On this day, Oct. 4, 1986, CBS news anchorman Dan Rather was attacked and punched from behind by a man who demanded to know, “Kenneth, what is the frequency?”, while a second assailant also chased and beat him. The story entered popular lore and in 1994 the band R.E.M. released the song “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” Rather, 54, was attacked while walking home after dinner at a colleague’s Manhattan apartment.

One of the assailants later was identified as William Tager. Prosecutors learned of Tager’s role after he shot and killed an NBC employee with a rifle near the Rockefeller Center studios of NBC’s “Today” show in 1994.