witness to the enormity of history, the power of people and events to shape our world and capture our attention as the calendar closed out on july, we "relive, remember and relate" to the accomplishments, the controversies, the iconic debuts and morethat all happened "through the decades" we begin with the weekend road trip. it's been an american institution since henry ford first started cranking out model t's. but on a summer saturday in 1971, two americans went for a joyride of a different kind. dale scott and jim irwin hopped behind the wheel of the first lunar rover and drove on the surface of the moon on july 31. "10-9-8- ignition sequence on - engines on. 5-4-3-2-1. all engines running. liftoff. we have liftoff at 9:34 am, eastern daylight time" when nasa launched apollo 15 into the morning sky, it was on its way to becoming the fifth moon-landing mission in barely over two years. but if blasting rockets towards another planet had started to become old hat, what apollo 15 was carrying with it away from earth would help create america's next space exploration milestone. "hello, houston the endeavor is on station with cargo and what a fantastic sight." nasa charged jim irwin, dave scott, and al warden with expanding our exploration and understanding of the moon. others before them had taken steps, "that's one small step for man..." but to that point, no one had ever driven on the surface. so after scott and irwin touched down below mount hadley - "ok, houston the falcon is on the plane at hadley" they went to unload some precious cargo. the first ever lunar rover. the ten foot long rover was made of aluminum, titanium and steel and built to drive in low-gravity. "well in my left hand i have a feather and in my right hand a hammer and i will drop the two of them here and hopefully they will hit the ground at the same time. (drops items) "how about that? it turns out mister galileo was correct in his findings." it cost boeing 39 million to make four of the electric- powered vehicles and on july 31, 1971, the astronauts of apollo 15 took the first one for a spin. "we're moving." "extraordinary" but it took a few moments to work out the kinks. "i don't have any front steering, joe." "just got rear steering, dave. yea" that steering issue didn't keep the astronauts stationary. they loaded up for the first of three days of what would be 17 miles worth of exploration. "ok joe, the rover handles quite well. we're moving at i guess an average of about eight kilometers an hour. it negotiates small craters quite well, although there's a lot of roll. it feels like we need the seatbelts, didn't it, jim?" "yeah, we really do." "hold on. man, this is really rocking and rolling ride isn't it?" the moon's crater-filled surface forced scott and irwin to drive at a plodding four miles an hour. but they didn't seem to mind. "this is unreal, the most beautiful thing i've ever seen" and because of the cameras mounted to the rover, the world got to see what the astronauts were experiencing from 240,000 miles away. "dave, an extraordinary picture here." "ok houston, as i stand out here in the wonders of the unknown at hadley. i sort of realize a fundamental truth to our nature. man must explore." the exploration mission for apollo 15 included the gathering of rock and soil samples. "can you imagine that joe? here sits this rock and it's been here since before creatures roamed the sea on our little earth." the rover allowed the astronauts to examine and excavate previously unavailable parts of the moon that could unlock mysteries of its past. "houston, the hadley base here. tell those geologists in the back room to get ready because we've really got something for 'em." "guess what we just found? i think we found what we came for. crystal rock" "yes sir. you better believe it." "dave you're going to need to cinch up jim's collection bag before too much longer. it's becoming very loose there." it also allowed them to carry those big hauls back to the lunar module. "ok, we're moving forward joe." "roger." "after six and a half hours, the exhausted astronauts returned to the lem for the night. today's heavy workload forced them to skip a planned stop along the apennine foothills. that's the first thing they'll head for tomorrow." two other missions to the moon would feature rovers - "as we drive up and up front here, i can see mount hadley and the linear patterns in it are really remarkable." and lessons learned from the lunar vehicles were used in future rover designs like the mars pathfinder. 75 years after henry ford unveiled his first motorized vehicle, a new kind of four-wheeled cart made the first tracks on the lunar surface. its shell remains left behind. "good lift off, automatic." its legacy however, does not. it was the early '90s and one song was in the middle of a political storm. critics would include the politically powerful even the president of the united states. the song was ice-t's "cop killer" and on july 28, 1992, ice-t announced he was dropping the song from his album. in the summer of 1992, los angeles was still smoldering from the violent riots that just months before tore through the city's south central section. a reaction to the acquittal of police officers on trial for the videotaped beating of rodney king. and if there was an unofficial anthem for l.a.'s turmoil in 1992, it was rapper ice-t's "cop killer." "i'm a cop killer, better you than me!" "cop killer" was featured on ice-t's album "body count" which was released a month before. a jury acquitted four l.a.p.d. offcers involved in the rodney king incident. by then, the song had already faced strong opposition but in the wake of america's deadliest uprising in over a century that opposition would ignite nationwide. "on the west coast today, a long blue line of police officers took on a giant of the entertainment industry." "police from across the country converged on hollywood today some who've been shot in the line of duty." "this record talks about being shot in the face by a 12-gauge shotgun. i'm going to give you a description of what that's like." "take that album and put it where it really belongs- in the trash." "president bush labeled cop killer sick. now, even oliver north is demanding criminal prosecutions of time warner and its board members for promoting insurrection. it's not protected speech to encourage someone to kill another person. it's not protected speech to cry fire in a crowded theater." police organizations rallied against "cop killer" and politicians denounced it as a misuse of the first amendment. "no free speech for cop killers!" "to hell with ice-t!" "time warner's got to go!" "to hell with ice-t!" others defened it claiming its censorship not its content, would be a misuse of the first ammendment "talking about killing cops is an absolutely hateful message but in america we defend your right to say it." "well you know as far as the police doing a boycott on me i mean i don't really have a problem with that because they never bought one of my records anyway. uh as far as them moving against time warner, i think that's ridiculous because time warner doesn't do anything but hold up my first amendment right to say what i want." but cop killer's controversy didn't just hinge on the definition of freedom of speech, there was the question of the power, the influence of song. "the record itself is not a call for anybody to kill anybody. at no point in that record do i say let's go out and do it. i'm singing in the first person as a character who's fed up with police brutality and figured this is the only way to do it." "ban killer cops, not cop killer ... ban killer cops, not cop killer." "i've never seen any proof that music has created anybody; taught anybody to do anything wrong." "cop killer was released four months ago and the fbi says it cannot trace any police shootings to the song. some officers think police should be listening to the music's frustration not just the words." "it ought to be a wakeup call for law enforcement and politicians in this country to begin to change the way police officers do their jobs." still, pressure for the song's removal from ice-t's album remained unrelenting and even included actor charlton heston who famously read the lyrics to "cop killer" at time warner's annual shareholders meeting. "nothing i could say would be half as telling as reading those lyrics." "and did they seem shocked or surprised by the lyrics?" "nobody fainted. i think they were surprised." "time warner met with police today but still refused to turn off ice-t. suppressing rap music's anger artists say could force it to explode somewhere else." on july 28, 1992, ice-t announced he was dropping "cop killer" from his "body count" album. a decision he said was his alone claiming time warner was receiving death threats. but the battle waged. the tug of war and crisis of censorship is one this country has never fully resolved. our look at this week "through the decades" continues - the man who laid the groundwork for late night television gets his start a look back at the beginnings of what now a music industry standard and the olympic games.. overshadowed by violence. jack paar- got his start doing radio in cleveland at one point there was a game show and a morning variety show but beginning july 29, 1957, he began a new gig one that would rewrite the rules of late night "i claim no invention of anything. i'm the one that made it work. i think that's possible. but i think i made it work differently than they're doing it now." he may sound modest but jack paar did more than just make his late night talk-show "work." to mastering the sit-down interview, the second-ever host of nbc's "tonight show" helped cement a format that continues its reign over late- night television today. his five year journey began on july 29, 1957. paar cut his teeth entertaining the troops during world war two. by the early '50s he received a few acting roles, one even alongside marilyn monroe in "love nest." however his confidence and intellect were much stronger than his acting and those skills were perfect for a program like "the tonight show." he took the lead from steve allen, whose version was much more of the traditional variety show. "i cannot put on a funny hat, if i do the audience says, 'take it off, it's ridiculous.'" paar didn't need sketches or song-and-dance numbers just his dry and witty humor. "they dry your sinuses. what are these things, sinuses, not adenoids, what are these?" "fingers." "yes." (laughs) he also had an uncanny ability to connect with his celebrity guests often getting them to let their guard down during his famously playful sit-down interviews. "what do you do for exercise?" "i stumble and then i fall into a coma." "it's a moment of reality, in a world, in a television world that's quite unreal." and it wasn't just celebrities, politicians knew an appearance on "jack paar" could help americans get to know them . "would it be rude of me to call you john?" "no, you're fine." "because if you make it, it'd be nice for my daughter to know. we have a small arrangement you know?" "can kennedy be defeated in '64? " "well, which one?" paar was polarizing, however, often calling out his critics during the broadcast. and after producers cut one of his jokes without telling him, paar famously quit on air walking away for five weeks in 1960. "so i thought, 'i don't need them. i don't need to be on television, and you don't need me.' and uh, on my tombstone i want it to say 'you had your chance, now he's gone.'" paar would return before ending his run for good in 1962. johnny carson would take over and add to what paar accomplished. carson would remain at the helm for the next 30 years. "i always feel like, you don't really have the 'tonight show,' you just kind of hold it until the next guy takes over." in 1957, the "next guy" was jack paar, a pioneer for the late-night talk show. "ladies and gentleman this is a 17-jewel, shock-proof, water- proof wrist watch. now watch this impressive demonstration. (hits watch). there you are. this hammer can be purchased at your local department store (claps)." this week "through the decades" would see the debut of a famously wise cracking rabbit. the olympics become the center of a new competition. and the royal wedding watched around the world it's still ahead on "through the decades." decades." he's won an oscar, worked with some of the biggest names in film history, and racked up a career of more than 75 years in front of the camera but he's never strayed far from his roots in a simple rabbit hole after all, it was july 27, 1940, when we first saw bugs bunny pop out of that familiar hole "you know i believe this fella is a r-a-b-b-i-t." technically he was a bunny. a bunny that became more than just a cartoon character. bugs bunny is a piece of american history and he made his very first appearance alongside elmer fudd in the short "a wild hare" july 27, 1940. "shhhh. be vewy, vewy quiet, i'm hunting wabbits." just a few moments after fudd's famous opening line, the cartoon hero popped into our lives and delivered his own. "what's up, doc?" it was the first time voice actor mel blanc would bring bugs to life. it was one of what would become hundreds of shorts, commercials and television shows starring the skinny, charismatic rabbit. bugs' trademark has always been his floppy-stalked carrots. however, that came from the mind of longtime "looney tunes" producer friz freleng. in an unpublished memoir, he said he got his inspiration for bugs from 1935 best picture winner "it happened one night" starring clark gable and claudette colbert. in one scene in particular, you can see why. "you better have one of these, best thing in the world for you, carrots." "can you imagine anybody acting like that? you know, i think that poor guy's screwy." "a wild hare" earned an oscar nomination in its own right for animated shorts but bugs' legacy is bigger than just one film. he helped rae war bonds during world war ii, earned a star on the hollywood walk of fame and in 1997, became the first cartoon character to get his own postage stamp. mel blanc voiced nearly all of the characters in those warner brothers cartoons. but even after his death in 1989 - "say goodbye to uncle louie for me." "don't die little rabbit!" the character he helped create lives on. whether it's alongside michael jordan in "space jam" or the original crop of looney tunes cartoons, bugs bunny is as recognizable today as any character ever brought to life. a life that began on july 27, 1940 with three famous words. "what's up, doc?" the land of hollywood would rewrite the script on what we expect from the olympics. and the world watched a fairy tale unfold as lady di bomes princess di. it was all this week "through the decades." it was all this week "through the decades." you'd do that for me? really? yeah i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm, at three in the morning? who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing jake from state farm? uh, khakis. she sounds hideous. well, she's a guy so... another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. now for a moment in time. in 1980, a big moment for chrysler . the day introduced, what they hoped would be theirsaving grace, the k-car. "well the k-car is regarded as chrysler's answer to general motors x-car and they are both members of what's being called a whole new generation of automobiles. now the question is whether k plus x is part of equation equaling recovery for american automakers. don webster reports on the k-car development." "for detroit, it was good news for a change. chrysler reopened its jefferson avenue assembly plant re-employing 2,400 workers. today was mostly registration and the issuing of credentials. the first cars won't come off the line until next week." "how long have you been laid off?" "since january the 11." "at the plant, chrysler will assemble its so-called k-cars, the fuel-efficient plymouth reliant and dodge aries. the four-cylinder engines for these front wheel drive cars have been in production for some time. the success of these cars will likely determine the fate of the company." "without the aries and the reliant, chrysler would of course go broke. with the aries and the reliant plus the other cars that are in their line and the other cars coming along, this gives chrysler corporation a new chance." "they're vital. they really are vital." "chrysler's board chairman predicts a fourth quarter profit for chrysler and blames the company's problems on a variety of factors." "we were the microcosm of everything wrong in this country. a little bit too much regulation, no innovative tax policies, capital formation, but mostly fuel-energy policy. if there hadn't been an iranian crisis. if gas hadn't jumped in 30 days from 65 to a buck thirty, we'd have been better equipped than we were." "returning workers root for the company's success." "what about these new cars? do you think they are going to succeed?" "i'm pretty sure they will cause i am getting ready to buy one myself." "rolling off chrysler's assembly line today was the k- car. the corporation hopes will be the equivalent of a box office smash. don webster reports." "the popularity of the new cars may well decide chrysler's future. board chairman lee iacocca drove the first one off the assembly line to the applause of employees. the next ones were driven off by visiting political dignitaries. employees know their jobs may depend on the car." "it will sell like hotcakes. you won't hear much from the japanese in a couple of year from now." "you can get 25 miles on the gallon and it's a big car with a small motor on it." "the phrase k-car has received so much publicity as chrysler struggled to survive. the company will use it in its advertising. chrysler plans to make about 180,000 of the new cars this year. the company announced today that about half of those have already been sold to fleet buyers, dealers and some customers who haven't even seen the car yet but are rooting for the company's future. don webster. cbs news. detroit." future. don webster. cbs news. detroit." a dominican priest is credited with first expressing what would become the olympic motto-- citius - altius - fortius faster-- higher-- stronger and when the world's best athletes meet for the summer games, every four years, we watch as history unfolds but even when we expect greatness, some years, and some stories stand out "through the decades" through 1980, the olympic games had become a burden. often piling debt on the cities that shelled out billions to host the global athletic celebration. that changed in 1984, when los angeles turned the games around. it showed the world not only could other cities afford it but they could actually make a profit. los angeles. tinseltown. the "land of excess." in 1984, however, l.a. was the land of fiscal responsibility. it was an example of what the olympics could be. on july 28, the games of the 23rd olympiad commenced inside memorial coliseum. the execution of a plan five years in the making. before 1984, the olympic spirit had begun to fade. terrorist kidnappings painted a dark scene in the munich games in '72. (gunfire in distance) in 1976, montreal ended up one- and-a-half billion dollars in debt. 65 nations boycotted the 1980 summer olympics in moscow after the soviet union invaded afghanistan. when the bidding process for the '84 games began, tehran was one of only two cities to put in a final bid. (chanting) but the iranian revolution forced its organizers to back out. that left los angeles as the only city willing to host the games. so in 1979, it was tasked with bringing back the allure and keeping california out of massive debt. "it will have an enormous economic impact on our city as well. both in terms of taxes generated, but more importantly in terms of the businesses that are located there. they're going to benefit substantially by it." for the first time on american soil, the games were not sponsored by the government. that meant organizers could reach out for private and corporate sponsors. the committee hired future major league baseball commissioner peter ueberroth to organize the olympics. in a shrewd and unprecedented move, he negotiated the sale the television rights. more than 180 hours of olympic programming were up for grabs and abc bought the united states rights for 225 million dollars. "we're part of the people that made it happen and two billion other people saw it and loved it. my god, we feel great! we're just a couple thousand people in a world of four-five billion. and we made everyone in this world happy." but even with that windfall, the l.a. olympics chose to save money where it could. it renovated existing venues like memorial coliseum. athlete housing would be turned to dorms for regional colleges and when they did build a new venue, like the aquatic center, it was built for a future purpose on usc's campus. "the los angeles" olympics were also actually really spread out. some of the 42 venues were as far as 100 miles away. so the impact on the notoriously terrible traffic in l.a. was negligible. as for capturing the nation's attention, american athletes took care of that. the united states dominated the medal count nearly tripling the amount of the second place country, west germany. by the time the closing ceremony lit off its final fireworks, the l.a. olympics finished with a profit of more than 230 million dollars. it was the first profitable olympics since the last time it was in los angeles in 1932. 60-percent of the profit went to the u.s, olympic committee, 40-percent stayed in southern california. it was a wholesale success for the region and the country. and an example of what was possible for cities to follow in the years to co, even if not every city followed suit. before becoming an olympic gold medalist was a full-time job, the athletes were amateurs. that meant turning down sponsorship money for the first 70 plus years of the modern olympic games. but as we saw this week in 1976 at the montreal summer games, the determination of companies not afraid to play outside the rules, forced the olympics to reconsider it didn't take long and everyone knew what was going on. on top of competing at the montreal summer games, athletes were also being competed for. shoe companies wanted the stars of the 1976 olympics to become their own walking billboards. "the 1976 olympics is more than a match of the world's greatest athletes, it is also a battleground for the great sneaker war and for the companies that make the shoes the stakes are enormous." those stakes were a five billion dollar global market more than 21 billion in today's dollars. that massive number was more than incentive enough for sneaker companies to skirt around the rules. it was a fight that started to build during the mexico city games in 1968. rivals puma and adidas flooded amateur athletes with free gear, accommodations and even cash bonus incentives. by 1976, the international olympic committee had given up and no longer required competitors to be amateurs. "payoffs to athletes have long been accepted in europe, but compromise the rules of american amateurs. the u.s. olympic committee says until it has proved beyond doubt that americans are taking money, it is powerless to act in the latest chapter of the five billion dollar sneaker war." but that didn't stop companies from going after american athletes. "we, our manager told us the converse people wanted to outfit the fencing team with nylon training shoes, so we went into the international building and met the converse representative. we were kinda led here into the parking lot to his car. and he opened up the trunk of his car and inside the trunk were a lot of shoes and t- shirts." "a far more serious problem are recurring rumors that the manufactures are paying off athletes to wear their shoes." "have you, in fact, lost some premier athletes to other companies who made payments?" "well, i would even go so far, we have photocopies of contracts which other companies have made directly with athletes, we know for a fact." "for how much money, what kind of money?" "well, it ranges from smaller to higher amounts. it goes over, as far above of a few thousand dollars." puma issued this contract to an athlete but it wasn't the only company by any means. athletes were paid for anything from just wearing the gear to winning a medal and holding up their shoes on the podium. it doesn't seem that odd now but back then companies had to operate out of makeshift hotel room "headquarters" and parking lots to complete backroom deals because the spirit of amateurism at the games. "i didn't care if i had 50 sponsors going into the games in 1976, although i had none, it wouldn't have made any difference because i wanted to win and that's what it's all about." but many weren't like jenner. the extra money and gear were often hard to turn down especially for americans in 1976 when nearly all european athletes had been sponsored and paid to train. even if it was technically illegal in 1976, the shoe companies were playing the long game. athletes that are paid to train full time often perform better on the world stage. shoe companies were happy to provide the bank roll with the hope of a bigger payoff later on. a payoff consisting of average joe's buying up the gear they watched the world's best athletes wear to glory. we have more from the olympics as we look back at this week "through the decades." as the summer games return to america and in an instant the sound of celebration was replaced by terror. and the world watches as a princess walks down the aisle at the "wedding of the century." at the "wedding of the century." in 1996, the summer olympics returned to the united states. this time in atlanta. the celebration was in full swing when in an instant, terror struck and it happened with television cameras rolling. "heard a big explosion, lights going up everywhere, like fire flames and all like that. people screaming, saying, 'help me i'm hurt.' there was blood all over them. i mean it was just nuts." atlanta rocked barely a week into its world showcase. the target - centennial park. a tourist hotspot during the games packed with thousands of people even after midnight. the bombing not only left a trail of casualties but also started a seven year manhunt littered with dead-ends, wrong suspects and an anti- climactic finish. "by about 1:10, 1:15 an explosion happened. it shook my whole truck, vibrate the whole truck and not just my truck by everybody else that was on the other side of the techworth village over there." before the 40-pound bomb detonated, eric robert rudolph gave police a 30-minute head start. "he did make a specific threat and did indicate that the bomb was in the park." that threat came from a pay phone not far from the scene. "there is a bomb in centennial park. you have 30 minutes." 30 minutes wasn't long enough to avoid the death of one person and injuries to more than a hundred others. "nobody should have to go through what i've gone through with my family and friends." the park that had opened to such fanfare just a week earlier was now closed as investigators from local, state and federal departments combed the park for evidence. three days for the world to wonder what happened. "there seems no way to escape terrorism nowadays. especially in america." "you get bombs everywhere. you get bombs in paris. we get them in england. you can't let it put you off." "i don't think anyone has ever been in a position to definitively eliminate an attack anywhere in america or any place in the world. but i can say this, i will say what i have said before, if you talk to anyone associated with the olympics, they will tell you that the security effort is the most extensive ever made. if you talk to anyone involved in american law enforcement, where there are many different agencies at different levels of government, i think they will tell you that this is, by far, the best coordinated effort ever made." the same day the park re-opened a suspect started to emerge. "it could be someone way out of left field some place with some type of political grievance that we can only begin to understand when they tell us what it is that motivated them." that assumption was correct. the man the cops honed in on was not. security guard richard jewell was the first to find the bomb and started getting people out before it went off. he was also the first one to get a close look from the fbi. "mr. jewell has been fully cooperative and permitted the agents to enter the apartment and conduct the court authorized search. we emphasize that neither the issue of a search warrant nor the execution of it constitutes evidence of guilt." it took more than a year to clear him. more than two years after the bombing, the bureau finally named eric robert rudolph a suspect in the bombing after linking him to three other attacks. but by 2000, he had fallen off the map. but by 2000, he had fallen off the map. the fbi found his truck in rural western north carolina, a place he hid from search teams for more than three years. living in caves and the woods in the foothills of the smoky mountains until hunger got the best of him. "one of the fbi's most wanted fugitives has been captured. eric robert rudolph, accused of the 1996 olympic park bombing in atlanta was charged with that attack and three other bombings five years ago. early today he was arrested after a chance encounter with the law." in may of 2003, a cop spotted rudolph diving in a dumpster and stopped him. "i observed a male subject squatted down in the middle of the road. as i approached, he observed me, he took off running." that rookie officer caught up to him and when investigators questioned him, rudolph finally gave up his name. "it has to be a bittersweet ending for the fbi after spending thousands of man hours and millions of federal dollars on the search, it ended as most usually do with a local cop on the beat just doing his job." seven years earlier, rudolph took out an anti-government-and anti-abortion frustration on an event that was supposed to be a celebration for the world. (firework nats) but on july 27, 1996, the celebration stopped and atlanta's finest rolled in to respond to the needs of the innocent victims caught up in his sick plot. our journey continues.. three quarters of a billion people worldwide watched a fairy tale affair as lady di walked down the aisle. walked down the aisle. the billboard music charts are a weekly ranking of the top recorded songs listened to across the country. and on this week, in july of 1940, billboard released its very first popularity list. for decades, we've kept up-to- date with the most popular music in the u.s. with the help of billboard charts. from the billboard 200 and the hot 100 to lists made for the digital age bill magazine's been around since the late 1800's. but it wasn't until 1940, that any song really "hit the charts." on july 27, 1940 billboard published the "national list of best selling retail records." it was the magazines firstpoll based on record sales across the country. before 1940, the magazine created a number of lists like "records most popular on music machines" or "songs with the most radio plugs." none of them really had nationwide backing until july 27, 1940. the magazine included retailers from department stores to typical record stores. number one on that inaugural top ten list was tommy dorsey's "i'll never smile again." followed by jimmy dorsey with "the breeze and i." more "charts" would come. the billboard 200 was released in march of 1958. then two years later, the magazine started showcasing the billboard hot 100 which would become the music industry's standard record chart for singles and it's where radio stations find the top 40. where radio stations find the top 40. television has an awesome power to bring people around the world together in a shared experience and july 29, 1981, the world came together with tv providing a front row seat at the wedding of the century as prince charles and lady diana spencer exchanged vows. the twenty-year-old bride, lady diana frances spencer, walked towards royalty at st. pauls cathedral in london on july 29, 1981. soon to be the princess of wales, "so long as you both shall live." "i will." "diana frances, wilt thou have this man as a wedded husband?" "take thee, charles phillip arthur george" "take thee, phillip charles arthur george. "..to my wedded husband." she exchanged vows with queen elizabeth's eldest and heir to throne, prince charles. nearly a billion viewers around the world... watched a fairytalecome to life...even in the days leading up to the grand event. "the anticipated thousands began gathering around st. paul's cathedral today." "and a radio and television audience representing something like twenty percent of the planet." and television's ability to give those out of reach a nearfirst-hand experience is no better than seen then the royal's treatment. "later in the day, prince charles and lady diana attended a wedding rehearsal in the cathedral. they emerged hand in hand to the cheers of the crowds. at least twice earlier, they had made what was described as their last public appearance together before the wedding but no matter to ardent monitors, like the man who said today, 'i think charles is wonderful, the whole royal family are.'" "not all of the activity around st. paul's cathedral and here at buckingham palace today involves visitors and the wedding rehearsal. as doug kanal reports, london police are mounting their tightest security operation ever." around the clock coverage from the grounds of the buckingham palace to the streets of london. "taxi cab drivers said it was the worst they'd ever seen." american television covered the occasion. "here in london, as bruce morton reports, the mood is jubilant." "all over the city they got ready. those who were going to play rehearsed. those who were going to watch dug in, ate, slept. took pictures or hats. looked silly - getting the juices flowing, getting the vibes right. they'd been there for hours right, right. " "and we thought than rather watch on tv we'd come here. it's much more fun. you meet people." all leading up to the moment the world was waiting for. "i will." "i will." while 3,500 guests filled st. paul's, more than two million followed the procession. the ceremony reached 74 countries with a worldwide viewership of 750 million. an audience unmatched for the time. and when radio listeners were added, the worldwide audience surpassed one billion. "the procession over. the crowd rushes to the traditional vantage point of the palace railings." "and this is what they're waiting for. an appearance on the balcony of buckingham palace which has seen so many royal and national occasions in the past." to watch the final scene. while princess diana and prince charles' fairytale would not end happily, diana's spotlight followed her beyond royalty and life as the fascination with princess di, crowned the people's princess lives on today. princess lives on today. our journey continues monday. a war begins as iraq invades it's tiny oil-rich neighbor. the release of a game that would pave the way for coin- operated arcade machines. and air traffic controllers walk off the job setting off a chain of events that would redefine labor relations in america. it's monday, august 3, on "through the decades" that'll do it for us today i'm bill kurtis one more look back at this week "through the decades" >> cbs sports, your home for the nfl and thursday night football, s.e.c. football and the masters, the pga championship and pga tour. march madness and the cbs sports family of networks. and coming this football season, your home for super bowl 50. cbs sports, expect it here. >> the "cbs sportsdesk" is presented by century link. bill: hello, everyone. welcome to the "cbs sportsdesk." i'm bill macatee. the third round of the quicken loans national is coming up next but first, last night in major league baseball, wilmer flores was the hero in queens, belting a solo home run in the 12th