“President Roosevelt dies,” and “Bill Haley and the Comet’s “Clockin and Rockin”” - This Day in History – Apr 12th

President Roosevelt suffers a stroke and dies

Back in 1945, the 32^nd President of the U.S. Franklin F. Roosevelt died from complications of a stroke while on vacation in Warm Springs, GA.  Roosevelt, a Hyde Park, NY native, won four elections as President and served his term for over 12 years.

According to the website whitehouse.gov, “Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

History.com stated that, “Roosevelt left a controversial legacy in terms of U.S.-Soviet relations. Critics charged that the president had been "soft" on the communists and naive in dealing with Stalin. The meetings at Yalta, they claimed, resulted in a "sellout" that left the Soviets in control of Eastern Europe and half of Germany. Roosevelt's defenders responded that he made the best of difficult circumstances. He kept the Grand Alliance between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain intact long enough to defeat Germany. As for Eastern Europe and Germany, there was little Roosevelt could have done, since the Red Army occupied those areas. Roosevelt's successor, Harry S. Truman, decided that a "tougher" policy toward the Soviets was in order, and he began to press the Russians on a number of issues. By 1947, relations between the two former allies had nearly reached the breaking point and the Cold War was in full swing.”

Special note: a state park in Warm Springs, GA has been named in honor of President Roosevelt here.

Bill Haley and the Comets Rotate to #1 with "Rock Around The Clock"

Back in 1954 during the heyday of rock and roll and jitterbug dancing, to the #1 song "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock," from the musical group, “Bill Haley and the Comets.”

According to history.com, “The single sold a respectable but underwhelming 75,000 copies in the coming months, and was destined to be forgotten until a 10-year-old kid in Los Angeles flipped "Thirteen Women" and fell in love with the now-famous B-side. That kid, Peter Ford, happened to be the son of actor Glenn Ford, who was slated to star in the upcoming teenage-delinquency drama Blackboard Jungle. Peter turned his father on to "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock," and soon enough, the song was chosen to play over the opening credits of Blackboard Jungle, which is how it became a pop sensation, selling a million copies in a single month in the spring of 1955.”

Special Note:  This song was popular with a new generation during the 1970’s with the popular show, “Happy Days.”

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/phil-mickelson-wins-first-major-at-masters?catId=10