Moments in time

On June 21, 1916, the controversial U.S. military expedition against Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa brings the United States and Mexico closer to war when Mexican government troops attack U.S. General John J. Pershing’s force at Carrizal, Mexico.

On June 24, 1928, the rocket-powered Opel RAK 3 debuted on a section of railroad track near Hanover, Germany, recording a rail-speed record of 157 mph on its first run. As the result of a rather odd experiment, the rocket car carried a caged cat as its driver.

On June 22, 1937, in Chicago’s Comiskey Park, Joe Louis wins the world heavyweight boxing title when he defeats Jim Braddock in an eighth-round knockout. During his subsequent reign, the longest in the history of the heavyweight division, Louis successfully defended his title 25 times, scoring 21 knockouts.

On June 25, 1950, armed forces from communist North Korea smash into South Korea, setting off the Korean War. The United States, acting under the auspices of the United Nations, quickly sprang to the defense of South Korea and fought a bloody and frustrating war for the next three years.

On June 20, 1963, to lessen the threat of an accidental nuclear war, the United States and the Soviet Union agree to establish a “hot line” communication system between the two nations. The agreement was a small step in reducing tensions between the U.S. and the USSR following the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.