The TIME Magazine Vault

Oct. 11, 1968

A Rowan and Martin Riot

Martin Mills—Getty Images

Rowland Scherman—Getty Images

Oct. 9, 1940: John Lennon Born

The Beatle's childhood wasn't always easy, as TIME pointed out in one of its first articles about the band: "John Lennon, organizer of the group, never knew his father, who left home when John was three. John went through grammar school and into art college, where he married a classmate," the magazine noted in 1964. "They have a baby son. With Paul McCartney, Lennon has written most of the songs the Beatles sing—and he coined the name Beatle to suggest the steady pounding beat of the rhythms of rock."

Had Lennon lived, he would be turning 78 now.

Rowland Scherman—Getty Images

Oct. 9, 1950

The Poetry of Robert Frost

Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Lambert / Getty Images

Columbus and the Pledge of Allegiance

It was June 22, 1942, that the Pledge of Allegiance was formally recognized by Congress. But, as TIME later explained, its origins are much older than that. "The original 22 words of the Pledge of Allegiance were drawn up in 1892 as a promotional vehicle for a Boston magazine called Youth's Companion," the magazine noted. "Composed by a staff writer for the weekly publication, which normally featured morally uplifting anecdotes for young readers, the pledge was intended for recital at ceremonies marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America."

Lambert / Getty Images

Oct. 5, 1936