Today in History ^09/08/17

September 8, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Galveston, Texas, reduced to rubble after being hit by a surprise hurricane, Sept 8, 1900 (© AP)

(1900) Deadly hurricane strikes Texas

The Gulf Coast town of Galveston, Texas, is torn apart by 145-mph winds, as a Category 4 hurricane makes landfall. Along with the wind comes catastrophic flooding, and the combination will result in upwards of 12,000 fatalities, making this the deadliest hurricane in US history.

The Great Galveston Hurricane, known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900, was a Category 4 storm, with winds of up to 145 mph, which made landfall on September 8, 1900, in Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It killed 6,000 to 12,000 people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Damages: $21 million USD (1900)
Formed: Aug 27, 1900
Dissipated: Sep 17, 1900
Highest winds: 142.92 mph (230 km/h)
Affected areas: Texas · Haiti · Puerto Rico · Dominican Republic · Louisiana · Cuba · Lesser Antilles · New York · Mississippi · Jamaica · Bahamas · Turks and Caicos Islands · Great Lakes region · South Florida · Central United States

Galveston Hurricane (1900) SWA

wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane

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Today in History ^06/20/17

June 20, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

Lizzie Borden, circa 1892 (© Rex Features)

(1893) Jury concludes Lizzie Borden did not take an ax to family

Following a sensational Massachusetts murder trial, Lizzie Borden, 32, is cleared of charges that she killed her father and stepmother with multiple blows from a hatchet. Borden will never shake off the notoriety, however, inspiring a gruesome folk rhyme still sung today.

Lizzie Andrew Borden was an American woman who gained infamy after being tried and acquitted for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Born: Jul 19, 1860 · Fall River, MA
Died: Jun 01, 1927 · Fall River, MA
Height: 5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
Buried: Oak Grove Cemetery
Parents: Sarah Anthony Borden (Mother) · Andrew Jackson Borden (Father)
Siblings: Emma Borden (Sister)
Highlights
1893: The inquest testimony, the basis for the modern debate regarding her guilt or innocence, was later ruled inadmissible at her trial in June 1893.

1893: Lizzie’s trial took place in New Bedford starting on June 5, 1893.

1927: Lizzie Borden died on June 01, 1927 in Fall River, United States.

wiki/Lizzie_Borden

Group of armed Boxers in Peking, China, 1900 (© Photo12/UIG/Getty Images)

(1900) Anti-foreigner rebellion traps thousands in Peking siege

A long-brewing battle between Chinese nationalists and foreign powers looking to control China’s economy and change its religious landscape erupts into a violent siege when forces of the Boxer Rebellion surround the Legation Quarter of Peking for what will be 55 days of intense battle.

The Siege of the International Legations occurred in the summer of 1900 in Peking, the capital of the Qing Empire, during the Boxer Rebellion. Menaced by the Boxers, an anti-Christian, anti-foreign peasant movement, 900 soldiers, marines, and civilians, largely from Europe, Japan, and the United States, and about 2,800 Chinese Christians took refuge in the Peking Legation Quarter. The Qing government took the side of the Boxers. The foreigners and Chinese Christians in the Legation Quarter survived a 55-day siege by the Qing Army and Boxers. The siege was broken by an international military force which marched from the coast of China, defeated the Qing army, and occupied Beijing. The siege was called by the New York Sun “the most exciting episode ever known to civilization.”

Start date: Jun 20, 1900
End date: Aug 14, 1900

wiki/Siege_of_the_International_Legations

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel poses after his arrest in Los Angeles on April 17, 1941 (© AP)

(1947) Glamour-loving gangster shot down in Beverly Hills

A drive-by shooter unloads nine rounds through the front window of a Beverly Hills home, instantly killing notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel. A founder of the small but promising Las Vegas casino scene, the pal of movie stars and moguls, and head of the Mafia’s west coast syndicate, is dead at 41.

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was a Jewish American mobster. Siegel was known as one of the most “infamous and feared gangsters of his day”. Described as handsome and charismatic, he became one of the first front-page celebrity gangsters. He was also a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish mob but, like his friend and fellow gangster Meyer Lansky, he also held significant influence within the Italian-American Mafia and the largely Italian-Jewish National Crime Syndicate.

Lived: Feb 28, 1906 – Jun 20, 1947 (age 41)
Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Spouse: Esta Krakower (m. 1929 – 1946)
Children: Millicent Siegel (Daughter) · Barbara Siegel (Daughter)
Related movies: Bugsy
Buried: Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Highlights
1929: On January 28, 1929, Siegel married Esta Krakower, his childhood sweetheart.

1935: In 1935, Siegel assisted in Luciano’s alliance with Dutch Schultz and killed rival loan sharks Louis “Pretty” Amberg and Joseph Amberg.

1939: On November 22, 1939, Siegel, Whitey Krakower, Frankie Carbo and Albert Tannenbaum killed Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg outside his apartment.

1945: Siegel wanted to be a legitimate businessman, and in 1945, he saw an opportunity with William R. Wilkerson’s Flamingo Hotel.

1946: In May 1946, Siegel decided the agreement with Wilkerson had to be altered to give him control of the Flamingo.

1947: Three months later, on June 20, 1947, Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill.

wiki/Bugsy_Siegel

Richard Dreyfuss (left) and Roy Scheider in the movie 'Jaws' in 1975 (© Rex Features)

(1975) Spielberg’s new film takes a big bite out of the box office

Twenty-nine-year-old Steven Spielberg’s second movie faced myriad production problems, including budget overruns and mechanical snafus in the title character, but ‘Jaws’ makes waves at ticket counters, chewing up previous box office records, and launching the summer blockbuster era.

A giant great white shark arrives on the shores of a New England beach resort and wreaks havoc with bloody attacks on swimmers until a part-time sheriff teams up with a marine biologist and an old seafarer to hunt the monster down.

IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195
Release date: Jun 20, 1975 (United States)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Gross revenue: $470.70 million USD
Screenwriters: Peter Benchley · Carl Gottlieb
Sequel: Jaws 2
Music by: John Williams
Trailer:

wiki/Jaws_(film)

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Today in History ^06/07/17

June 7, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

Painting of 'The Siege of Jerusalem, 1099,' by William of Tyre, 1460s (© Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

(1099) The First Crusade’s push to capture Jerusalem begins

Western European Christian forces arrive at Muslim-ruled Jerusalem and begin to lay siege to a city that both they and Muslims deem sacred. This climactic battle of the First Crusade will defeat the Fatimid Caliphate and see the return of Christian rule to Jerusalem after some 400 years.

The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099, during the First Crusade. The climax of the First Crusade, the successful siege saw the Crusaders seize Jerusalem from the Fatimid Caliphate and laid the foundations for the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Start date: Jun 07, 1099
End date: Jul 15, 1099

wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(1099)

Chinese peasants, routed from their homes during the great flood of the Yellow River, receive relief money at Chengchow, China on July 19, 1938 (© AP )

(1938) Act of environmental warfare kills at least half a million

The Chinese government, hoping to halt a rapid Japanese army advance during the Second Sino-Japanese War, destroys dikes on the Yellow River near Zhengzhou. The resulting catastrophic flood two days later will temporarily stop the Japanese, but also kill 500,000 Chinese and leave 3 million homeless.

The 1938 Yellow River flood was a flood created by the Nationalist Government in central China during the early stage of the Second Sino-Japanese War in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of Japanese forces. It has been called the “largest act of environmental warfare in history.”

Start date: Jun 09, 1938
End date: 1938

wiki/1938_Yellow_River_flood

Smoke burns from the USS Yorktown after a Japanese bomber hit the aircraft carrier in the Battle of Midway near Midway Islands in June 1942 (© U.S. Navy/AP )

(1942) Major defeat in the Pacific for the Japanese navy

A ferocious three-day battle a thousand miles west of Hawaii ends in a rout of the Japanese navy by an underestimated American defense. Pearl Harbor is partly avenged on its six-month anniversary, and the Battle of Midway turns the tide towards Allied victory in the Pacific.

The Battle of Midway was a decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, only six months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy under Admirals Chester Nimitz, Frank Jack Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance decisively defeated an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy under Admirals Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, and Nobutake Kondo near Midway Atoll, inflicting devastating damage on the Japanese fleet that proved irreparable. Military historian John Keegan called it “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare.”

Start date: Jun 04, 1942
End date: Jun 07, 1942

wiki/Battle_of_Midway

Kansas City Royals outfielder Bo Jackson in March 1987 (© AP)

(1986) Kansas City Royals draft Bo Jackson

The Royals draft Jackson, who had played college baseball and football at Auburn University, but decided to play professional baseball after a dispute with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson will go on to star in both sports, playing eight MLB seasons and four for the Los Angeles Raiders.

Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson is a former baseball and American football player. He is one of the few athletes to be named an All-Star in two major sports, and the only one to do so in both baseball and football. He is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. While at Auburn University, Jackson won the 1985 Heisman Trophy, annually awarded to the outstanding collegiate football player in the United States.

Born: Nov 30, 1962 (age 54) · Bessemer, AL
Height: 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
Net worth: $16 million USD (2017)
Spouse: Linda Jackson (m. 1987)
Education: McAdory High School · Auburn University (1982 – 1985)
Children: Nicholas Jackson (Son) · Garrett Jackson (Son) · Morgan Jackson (Daughter)
Highlights
1982: In 1982, Jackson’s freshman year, Auburn played Boston College in the Tangerine Bowl, where Jackson made a one-handed grab on an option pitch.

1985: For his performance in 1985, Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy in what was considered the closest margin of victory ever in the history of the award, winning over University of Iowa quarterback Chuck Long.

1987: Bo Jackson married Linda Jackson on September 05, 1987.

1989: Called “the greatest athlete in video game history”, Jackson’s digital counterpart was nicknamed by fans as “Tecmo Bo” since being featured in the 1989 video game Tecmo Bowl for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

1995: In 1995, Jackson completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Development at Auburn to fulfill the promise he made to his mother.

2009: On May 9, 2009, Jackson delivered the commencement speech at Auburn University’s graduation ceremony.

wiki/Bo_Jackson

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Today in History

September 8, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1664) The Dutch lose New Amsterdam to England and the Duke of York

	Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant peacefully hands over control of New Amsterdam, a small settlement at the tip of North America’s Manhattan Island, to the English after realizing he has no support to fight for it. The colony will be renamed New York City in tribute to England’s Duke of York.
(1900) Deadly hurricane strikes Texas

The Gulf Coast town of Galveston, Texas, is torn apart by 145-mph winds, as a Category 4 hurricane makes landfall. Along with the wind comes catastrophic flooding, and the combination will result in upwards of 12,000 fatalities, making this the deadliest hurricane in US history. .
The Great Galveston Hurricane was a Category 4 storm, with winds of up to 145 mph per hour, which made landfall on September 8, 1900, in Galveston, Texas, in the United States, leaving about 8,000 dead. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. Damages: $21 million USD (1900) Formed: Aug 27, 1900 Dissipated: Sep 12, 1900 Highest winds: 142.92 mph (230 km/h) — Source: wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane
(1935) Louisiana’s populist politician brought down in Baton Rouge

	Firebrand, brilliant political tactician, and powerful public speaker, Huey Long, US Senator from Louisiana, is famously controversial, and his over-the-top career now ends as an assassin’s bullets hit him in Louisiana’s State Capitol. Long will succumb to his wounds two days later. .
Huey Pierce Long Jr., nicknamed The Kingfish, was an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a member of the United States Senate from 1932 until his assassination in 1935. A Democrat, he was an outspoken populist who denounced the rich and the banks, and called for “Share our Wealth.” As the political boss of the state, he commanded wide networks of supporters and was willing to take forceful action. He established the political prominence of the Long family. Lived: Aug 30, 1893 – Sep 10, 1935 (age 42) Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) — Source: wiki/Huey_Long
(1966) New show boldly goes where no show has gone before

Gene Rodenberry pitched his story of 23rd-century interstellar exploration as a sort of outer space Western, and tonight ‘Star Trek’ makes its TV debut. The series will be cancelled just three seasons in, but reruns in syndication prove that the show will live long and prosper. .
The adventures of the USS Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets on a five-year mission in outer space to explore new worlds, seek new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before. The Enterprise is commanded by handsome and brash Captain James T. Kirk. His First Officer and best friend is Mr. Spock from the planet Vulcan, and Kirk’s Medical Officer is Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. With its crew of approximately 430, the Enterprise battles aliens, megalomanical computers, time paradoxes, psychotic murderers, and even Khan! First episode: Sep 08, 1966 Number of episodes: 79 Episode duration: 50 minutes Creator: Gene Roddenberry Quotes: Where no man has gone before Theme song: Theme from Star Trek — Source: wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series
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A Historical Day

June 20, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1893) Jury concludes Lizzie Borden did not take an ax to family
	Following a sensational Massachusetts murder trial, Lizzie Borden, 32, is cleared of charges that she killed her father and stepmother with multiple blows from a hatchet. Borden will never shake off the notoriety, however, inspiring a gruesome folk rhyme still sung today..
(1900) Anti-foreigner rebellion traps thousands in Peking siege
A long-brewing battle between Chinese nationalists and foreign powers looking to control China’s economy and change its religious landscape erupts into a violent siege when forces of the Boxer Rebellion surround the Legation Quarter of Peking for what will be 55 days of intense battle..
(1947) Glamour-loving gangster shot down in Beverly Hills
	A drive-by shooter unloads nine rounds through the front window of a Beverly Hills home, instantly killing notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel. A founder of the small but promising Las Vegas casino scene, the pal of movie stars and moguls, and head of the Mafia’s west coast syndicate, is dead at 41..
(1975) Spielberg’s new film takes a big bite out of the box office
Twenty-nine-year-old Steven Spielberg’s second movie faced myriad production problems, including budget overruns and mechanical snafus in the title character, but ‘Jaws’ makes waves at ticket counters, chewing up previous box office records, and launching the summer blockbuster era..