Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Today is July 13. Democrats chose Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts as their nominee for president on this day in 1960, picking him over Texas Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson who accepted the No. 2 spot on the ticket. Four months later, Kennedy defeated Republican Richard Nixon by a fraction of a point in one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history. Advertisement Where were you when the lights went out? It was on this date in 1977 that a state of emergency was declared in New York City when the entire area suffered a 25-hour power outage. Rioting broke out in New York City on this date in 1863, during the Civil War, in response to the Federal Conscription Act. More than 1,000 people were killed. Guglielmo Marconi was awarded a patent for wireless telegraphy, what became known as "radio," on this date in 1898. If it wasn't for radio, the more than 50 rock stars who took part in "Live Aid" on this date in 1985 might never have gotten their start in show biz. Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof organized the shows at London's Wembly Stadium and Philadelphia's Kennedy Stadium, which lasted 17 hours and were seen by an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers. Performers included Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Madonna, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. The concerts raised millions of dollars for African famine relief. Advertisement And as the heat wave of 1995 continued, it was on this date that the temperature in Chicago reached an all-time high of 106 degrees. We now return you to the present, already in progress.
