1961: A group of 1,400 Cuban exiles, with backing and training from the U.S. government, launched an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro. It was called the Bay of Pigs invasion because of the landing site the exiles chose.

1897: Library of Congress: Thornton Niven Wilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Arguably one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century, Wilder is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both literature and drama. Son of a U.S. diplomat, Wilder spent part of his childhood in China. After serving in the Coast Guard during World War I, he earned his B.A. at Yale University in 1920. Six years later, his first novel, The Cabala was published. In 1927, The Bridge of San Luis Rey brought commercial success and his first Pulitzer Prize. From 1930 to 1937 he taught at the University of Chicago.