Trevor WholohanThis Day in History August 16th
August 15th 2007 22:50
This Day in History
1812 - Detroit fell to Indian and British troops in the War of 1812.
1829 - The "Siamese twins," Chang and Eng Bunker, arrived in Boston, MA. They had come to the Western world to be exhibited. They were 18 years old and joined at the waist.
1858 - A telegraphed message from Britain's Queen Victoria to U.S. President Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.
1861 - U.S. President Lincoln prohibited the Union states from trading with the states of the Confederacy.
1896 - Gold discovered in the Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek, Ala
1920 - Ray Chapman, of the Indians is hit in the head by Yanks' Carl Mays pitch; he dies next day, only major league fatality in History
1942 - World War II: - The two-person crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappear without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifts without her crew and crashlands in Daly City, California.
1954 - Sports Illustrated was published for the first time. It was claimed that 250,000 subscriptions had been sold before the first issue came off of the presses.
1954 - Jack Paar replaced Walter Cronkite as host of "The Morning Show" on CBS-TV.
1960 - The free-fall world record was set by Joseph Kittinger. He fell more than 16 miles (about 84,000 feet) before opening his parachute over New Mexico.
1975 - Serial Killer Ted Bundy originally arrested for suspicion of burglary, only to later escape twice.
1976 - St Louis Cards beat San Diego Chargers 20-10 in Tokyo (NFL expo)
1984 - Largest harness racing purse ($2,161,000-Nihilator wins $1,080,500)
1984 - John DeLorean was acquitted on eight counts of a $24 million dollar cocaine conspiracy indictment.
1984 - The U.S. Jaycees voted to admit women to full membership in the organization.
1985 - Singer Madonna weds actor Sean Penn
1987 - 156 people were killed when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed. The only survivor was four-year old Cecelia Cichan.
1990 - Iraq orders 4000 Britons & 2500 Americans in Kuwait to Iraq
1993 - Harvey Weinstein was rescued from a 14-foot-deep pit by New York Police. He had been there for nearly two weeks while being held for ransom.
1999 - For the first time, weapons were fired from a Coast Guard HITRON helicopter "to execute the interdiction of a maritime drug smuggler."
2003 - U.S. Representative from South Dakota Bill Janklow hits and kills a motorcyclist with his car at a rural intersection near Trent, South Dakota; he will eventually be convicted of manslaughter and will resign from Congress.
Famous Birthdays
1899 - Glenn Strange Weed NM, actor (Sam the Bartender-Gunsmoke)
1953 - James Taylor rocker (Kool & The Gang-Joanna)
1953 - Kathie Lee Gifford Paris Fla, hostess (Live with Regis & Kathie Lee)
1958 - Madonna (Ciccone) Bay City Mich, singer/actress (Like a Virgin)
1960 - Timothy Hutton actor (Turk 182, Ordinary People)
1988 - Rumer Willis child of Bruce Willis & Demi Moore
Famous Death’s
1948 - Babe Ruth Baseball legend, dies in NY at 53
1977 - Elvis Presley dies of heart ailment at Graceland at 42
1989 - Amanda Blake actress (Gunsmoke), dies at 60
1991 - Shamu the Whale dies at 16, from respiratory failure
Joke of the Day
Troy Aikman, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Cowboys flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Troy," said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Troy felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house.
On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a Green and Gold sidewalk, 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous Packers logo flag, and in every window, a Title Towel.
Troy looked at God and said "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I've been a dominant QB in the NFL and I've led my team to a number of glorious victories as well." God said "So what do you want to know, Troy?"
"Well, why does Brett Favre get a better house than me?"
God chuckled and said "Troy, that's not Brett Favre's house, it's mine."
No Tail Light
"How long have you been driving without a tail light?" asked the policeman after pulling over a motorist.
The driver jumped out, ran to the rear of his car, and gave a long, painful groan.
He seemed so upset that the cop was moved to ease up on him a bit.
"Come on, now," he said, "you don't have to take it so hard. It isn't that serious."
"It isn't?" cried the motorist. "Then you know what happened to my boat and trailer?"
World Records
Largest Cargo Vessel
The world's largest ship of any kind is the oil tanker Jahre Viking (formerly the Happy Giant and Seawise Giant), at 555,843 tons. The tanker is 1,504 ft long overall
Largest Guns On A Ship
The largest calibre guns ever mounted on a ship were the nine 18 inch guns installed on the Japanese WWII-era battleships Yamato and Musashi. The shells weighed 3,200 lb and could be fired 27 miles.
Largest Hovercraft
The 185-ft long SRN4 Mk III hovercraft weighs 305 tons, and can accommodate 418 passengers and 60 cars. It has a maximum speed in excess of 65 knots (75 mph).Wisconsin
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