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This Week in Boomer History: Earth Day ... New Coke ... 'Heartbreak Hotel'

Polaroid Instant Camera

Notable events from our shared experience

Polaroid Corp. introduces its  SX-70 folding camera on  April 25, 1972. It's the first automatic, motorized, single-lens reflex camera that makes self-developing instant color prints.

The 1964 New York World's Fair opens April 22 with the theme "Peace Through Understanding" and provides an early Space Age look into the future.

On April 24, 1980, President Jimmy Carter launches Operation Eagle Claw to free Americans held captive at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Eight servicemen die in the failed raid; 52 hostages remain in Iran until Ronald Reagan is sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1981.

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Edward_r_murrow_challenge_of_ideas_screenshot_2
Edward R. Murrow, a pioneer radio and television news broadcaster, dies April 27, 1965. His work helped expose the tactics used by Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., to investigate domestic communism. Said to have smoked 60 to 70 cigarettes a day, Murrow succumbs to lung cancer.

Elvis Presley's first No. 1 hit? " Heartbreak Hotel," which tops the charts on  April 21, 1956. His last? "Suspicious Minds," in 1969. Can you hum it?

The Coca-Cola Co. announces on April 23, 1985, that it's scuttling its secret formula for Coke and in favor of "new Coke." Backlash persuades the company to resurrect the original drink as "Coca-Cola classic" on July 11.

The first Earth Day is celebrated  April 22, 1970. It's the brainchild of U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., in response to a 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif.

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Credits - Polaroid camera: Master of Felix/Flickr; Edward R. Murrow: Screenshot from 'Challenge of Ideas' film, via Wikipedia; Earth Day, April 22, 1970, AP


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