April 17, 2009
April 17, 1961:
A force of about 1,500 Cuban refugees, trained by the CIA and tacitly supported by the Kennedy Administration, invades Cuba in the hope of toppling the government of Fidel Castro.
The invasion, commonly known as the "Bay of Pigs," is easily crushed by the Castro government, resulting in a serious humiliation for the White House.
Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.
NPR thanks our sponsors
Political Editor
It's a weekly column by NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin. Published on Mondays, Political Junkie is a look ahead to the events and themes that will be playing out across America's political landscape. It's also the home of ScuttleButton, a weekly puzzle built out of buttons from Ken's own legendary collection.
You can submit questions and comments to the Political Junkie through the contact form.
Before it was a blog, Political Junkie was a weekly column. You can read archived columns here.
NPR political analysts Ken Rudin and Ron Elving delve into the week's political news and analysis in a weekly podcast.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.