We remember President Eisenhower (1890-1969)

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We remember President Dwight D Eisenhower, who was born in Denison, TX on this day in 1890.  He died in 1969.

Eisenhower turned out to be one of the most consequential men of the 20th century.   First, he led the Allied Forces in World War II.     Second, he was elected the 34th President of the US, 1953-61.

Ike remains one of the most popular presidents ever.

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October 14, 1962: Day 1 of The Cuban Missile Crisis

We remember Day 1 of what would be known The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.  

It turned out to be one of the most tense two weeks of the 20th century.

The Cuban Missile Crisis had several consequences:

First, it changed the perception in US politics that President Kennedy was weak.   In other words, most voters saw his performance as strong.

Second, it was the beginning of the end for Chairman Khrushchev.  He was gone by the fall of 1964.  The Soviets invested heavily in their military afterwards.  They understood that they were inferior to the US in October 1962.

Third, and sad for Cubans, it guaranteed Castro’s survival and the establishment of a Soviet satellite.  The Soviet Union subsidized Cuba until it collapsed in 1992.

My family was down in the island and my parents recall a very stressful period.  

This is a decent book & movie.

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October 14, 1965: The day that Sandy Koufax broke my heart

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Our family left Cuba in 1964.  Like most Cubans, we loved baseball.  1965 was our first major league season in the US and we fell in love with the AL champion Minnesota Twins.  

They had four Cuban players:  2-time batting champ Tony Oliva, the eventual 1965 AL MVP Zoilo Versalles, a veteran but still reliable pitcher Camilo Pascual and outfielder Hilario Valdespino.  

They also had Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison, Jim Kaat and 20-game winner Jim Grant.    It was a great team!

We ran home from school to watch the game but Koufax beat the Twins, 2-0.    He was brilliant.

I learned that day that baseball is the ultimate heart-breaker.    

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