September 1957 was the month School Integration got it's first test. Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas was the flash point. At the center of that flash point was Governor Orville Faubus who, in retaliation to the Supreme Court ruling, called out the Arkansas National Guard to prevent Central High from being integrated.

As a result, Faubus became something of an international personality almost overnight. So NBC Radio, as part of its Life and The World series in conjunction with Life Magazine ran this portrait, actually kind of a whitewash, on the personality of Orville Faubus. A sort of "who is this guy and why are people saying mean things about him" while he went about purging the School Board of pro-Integration members. Swell guy. Swell media.

John Steele (Time-Life Reporter): “When Governor Faubus left the President’s office, I got the impression of a deeply concerned, deeply worried man. He received a gracious Presidential leave taking which Mister Eisenhower thanked him for coming and wished him best of luck. Orville Faubus then walked slowly down the green slope to the waiting helicopter. The problem so easy to discuss in the cool of the President’s office, would be, one felt, far harder to solve in the emotion packed atmosphere of Little Rock Arkansas.”

In the end the 101st Airborne division had to come down and ensure integration of the school and Faubus would say it was all political, that his arm had been twisted by his opponents to take such a stand. Civil rights in this country was indeed a very long and twisted road.

This day in June in 1990 was a preview at what the future-around-the-corner was going to look like.

Starting with news of a Soviet Passenger jet, hijacked and landing in Helsinki with all aboard safe, and the hijacker in custody.

News of the Communist Party in Russia breaking away from the Soviet government and splintering into factions. News of a rift within the Solidarity Movement and concerns over the future leadership of Lech Walesa. News of Nelson Mandela, addressing an audience in Toronto, telling of South Africa on "the threshold of major change".

Meanwhile, back in the States; jury selection had been completed and the trial of Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was set to begin. The trial, and its sensational attributes, was reported to be the biggest thing to hit D.C. in a long time.

In Arkansas, convicted killer John Edward Swindler was put to death by electrocution. The first death sentence carried out in the state since 1964. And promises of more to come.

A gunman who went on a rampage at a GM Auto Financing office, killing 9, himself and seriously wounding 5 others was linked to two other rampage killings the previous weekend. The gunman in question was also reported to have a previous record, going back to the 1960's, including a previous murder charge knocked down to an Agrevated Assault in 1971. Slipping through the legal system, yet again.

And Las Vegas welcomed the opening of it's biggest hotel, The Excalibur, with a reported 4,032 rooms.

All that, and only Tuesday from The CBS World News Roundup for June 19, 1990.

If you discount the 4 inches of snow that fell overnight in Tennessee and the 7 inches overnight in Arkansas, the ruined citrus crops in Florida and another blizzard heading for the East Coast, it was probably a relatively quiet day.

The UAW was in contract talks with Auto makers. A summit conference was called between France and Germany to study the situation in Poland with the Solidarity Movement and strikes sweeping that country.

Gen. Alexander Haig and Hosni Mubarak were in talks regarding Palestinian autonomy.

In California, a boycott of Japanese goods was called by the state's Farmers in retaliation for the ban on California produce exports to Japan because of the Medfly controversy.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's son Mark was the object of a search, as he turned up missing from a road rally from Paris to Dakar. Maggie said not to worry, "he's a big boy".

And the White House couldn't get straight who Norman Mineta was - some claimed the Congressman from California was of Italian descent and others claimed he was Japanese. The guessing game continued - though no one thought to ask Mineta himself.

Just one of those days via CBS News Hourlies from 3,4 and 5:00 am (PST) on January 13, 1982