On the 50th anniversary of the 1969 launch of Apollo 11, which ultimately landed men on the Moon, the “Rocket City” of the United States, Huntsville, Alabama, attempted to set a rocket record.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On July 17, 1955, the Disneyland amusement park opens in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney oversaw the construction of the $17 million park on 160 acres of orange groves. Opening day was an invite-only event, but many of the invitations were forged, leading to thousands of unexpected visitors. This caused a shortage of food and drink. Some of the original attractions included the iconic Castle, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White’s Adventures and Space Station X-1. Despite the rocky opening day, Disneyland attracts about 14 million visitors annually and makes about $3 billion per year.

VIDEO: Hurricane Barry spared the southern U.S. city of New Orleans and the Louisiana coast from devastating floods. But with the 2019 hurricane season underway, many in the city fear it will only be a matter of time before a storm as lethal as Hurricane Katrina tests its limits again. On the bayou, one fishing community worries for its profession, while residents of New Orleans’ most vulnerable neighborhoods say the city’s infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle another crisis.

President Donald Trump has responded to Iran’s top diplomat raising the idea of talks about its missile program by saying Iran cannot test ballistic missiles that are seen by the U.S. as vehicles to carry nuclear weapons.

VIDEO: People everywhere love competitions no matter how offbeat. Championships are awarded in toe-wrestling, speed burger-eating and mobile phone throwing. The Michigan city of Eau Claire has one of its own: the annual cherry pit-spitting championship. VOA visited the town to see what pit spitting is all about.

On a two-day visit to New York this month, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed in a speech never to “succumb to any threats” from China. She also met U.S. Congress members in America’s largest city in a visit that was far more open and welcoming than past U.S. trips by Taiwan presidents.