Safety Stickers, 09/01/68: Drivers on a Houston freeway
[], 09/01/68: In Chicago, Illinois, for the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The convention was held at the International Amiphitheatre from August 26 to 29. The Democratic party faced a significant divide when it came to nominating a presidential candidate. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek reelection after only barely winning the New Hampshire primary. Vice President Hubert Humphrey subsequently entered the race, inheriting delegates already pledged to Johnson. Anti-war challengers were Senators Robert F. Kennedy of New York and Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, leaving his delegates uncommitted. Humphrey ultimately won the nomination, but lost in the general election to Republican Richard Nixon.
State delegates
Arson-Drelnan [sic], 09/08/68: A KHOU reporter interviews Donald Drennen, a Houston mechanic charged with eight counts of murder by arson. Drennen dispels rumors that he had been mistreated by the fire department. In the early morning hours of March 6, eight people died in a fire at a Houston boarding house. Investigators originally ruled the fire an accident. The house manager told firemen that he had fallen asleep with a lit cigarette. Five months later, on August 14, Drennen confessed to the crime. He told police that he set fire to the building because he was angry with his girlfriend, Mildred Lloyd. Lloyd died in the fire. A grand jury decided not to indict Drennen on October 17.
Arson-Chief Cook, 09/08/68: Houston Fire Chief Jake Cook explains why he brought Drennen back to the fire station to make a third statement. Drennen signed three statements confessing to setting the fire. Cook was never convinced the fire was an accident. “I’ve seen too many fires started by cigarettes and the speed with which the fire traveled in this one eliminated almost any chance of accidental origin,” he told reporters. On July 29, Cook assigned arson investigator M. E. Manos to the case. Manos remembered Drennen approaching him at the fire scene and learned from neighbors about a disagreement between Drennen and Lloyd. After Drennen confessed, investigators were unable to locate David Thrailkill, the boarding house manager, to tell him he was not responsible for the fatal fire. He was last seen walking towards the Salvation Army the morning after.
Surfing, 09/08/68: At the 1968 East Coast Surfing Championship in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Held annually since 1963, ECSC is the oldest running surfing competition in North America.
Corky Carroll took first place in the 1968 men’s competition
[], 09/08/68: Balloon release at the Republican National Convention celebrating the selection of presidential nominee Richard Nixon and vice presidential nominee Spiro Agnew. The convention was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, from August 5 to 8.
Nixon’s daughter, Tricia, and wife, Pat
In his acceptance speech, Nixon criticizes the Johnson administration’s Vietnam War strategy
Pallbearers carry a casket to a waiting hearse outside the Settegast Kopf funeral home
Home Show Robot, 09/07/68: At the Houston Home Show, the Houston Power & Lighting Company demonstrates the wonders of Miss Electramaid. An actress dressed in a silver costume performs domestic chores, presumably at the behest of the presenter at the control panel.
College, 09/03/68: Exhibition of Asian artwork
[], 09/03/68: Harris County Judge William Elliott explains that the county is not responsible for financing the junior college bond election. On September 28, residents living in certain school districts voted on whether or not to create a Greater Houston Junior College district. As county judge, Elliott also served on the Harris County Commissioners Court.
A county official comments on the need for a tax increase vote
Welcome Back Sid, 09/03/68
NASA, 09/13/68: NASA officials explore full-size mockups of crew quarters for extended space missions at the Manned Spacecraft Center
10:30 [], 09/13/68: A woman expresses her disappointment after the Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees took no action on a proposal to improve the safety of school bus stops near busy roads
HHH, 09/11/68: Houstonians line up on the sidewalk to shake hands with Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey was in Houston to campaign for president.
Humphrey boards a TWA plane to head on to New Orleans, where he spoke at the American Legion convention
Arsonist, 09/10/68: Donald Drennen comments on his indictment
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This film from KHOU-TV Channel 11 in Houston contains a series of short news segments that would have aired as highlights to news stories. Many are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. The titles for each segment are the originals created by KHOU-TV. The clips on this reel all date from September 1 to 13, 1968. This series includes news segments about the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, charges filed in a deadly boarding house fire, and the East Coast Surfing Championship.
The digital preservation of this collection was made possible by a grant to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and the Houston Public Library from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
As the scope of the American space program grew, NASA’s Space Task Group realized it would need to expand into its own facility if it were to successfully land a man on the Moon. In 1961, the agency’s selection team chose a 1,000-acre cow pasture in Houston, Texas, as the proposed center’s location site, owing to its access to water transport and commercial jet service, moderate climate, and proximity to Rice University. In September 1963, the facility opened as the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC).
The Center became the focal point of NASA’s manned spaceflight program, developing spacecraft for Projects Gemini and Apollo, selecting and training astronauts, and operating the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. Beginning with Gemini 4 in June 1965, MSC’s Mission Control Center also took over flight control duties from the Mercury Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. As a result, the facility managed all subsequent manned space missions, including those related to Projects Gemini and Apollo, the Apollo Applications Program, the Space Shuttle Orbiters, and the International Space Station.
In 1973, the MSC was renamed in honor of the late President and Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson. (As Senate Majority Leader, Johnson sponsored the 1958 legislation that established NASA.) The Center continues to lead NASA’s efforts in space exploration, training both American and international astronauts, managing missions to and from the International Space Station, and operating scientific and medical research programs.
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