On this day in 1919, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago White Sox to clinch the World Series, 5 games to 3. The results shocked the sports world; the White Sox had built a powerhouse team, but rumors were already swirling about a possible fix. Nearly a year later, a grand jury indicted 8 members of the White Sox for allegedly conspiring with gamblers to throw the series.The case went to trial in the summer of '21, with all 8 eventually being found not guilty. However, newly-appointed commissioner of baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis had already banned the 8 "Black Sox" from baseball permanently, and refused to rescind the ban despite the verdict. On this day in 1967, socialist revolutionary and guerilla leader Che Guevara is killed by Bolivian troops, his body thrown in an unmarked grave. His body was discovered in 1997 and returned to his native Cuba, where he was buried in heroic fashion.
On this day in 1845, the Naval School, later to be renamed the US Naval Academy, opens in Annapolis, Maryland. Seven professors are hired to teach the 1st class of 50 through a 5-year curriculum that will include 3 years at sea. On this day in 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns his office. On the same day, he pleads no contest to a charge of federal income tax evasion in exchange for having a charge of political corruption dropped. Agnew had been accused of accepting bribes as governor of Maryland, and some suspect he had continued the practice as VP. On this day in 1911, the Wuchang Uprising occurs in China. Nationalists angered by increasing foreign intrusion into the Chinese economy move against the ruling family. The uprising will soon escalate into a full scale revolution. 2,000 years of imperial rule in China is about to end.
On this day in 1793, a yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia reaches epidemic proportions, as the death toll reaches 100. Within a few days, the death toll will hit 100 per day, and fighting the disease puts such a strain on public services that city government virtually collapses. Philadelphia was the nation's capitol at the time, and federal officials were evacuated. A cold front two weeks later finally checks the spread of the fever, but the official death toll will eventually reach 5,000. On this day (night) in 1975, NBC debuts a new sketch-comedy program, NBC Saturday Night, with a cast of unknowns and guest host George Carlin. Two years later, the show is renamed Saturday Night Live. In its 4-plus decades of production, SNL has won more than 60 Emmys, launched dozens of young actors, actresses and writers to success, and spawned 11 feature films based on recurring sketches. On this day in 1991, the US Senate Judiciary Committee calls in Anita Hill, a former assistant to Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, to testify about her time in his employment. Her testimony will launch a national debate about sexual harassment in the workplace, but Thomas' nomination is approved in spite of Hill's allegations.
On this day in 1492, after 5 weeks at sea, a lookout aboard the Columbus expedition ship Pinta spots land. Columbus would name the island San Salvador On this day 1870, Robert E. Lee passes away at his home in Lexington, VA. He was 63 years old. On this day in 1945, PFC, Desmond T. Doss, USMC, is awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous bravery as a corpsman during the Battle of Okinawa. A 7th Day Adventist who was allowed to serve as an unarmed corpsman, Doss is the only conscientious objector ever awarded The Medal. On this day in 2000, the USS Cole is attacked by terrorists as its sits at anchor in Aden harbor, Yemen. Seventeen sailors are killed and 39 wounded when several hundred pounds of explosives go off against the hull of the guided missile destroyer. Intelligence blames Al-Quaida for the attack. On this day in 1979, British humorist Douglass Adams releases his sci-fi comedy book, "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy." It will spawn 4 sequels, a BBC TV series, comic books, a stage show, computer game and a movie.
On this day in 1775, the Continental Congress authorizes the organization of the Continental Navy. Before the end of the year, 8 existing vessels will be armed, under the command of newly-commissioned Admiral Esek Hopkins. Eighteen other officers are also commissioned, including First Lieutenant John Paul Jones. On this day in 1792, the cornerstone is laid for an official residence of the President, in the newly-designated capitol city of Washington. Unlike most of the early federal buildings, which are constructed of red brick, the residence is constructed of white Virginia freestone, and when John Adams takes residence in 1800, it is quickly dubbed the White House. On this day in 1967, the American Basketball Association makes its debut. Competing directly with the NBA, the new league has 11 teams, including the New Orleans Buccaneers, and offers innovations including a red, white and blue basketball, the 3-point shot, and cheerleaders in bikinis.
There is so much interesting about the structure. Lot of free Mason ties and wild theories and stuff.
On this day in 1947, Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager takes the experimental jet aircraft X-1 to Mach 1.07, becoming the first pilot to break the sound barrier. On this day in 1962, a U-2 spy plane overflies Cuba and returns with photographic evidence that Soviet-made missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads have been placed on the island, just 90 miles from the southernmost tip of Florida. The Cuban Missile Crisis is about to erupt. On this day in 1066, King Harold II of England is defeated at The Battle of Hastings by Norman forces commanded by William the Conqueror. Harold is killed in battle. Less than 2 months later, William will be crowned king of England, ending Anglo-Saxon rule of the island nation. On this day in 1975, Ronald DeFeo, Jr goes on trial for the killing of his parents and 4 siblings in their home in Amityville, NY. All 6 had been shot in their beds, and DeFeo had initially called it a mob hit. But he later confessed to the murders and was sentenced to 6 consecutive 25 to life terms. In December 1975, George Lutz moved his family into the home, but they fled after just 28 days, claiming the house was haunted, inspiring the best-selling novel, "The Amityville Horror." On this day in 1932, President Theodore Roosevelt is shot at close range while greeting citizens before a speech in Milwaukee. The .32 calibre bullet struck Roosevelt in the chest, but the bullet was blocked by a copy of his speech stuck in his breast pocket, and he suffered only a flesh wound. He gave the speech as scheduled, speaking for nearly an hour before going to a hospital to have the bullet removed.
