Today in history: The Mayaguez incident

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last updated 8 January 2015

May 12, 1903: President Theodore Roosevelt's trip to San Francisco was captured on movie film; it was the first time a pesident was recorded in that medium.

May 12, 1975: President Gerald Ford was informed that a U.S. merchant ship, the Mayaguez, had been seized by the Cambodian Khmer Rouge. Ford ordered an attack to free the crew; but the crew had already been released. Eighteen U.S. servicemen were killed and 41 wounded. The 18 Americans killed in the battle with the Khmer Rouge in 1975 are the final names listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

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