AARP Eye Center
This Week in Boomer History: Liz & Dick ... 'Cat in the Hat' ... 'Dock of the Bay'
By Steve Mencher, March 9, 2014 03:00 AM
Notable events from our shared experience ![500-boomer-history-mikhail-gorbachev-ronald-reagan[1]](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/73/ae/35176cbda8ed41f597a086b25f6e/500-boomer-history-mikhail-gorbachev-ronald-reagan1.jpg)
Mikhail Gorbachev assumes leadership of the Soviet Union on March 11, 1985. In 1990, Gorbachev wins the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to end the Cold War.
In a notorious incident, neighbors in Queens, New York fail to respond to the cries of Kitty Genovese, 28, as she is stabbed to death in the street on March 13, 1964.
Levi Strauss Co. begins selling bell-bottom jeans on March 11, 1969.
The Cat in the Hat is published March 12, 1957. "It is the book I'm proudest of because it had something to do with the death of the Dick and Jane primers," Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) later writes.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton marry on March 15, 1964, after starring in the film Cleopatra. They divorce in 1974 and remarry the following year.
On March 16, 1968, some 100 U.S. Army soldiers enter the Vietnamese village of My Lai, alleged to be an enemy stronghold. Though drawing no fire, the soldiers kill as many as 500 men, women and children in what becomes known as the My Lai Massacre.
Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" starts a four-week run at No. 1 on March 16, 1968. Redding had died in a plane crash three months earlier, just three days after recording the song.
Let us read This Week in Boomer History to you:
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/138061956" params="color=2dd1e2&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Visit Boomers, the Generation That Changed the World from AARP. 
Visit and contribute to our Boomer Tumblr.
Credits - Gorbachev and Reagan: AFP/Getty Images; Bell-bottom crew: Anthony Catalano/Flickr; Dock of the Bay 45: Klaus Hiltscher/Flickr
Music: Test Drive: Zapac via ccMixter
>> Sign up for the AARP Leisure Newsletter
Also of Interest
- This Week in Boomer History: G.I. Joe ... People Magazine ... Rodney King
- Famous Child Stars - Where Are They Now? (Photos)
- Get free assistance with tax-return preparation from Tax-Aide
- Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being
See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more
>> Get entertainment and dining discounts with your AARP Member Advantages.