JUNE 23
1956:Four years after toppling King Farouk in the Egyptian revolution, military leader Gamal Abdel Nasser is elected president of Egypt, an unsurprising result considering he is the only candidate.
1931: Pilot Wiley Post and navigator Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field in New York aboard the single-engine aircraft Winnie Mae. Eight days, 15 hours and 51 minutes later they will return, smashing the record for around-the-world flight. Two years later, Post will become the first pilot to fly solo around the world, accomplishing the feat in less than eight days.
1996: Sprinter Michael Johnson tries valiantly to break Pietro Mennea's long-standing record in the 200 meter dash, besting the 19.72 seconds set by the Italian runner in 1979. Johnson turns in a blistering 19.70 seconds at the Olympic trials in Atlanta, yet because of the 6.04 mph winds at his back, Johnson's time is not made official. Undeterred, Johnson will win the 200 meter Olympic final in an astounding 19.32 seconds on Aug. 1. The record will stand until 2008.
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