1965: The United States, under President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered its first combat troops into Vietnam. To read Johnson's bio, visit HistoryNet.com.
Also today in history, in the U.S. and elsewhere:
1862: Union land and sea forces attacked Island No.10 on the Mississippi River.
1863: Rear Admiral David D. Porter's seven ironclad gunboats dueled Confederate gun emplacements fruitlessly in the Battle of Grand Gulf in Mississippi.
1968: President Johnson announced he would not seek a second term.
1972: Final day of the rum ration in the Royal Canadian Navy.
