Wednesday, October 8, 2014

This Date in History - October 8

Remembering Don Larsen's big perfect game in the World Series, 58 years ago today.

314:  ROMAN EMPEROR LICINIUS IS DEFEATED AT THE BATTLE OF CIBALAE BY HIS COLLEAGUE CONSTANTINE I.

That's some colleague.

1075:  DMITAR ZVONIMIR IS CROWNED KING OF CROATIA.

Because somebody has to be.

1200:  ISABELLA OF ANGOULEME IS CROWNED QUEEN CONSORT OF ENGLAND.

Sure were a lot of long names back in those days.

1322:  MLADEN II SUBIC OF BRIBIR, DEFEATED IN THE BATTLE OF BLISKA, IS ARRESTED BY THE PARLIAMENT.

Like I just said.

1582:  BECAUSE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR THIS DAY DOES NOT EXIST IN THIS YEAR IN ITALY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, AND SPAIN.

It sucks if you were born on October 8 in Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.

1793:  POLITICIAN JOHN HANCOCK DIES.

The man who invented the signature.

1806:  DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS, FORCES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE LAY SIEGE TO THE PORT OF BOULOGNE IN FRANCE BY USING ROCKETS.

Rockets in 1806?   Gee, they probably didn't go far.

1856:  THE SECOND OPIUM WAR BETWEEN SEVERAL WESTERN POWERS AND CHINA BEGINS.

Okay, now we're fighting over something important.

1860:  TELEGRAPH LINES BETWEEN LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO OPENS.

So Dodger and Giant fans can send insulting telegrams to each other.

1862:  DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, UNION FORCES HALT THE CONFEDERATE INVASION OF KENTUCKY.

They just wanted to see the race.

1871:  FOUR MAJOR FIRES BREAK OUT ON THE SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN, INCLUDING THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE.

Is this that Mrs. O'Leary's cow nonsense?

1879:  IN THE WAR OF THE PACIFIC, THE CHILEAN NAVY BEATS THE PERUVIAN NAVY IN THE BATTLE OF ANGAMOS.

Take Peru with four and a half boats.

1904:  EDMONTON, ALBERTA IS INCORPORATED AS A CITY.

NHL franchise to come.

1904:  PRINCE ALBERT IS INCORPORATED AS A CITY.

And ultimately locked in a can.

1921:  KDKA IN PITTSBURGH CONDUCTS THE FIRST LIVE BROADCAST OF A FOOTBALL GAME.

And I suppose the first post-game show.

1932:  THE INDIAN AIR FORCE IS ESTABLISHED.

It's really the US's Air Force but we outsourced it.

1936:  GOSSIP COLUMNIST RONA BARRETT IS BORN.

I'm thinking it should be 1926.  Liar.

1939:  ACTOR PAUL HOGAN IS BORN.

G'birthday, mate.

1939:  GERMANY ANNEXES WESTERN POLAND.

Achtung.

1941:  ACTIVIST JESSE JACKSON IS BORN.

I will not lower myself and call him a reverend.

1943:  COMIC CHEVY CHASE IS BORN.

And you're not.

1944:  POLITICIAN WENDELL WILKIE DIES.

Just four years after losing to FDR.  Gee, if he had won, he would have been a dead President.

1956:  NEW YORK YANKEE DON LARSEN PITCHES THE ONLY PERFECT GAME IN WORLD SERIES HISTORY. 

Against the Brooklyn Dodgers naturally.

1962:  ALGERIA JOINS THE UNITED NATIONS.

And also springs for a reserved parking space, too.

1962:  GUERRILLA LEADER CHE GUEVARA AND HIS MEN ARE CAPTURED IN BOLIVIA.

Oh, Che, you can't see.

1969:  THE OPENING RALLY OF THE DAYS OF RAGE OCCURS, ORGANIZED BY THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND IN CHICAGO.

That's the group that sleazeball Bill Ayers says never really existed.

1974:  THE FRANKLIN NATIONAL BANK COLLAPSES DUE TO FRAUD AND MISMANAGEMENT.  AT THE TIME, IT IS THE LARGEST BANK FAILURE IN THE HISTORY OF THE US.

"At the time..."

1982:  CATS OPENS ON BROADWAY.

And this damn thing ran for almost 18 years.  Proud to say that I never saw it.

1982:  ACTOR FERNANDO LAMAS DIES.

Well, he did look marvelous.

1991:  CROATIA VOTES TO SEVER RELATIONS WITH YUGOSLAVIA, RENDERING THE COUNTRY FULLY INDEPENDENT.

Two countries and one single yawn for me.

2001:  US PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ANNOUNCES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 

For those folks who can't get a job at McDonald's.

2011:  PIANIST ROGER WILLIAMS DIES.

It wasn't just the autumn leaves that were falling.

2013:  BASEBALL PLAYER ANDY PAFKO DIES.

His last name always sounded like a super market to me.

Dinner last night:  Chinese Chicken Salad.

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