History 101 for April 17, 2012

1961: a disastrous day in Cuba – for the U. S. What was it?

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched on this day in April 1961, less than three months after John F. Kennedy assumed the presidency in the United States. The Cuban armed forces, trained and equipped by Eastern Bloc nations, defeated the invading combatants within three days.

The main invasion landing took place at a beach named Playa Girón, located at the mouth of the bay. The invasion is named after the Bay of Pigs, although that is only a modern translation of the Spanish Bahía de Cochinos. In Latin America, the conflict is often known as La Batalla de Girón, or just Playa Girón.

1964: At the New York World’s Fair, Ford Motor Company introduced the Mustang. Base price was $2,368.

And in music history: 1960: 21 year old Eddie Cochran died after suffering severe head injuries in a car crash in England. Cochran’s girlfriend was injured and so was Gene Vincent whose big hit was -