Birthdays: John Calvin, Marcel Proust, James McNeill Whistler, Nicholas Tesla, Carl Orff, Camille Pissarro, Adolphus Busch the founder of Budweiser, George DiChirico, Jacky "Legs" Diamond, Arlo Guthrie, Jake LaMotta, Joe Shuster- one of the creators of Superman, Fred Gywnne, David Brinkley, Arthur Ashe, Queen Camilla, Jessica Simpson is 45, Chiwetel Ejiofor is 48.
1873 - French poet Paul Verlaine wounded Arthur Rimbaud in a pistol duel.
1881 -Jesse James robbed his last bank, The Davis and Sexton Bank of Iowa. Then he changed his name to Mr. Howard and tried to live quietly with his wife Zerelda Mimms in Missouri. He called her “Z”.
1890- Wyoming became a state.
1892 - 1st concrete-paved street built in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
100 Years Ago-1925- THE SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL-Tennessee school teacher John Thomas Scopes went on trial for violating a state law forbidding the teaching of evolution to children. Scopes was defended by famed lawyer Clarence Darrow sent by the ACLU, the prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan.
The trial evolved (forgive the pun) from a small claims misdemeanor to a debate on Charles Darwin’s theory itself. This day the media descended upon the little town of Dayton Tennessee, which had hoped to attract attention for its slumping economy. It was the first trial broadcast live on Chicago radio WGN nationwide.
Hundreds of spectators attended from hillbillies with squirrel rifles, a chimpanzee in a suit called Mr. Joe Mendy to columnist H.L. Mencken, packing 4 bottles of bootleg scotch and a typewriter. Darrow humiliated Bryan in the debate by pointing out the contradictions in the Bible, but Scopes was found guilty anyway. The ban on teaching evolution remained in Tennessee until 1967.
1932- In a baseball game against the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indian pitcher Eddie Rommel perfects the knuckleball pitch.
1941- Jazz great Jelly Roll Morton died at 50 in Los Angeles from complications of asthma. He liked to call himself the inventor of jazz. As debatable as that claim was, he was one of the first musicians to develop a personal solo style distinct from the rest of his band. Legend is his mother practiced voodoo in New Orleans, and she told him the reason for his fame and fortune was because she had pledged his soul to the Devil. He spent his last hours in a panic with his wife Mabel anointing his head with Holy oil. He’s buried under his given name Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe.
1950 - "Your Hit Parade" premieres on NBC (later CBS) TV.
1976- the last wooden slide rule produced. The K&E company gave it to the Smithsonian.
1985 - Coca-Cola Co admitted New Coke was a big mistake and announced it would resume selling old formula Coke.
1987- The Brave Little Toaster premiered in theaters. Directed by Jerry Rees.
1979 - Chuck Berry sentenced to 4 months for $200,000 in tax evasion. The old rocker said:” It never fails, every ten years I wind up in jail for something.”
1985- “We Don’t Need Another Evil. “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome opened in theaters.
1992- Ralph Bakshi’s Cool World premiered. Starring with the animation was Kim Bassinger , Gabriel Byrne and a young actor named Brad Pitt.
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