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This Week in Boomer History: Deep Throat ... Michael Jackson ... 'Mrs. Robinson'

Nehru and Gandhi 1942
Nehru with Gandhi, 1942



Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India dies on May 27, 1964, at age 74, having served in the post since India's independence in 1947. His daughter Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi will also serve as prime minister of India; both are assassinated.

On  May 31, 2005,  Vanity Fair reveals that former FBI official Mark Felt is " Deep Throat," the source who confirmed explosive information about the Watergate break-in and cover-up to  Washington Post investigative reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.

Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve

In Culpeper, Va., on  May 27, 1995, a fall from his horse during a riding competition  paralyzes actor Christopher Reeve from the neck down. Reeve, best known for playing Superman, and his wife, Dana, become advocates for expanding research into paralysis and spinal cord injuries.

On June 1, 1974, surgeon Henry Heimlich's maneuver for rescuing someone choking on food is published in the journal Emergency Medicine. It becomes a popular technique in safety training and in film and TV gags.

Written for the movie The Graduate, Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 1, 1968. The soundtrack also included S&G tunes from earlier albums, leading the way for other movies (Easy Rider, The Big Chill) to recycle pop music.

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Started by media mogul Ted Turner,  CNN (Cable News Network) debuts as a 24-hour all-news cable and satellite channel on  June 1, 1980. Coverage of the  Challenger disaster (1986) and the  Persian Gulf War (1991) help establish CNN as a world leader in real-time reporting.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley marry on May 26, 1994. The marriage lasts less than two years. "I can honestly tell you that it was in every sense a normal marriage," Elvis' daughter later tells Oprah.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley

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Photos - Jawarlal Nehru with Mahatma Gandhi, 1942: Wikimedia; Christopher and Dana Reeve: Andre Queiroz/Flickr; Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley: AFP/Getty Images

Music - Test Drive: Zapac via ccMixter

 

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