Ten years ago: President George W. Bush refused to rule out an eventual pardon for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby after already commuting his prison sentence in the CIA leak case (as it turned out, Bush left office without pardoning Libby). Japan's defense minister (Fumio Kyuma) resigned after drawing furious criticism for suggesting the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable. The Alinghi team from Switzerland succeeded in defending sailing's coveted America's Cup, beating Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2. Saxophonist Boots Randolph ("Yakety Sax") died in Nashville at age 80.
Five years ago: A federal judge in Amarillo, Texas, found Clayton F. Osbon, a JetBlue Airways pilot who left the cockpit during a flight and screamed about religion and terrorists, not guilty by reason of insanity of interfering with a flight crew. Andy Griffith, 86, who made homespun American Southern wisdom his trademark as the wise sheriff in "The Andy Griffith Show," died at his North Carolina home.
One year ago: A devastating truck bombing on a bustling commercial street in downtown Baghdad killed nearly 300 people. A 19-year-old tourist from Virginia lost his left foot in a blast that occurred when he stepped on a plastic bag filled with explosive chemicals in New York's Central Park. Actress Noel Neill, who played Superman's love interest, Lois Lane, in both a movie serial and on TV, died in Tucson, Arizona, at age 95.
