Jan. 4, 1961: Three unidentified military personnel are killed in the explosion of a nuclear reactor 40 miles from Idaho Falls, Idaho.

"There appeared to be no major radiation alarm here, although the Post-Register newspaper and local radio stations received a number of calls from residents asking for more details on the accident,” the Associated Press said. 

More on the accident is here.

Paul Coates’ daughter is riding on Burbank’s Rose Parade float and the Mirror columnist is under a bit of pressure to get some publicity.   The cover is here.