On this day in
1173, construction of the campanile of the cathedral of Pisa – now known as the
Leaning Tower of Pisa – begins. It will take two centuries to complete, and yet STILL they fuck the damn thing up!
***
On this day in
1483, the Sistine Chapel opens for public viewing in Rome with the celebration of a Mass.
***
On this day in
1854, American philosopher-writer
Henry David Thoreau publishes his masterpiece,
Walden.
***
On this day in
1930, the sexiest little cartoon character of all time,
Betty Boop, makes her debut in
Dizzy Dishes.
***
On this day in
1936, American Olympian
Jesse Owens throws a wrench into
Adolf Hitler's plans to use the Berlin Olympics as a showcase for the superiority of Aryan Nazi Supermen when he wins his fourth gold medal of the games. The first person to run over and congratulate Jesse, in full view of a flustered Fuhrer, was the giant, smiling Nazi
Luz Long, about whom Jesse Owens would later write: "You could melt down all the medals and cups I have, and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long."
***
On this day in
1942, Indian leader
Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement.
***
On this day in
1944, the United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring
Smokey Bear for the first time.
***
On this day in
1945, the second part of the atom bomb one-two punch landed by the USA against Japan takes place when the city of
Nagasaki is devastated by an atomic bomb called
Fat Man. 39,000 people are killed instantly in this incredible
international horror.
***
On this day in
1965, the island/city of
Singapore becomes the first (and so far only) nation in history to gain independence (from Malaysia) against its will.
***
On this day in
1969, members of
Charles Manson's "family" butcher
Sharon Tate and four of her friends in Beverly Hills. The next day,Manson - upset with his underlings for their lack of murderous panache - orders his crew out on
another raid "to show you how it's done." Charlie had forgotten one thing, however: his all-consuming cowardice. The trash-talking, acid-gobbling midget freak had to leave the room before his brain-fried followers slaughtered the victims that Charlie, himself, had hand-picked... the
LaBianca family. If you're at all interested in the background and different theories about what really went down back then in those crazy, acid-hazy days, then you should most definitely read
Adam Gorightly's incredible book,
The Shadow Over Santa Suzana: Black Magic, Mind Control and the Manson Family Mythos.
***
On this day in
1974, as a direct result of the
Watergate scandal,
Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President,
Gerald Ford, becomes president.
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