This day in 1963 marked the first day of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency. On November 22, just two hours after the assassination in Dallas of President John F. Kennedy, former vice president Johnson took the oath of office. Witnesses to the swearing-in included his wife and new first lady, Claudia Johnson and the widowed Jacqueline Kennedy, whose clothes were still stained with … [Read more...] about November 23, 1963
Today In History
November 22, 1963
On this day in 1963, C.S. Lewis, author of the famous "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, died at the age of of 64 in Oxford, England. Lewis was originally born and raised in Belfast. He attended Campbell College and Malvern College in Belfast and then received a scholarship in 1916 to study at University College, Oxford. Upon arriving in England, Lewis experienced a bit of … [Read more...] about November 22, 1963
September 3, 1963
Poet Louis MacNeice died of pneumonia on this day in 1963. Born on September 12, 1907 in Belfast, and went on to study classics and philosophy at Oxford. He taught at the University of Birmingham and later at Bedford College for Women before taking a job at the British Broadcasting Company, as a staff writer and producer. As was common for English poets at the time, MacNeice … [Read more...] about September 3, 1963
June 27, 1963
President John F. Kennedy receives a warm welcome upon his visit to his ancestral home in Co. Wexford, Ireland. Marking the second day of his four day trip through Ireland, Kennedy also visited the nearby town of New Ross, where his great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy left from in 1848 during the potato famine. Kennedy made a speech stating, "When my great-grandfather left here … [Read more...] about June 27, 1963
April 18, 1963
On this day in 1963, comedian Conan O’Brien was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. His family traces its ancestry back to County Kerry, though they descend from pre-Civil War era immigrants. O’Brien studied history and literature at Harvard University, where he eventually graduated magnum cum laude. During his time at Harvard, he was president of the Harvard Lampoon humor … [Read more...] about April 18, 1963