorist, novelist, short story writer, and radio host[†]
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show A Prairie Home Companion, which he hosted from 1974 to 2016. Keillor created the fictional Minnesota town Lake Wobegon, the setting of many of his books, including Lake Wobegon Days and Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories. Other creations include Guy Noir, a detective voiced by Keillor who appeared in A Prairie Home Companion comic skits. Keillor is also the creator of the five-minute daily radio/podcast program The Writer's Almanac, which pairs poems of his choice with a script about important literary, historical, and scientific events that coincided with that date in history.
1942Carlos Monzón, Argentinian boxer and actor (died 1995)[†]
Carlos Roque Monzón, nicknamed Escopeta (Shotgun), was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight championship for seven years, and successfully defended his title 14 times against 11 different fighters. The Ring magazine and Boxing Writers Association of America named him Fighter of the Year in 1972. As of December 2024, Monzón is ranked by BoxRec as the third greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
1942Caetano Veloso, Brazilian singer-songwriter, writer and producer[†]
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicália, which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s, at the beginning of the Brazilian military dictatorship that took power in 1964. He has remained a constant creative influence and best-selling performing artist and composer ever since. Veloso has won nineteen Brazilian Music Awards, nine Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammy Awards. On 14 November 2012, Veloso was honored as the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year.
1942Richard Sykes, English biochemist and academic[†]
Sir Richard Brook Sykes is a British microbiologist, the chair of the Royal Institution, the UK Stem Cell Foundation, and the trustees at King Edward VII's Hospital, and chancellor of Brunel University. As of June 2021, he is chair of the UK's Vaccine Taskforce, where he is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, including preparations for booster programmes and encouraging vaccine innovation in the UK.
1942B. J. Thomas, American singer (died 2021)[†]
Billy Joe Thomas was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
1942World War II: The Battle of Guadalcanal begins as the United States Marines initiate the first American offensive of the war with landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.[†]
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.