News for this day in 1942 covered the war on a number of fronts.

Reports from London told of intense fighting in North Africa, with German forces aiming at Tobruk in Libya. Several thousand more U.S. troops landed in Northern Ireland with reports of no submarine attacks en route. The U.S. Army introduced the new design of helmet, abandoning the old one used during World War 1. News was also reported of the signing of the Anglo-Russian pact.

From neutral Stockholm came sparse reports from the Eastern Front, but word of Russian attacks on Sebastopol and Kharkov in an attempt to drive the German army out of the area were revealed.

From New York and Washington it was learned that the Japanese had landed on Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. It was viewed as a face-saving measure by Tokyo in lieu of the crippling loses from the battles of Midway and The Coral Sea, even though the Aleutian Islands were not viewed as an important strategic gain. Still, it made for a propaganda tool, as it meant the Japanese had landed in North America.

This day in 1942 also marked the 43rd anniversary of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's entry into West Point and much was made of the promise by MacArthur to return to The Philippines. It was also announced that, as of midnight, a huge rubber drive was inaugurated and everyone in the U.S. was urged to turn in rubber goods for the war effort. Today also marked the inauguration of V-Mail.

And that's what happened on this June 13th in 1942 as reported by NBC's News Of The World.

Ironically, today, May 30th was Memorial Day in 1942. Anything but a holiday where war was concerned.

Word from London was the arrival and settling in of U.S. troops in Northern Ireland; the first leg of the journey that would eventually lead to Invasion of Europe. Reports as of this day claimed the troops were well behaved and everyone in Belfast seemed to like them. Not so much with the IRA though. As it was also reported those elements of the organization, sympathetic to Germany, were routinely reporting troop arrivals to the German Embassy in Dublin, causing a security concern.

Meanwhile, RAF bombers were busy striking at munitions factories outside Paris, as well as raids on Cherbourg and Dieppe, in addition to air strikes at industrial centers in Germany. Fighting in the Libyan desert was escalating with news of British advances in the region.

Reports from Moscow told of the first shipments of U.S. tanks being put to work almost immediately on the Eastern Front.

From the Pacific. Reports out of Australia concerned recent air attacks on Japanese ships outside Port Moresby and talk about a drastic change in priorities of supply shipping.

And it was disclosed that recent British cargo shipments, dodging enemy submarine and air attacks, were carrying such "essentials" as costume jewelry, golf balls and party favors. The Americans didn't fare much better as it was revealed one shipment arrived in Australia carrying some 70 tons of nothing but bottled soft-drinks. The heavily censored report went on to say that one General, dismayed over the soft-drink fiasco, said it would have been much better had the 70 tons been of ammunition instead. Priorities were still skewed at this still-early stage of the War.

In Washington - since it was a holiday, there was little Capitol Hill news to report, aside from reports that it was no holiday for Defense Plant workers and that production was going at full-speed. It was also noted that Congress was anticipated to be getting closer to abandoning draft deferments for Married men and that they would be in the mix along with everyone else of draftable age shortly.

And that was the story on this Memorial Day (May 30) in 1942, as reported on the Blue Networks World News Roundup.

Even around Memorial Day, the news on this May 29th in 1941 was about anything but Peace.

Reports from Berlin said a full-on invasion had taken place on the island of Crete. Reaction over FDR's latest Fireside Chat regarding U.S. shipping and neutral waters was swift and predictable. German bomber raids over England had increased, with raids on Northern Ireland included in the mix. In addition to Crete, intense fighting was now taking place in North Africa, concentrating on the area of Tobruk.

It was also reported that Berlin was relaxing its armistice terms to allow the Vichy French Air Force to "defend itself", causing many in London to speculate that it was a ploy on the part of the Laval government and Berlin to stimulate French manufacture of planes, the majority going to Germany in an effort to step up their lagging production with 7-8 of every 10 planes going to Germany. The French Merchant fleet was under Axis control and French Captains were ordered to scuttle theirs ships rather than face capture by the British.

From London came reports of RAF raids over Northern Germany and the French coast and confirmation that German raids the previous night did heavy damage on Liverpool and Belfast.

From Washington came reaction to German reaction to FDR's Fireside Chat saying Berlin was getting nervous and resorting to name calling and that U.S. involvement in the War in Europe would only be a matter of time or if "one of the axis powers decides to pull the trigger".

All that, and it was only the morning news via NBC for May 29, 1941.

April 6, 1976 - News was breaking, during this broadcast, of a possible settlement in the long running Teamsters Strike. President Ford campaigned in Wisconsin, ahead of Tuesday's Primary election. Democratic hopeful Morris Udall quietly campaigned in Wisconsin. UAW President Leonard Woodcock was quoted as saying if a Democrat wanted to be in the White House this election, he needs to consider that it's not less government, but better run government that''s the key. Whether anyone took his advice or not wasn't clear. Right Wing death squads were responsible for the systematic rounding up and murder of 15 people ages 20-25 during the latest reign of terror as part of the Military crackdown in Argentina. Terrorist bombs went off in Northern Ireland and Northern Portugal. Women stage the largest protest in Rome's history as several thousand march in opposition to the Vatican's position on contraception. And France tested another nuclear device in the South Pacific this day.

All that, via NBC News On The Hour for April 6, 1976.

On July 13, 1984 there was a lot more going on in the rest of the world than at home. The upcoming Democratic Convention being held in San Francisco was yielding more than the average yawns and no-shows. Seems everyone wanted a cliff-hanger and now that Geraldine Ferraro made history the day before, it was anti-climactic from here.

Not so in the rest of the world where the Polish Government was stepping gingerly around the potential landmine of embarrassment because of a political trial and trying to keep Solidarity leader Lech Walesa out of the picture, but not successfully.

Meanwhile the rest of the world was dodging bullets, mostly of the ordinance variety with continued violence flaring up in Northern Ireland as the result of British troops shooting dead a suspected IRA member. The Iran-Iraq War was rolling onward. A ceasefire attempt in Lebanon failed and the China-Vietnam War stepped up with border skirmishes and heavy casualties.

All in all a day where the rest of the world was in conflict and we were just in the doldrums.

As it happened on The CBS World News Roundup for July 13, 1984.

A typical day in 1970 it seemed - this July 6th. In Egypt it was revealed Soviet advisers were playing target practice with SAM-2 and SAM-3 missiles directed at Israel and Israeli jets, purportedly downing 6. And in Southeast Asia the Siege of Phenom- Penh was keeping things lively in Cambodia while reports of fighting in Vietnam were considered "light and scattered" on this day. Secretary of State Rogers was paying a visit to Saigon and getting an earful and a shopping list from other Southeast Asian leaders trying to enlist U.S. Aid.

Italy was patiently waiting for their 32nd government since the end of World War 2 to start. And Northern Ireland was accusing the British Army looting and vandalism in their search for weapons in Belfast homes. A civil war between Protestants and Catholics was predicted by many in the area for the summer and there was no end to skirmishes, riots, teargas, firebombs and curfews to go around. Summer would indeed be a hot one.

President Nixon arrived back in Washington from a 12 day sojourn in San Clemente and a series started on this day (from Huntley and Brinkely) focusing on the average Mexican-American living in San Antonio Texas and daily battles of discrimination, racism and rampant unemployment - and that had nothing to do with anybody illegal, it had to do with surnames. Gotta love Texas.

But Los Angeles wasn't without it's own set of blemishes as the Manson Family trial had gotten underway with Jury selection taking forever as the prospects of a lengthy, drawn-out trial loomed very large in everyone's minds.

And as further evidence this July 6th in 1970 was just as skewed as ever, The Universalist Unitarian Church, while holding their annual convention, passed a resolution that concluded the Vietnam War should be taken over by Private concerns and that an army of mercenaries should replace our combat forces. Of course, it was also suggested the U.S. Government just pay for the thing and otherwise stay out of it. Sounds like Iraq and Haliburton and Blackwater.

Maybe they knew something we didn't.

And so that one went - via the Huntley-Brinkely Report for July 6, 1970 (and oh yeah, we were still smoking like crazy back then too).