History for Chron

Spokane Interstate Fair Manager Charles T. Meenach said a series of shows continued to pack in crowds at the annual event.

Meenach reported a sellout crowd to watch a troupe of performers, including blindfolded high-wire artist Rudi Berg; high-wire clown Tony Fossett; Sonny Moore’s Canine Roustabouts and Wheeler’s Marimba Trio.

Following the performances, several thousand Spokanites watched stock car racing, Meenach said.

U.S. Marines dueled with North Vietnamese army regulars in a protracted artillery duel near the demilitarized line dividing Vietnam.

The artillery and mortar barrages killed six Marines, wounded 109 more and also injured several more South Vietnamese troops.

The Marine’s bunkered fortress of Con Thien reportedly threw back an attack of about 150 North Vietnamese troops.

In other action in the area, North Vietnamese gunners downed a U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantom, which reportedly limped out to the Gulf of Tonkin where the pilot and navigator ejected before they were safely rescued.