Journalist who asked one question that changed history -- via WDAZ. Larry Ray Lubenow was a 21-year-old reporter at the Grand Forks, ND, Herald when Louis Armstrong came to town for a show on Sept. 17, 1957. His editor ordered him not to ask him about politics (this was two weeks after the Little Rock Nine, young black students, were barred from entering Little Rock Central High School). Lubenow ignored his editor's orders and asked Armstrong about the situation. Pops responded with a profanity-laced tirade against the United States government for not standing up to segregationist acts. The story blew up and circled the world. The racist outcry against Armstrong was massive; the wave of support was even stronger. Seven days later, 1,200 U.S. troops escorted the students into the school, breaking the back of segregation. It is held that Armstrong's widely read comments forced President Eisenhower's hand in the matter.
Here's the complete story, from the New York Times. If Lubenow hadn't asked his forbidden question, none of this might have happened. P.S. He got fired.
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