On This Day: October 24
Today's History Show Notes - Episode 17
It’s National Food Day! This day is meant to help us eat healthier:
“One of the themes of the day aims to help people to ‘Eat Real.’ This theme is defined as ‘cutting back on sugar drinks, overly salted packaged foods and fatty, factory-farmed meats in favor of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and sustainably raised protein.’ The observance involves some of the country’s most prominent food activists, too. Their vision includes food that can be healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced. At the same time, the goal is to produce food with care for the environment, farm animals, and the people who grow, harvest, and serve it in mind.”
Ironically, it’s also National Bologna Day. Now let’s get onto October 24th history…
In Government…
Ah, government. In 1930, there was an armed but bloodless coup in Brazil that ousted the president and ended the Old Republic. The Brazilian Revolution of 1930 removed Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa and installed Getúlio as "provisional president."
Eight years later in 1938, the US forbade child labor in factories. Here is actual footage of the petition process to get this passed.
Seriously, though, from the US Department of Labor:
“The federal child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) were enacted to ensure that when young people work, the work is safe and does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities.”
In 1945, the Charter of the United Nations came into effect – and the world is worse off with the experiment of global governance. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States' support to South Vietnam, and there was an escalation in the Cuban Missile Crisis when in 1962, when Soviet ships approached but stopped short of the US blockade of Cuba.
This feels like a boomerang – exactly 50 years ago in 1973, John Lennon sued the US government to admit the FBI was tapping his phone. Of course, they denied it – but does anyone believe they weren’t tapping his phone? He was a super subversive person!
Finally for government history today, in 2017 Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowed to return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam after announcing a 500 billion dollar mega city.
In Culture…
When people are fact checking the existence of mermaids, you know our culture is still broken. On this day in 1836, the first patent for matches using phosphorous friction was awarded to Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts. Look, now they come in rainbow!
Almost fifty years later in 1881, Levi P Morton, US ambassador to France drove the first rivet into the Statue of Liberty, and she has a storied history. What is her future?
In 1901, Annie Taylor became the first person – not the first woman, but the first person – to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and my immediate question is, “the first?” Turns out Niagra Falls had many dare devils, and Annie kept a record of it. This is crazy cool!
I’m sad that Annie died penniless. She is a tough broad and deserved better.
A year later in 1911, Captain Robert Falcon Scott left Cape Evans for his expedition to the South Pole. It didn’t go well. Two British explorers claim to have finished Scott’s expedition. Check out the overview video here.
On the same day in the same year that Scott set out for his fated mission, Orville Wright remained in the air 9 minutes and 45 seconds in a glider over the North Carolina Outer Banks. This set a new world record that stood until 1921.
The final performance of Harry Houdini took place on this day in 1926 in Detroit, Michigan, and three years later, in 1929 the world changed when Black Thursday kicked off the stock market crash, with the Dow Jones down losing 12.8%. On the same day in 2008, Bloody Friday saw many of the world's stock exchanges lose around 10% in most indices. Last night Bitcoin was pumping…check your wallets.
Two years after Black Thursday, in 1931, Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years for tax evasion and the George Washington Bridge, which links New York City and New Jersey was dedicated. It opened the next day.
In 1968, Mick Jagger was busted for pot and released on a fifty pound bail. Ten years later, in 1978, Keith Richards was convicted of heroin possession in Toronto and, the following year in 1979, Billy Martin punched a marshmallow salesman.
Wait, there used to be marshmallow salesmen?
Other moments include:
1939: Nylon stockings went on sale for first time in Delaware
1962 "The Manchurian Candidate" was released
2003: The Concorde made its final commercial flight
2018: The EU banned single use plastics
2018: The Largest jackpot in US history at $1.6 billion won by one SC person
2022: A bird finished a 8,425 mile, non-stop flight from Alaska to Australia in 11 days
Death & Destruction
Is the daily death and destruction making you anxious? Find someone with chronic anxiety to calm you down. Today’s update is rough.
79 16,000 Thousands killed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted
1492: 24 Jews are burned at the stake
1902: 6,000 killed when Santa Maria volcano erupted in Guatemala
1973: 9 die in 65 car collision on New Jersey Turnpike caused by heavy fog
1994: 55 killed in bomb attack in Sri Lanka
2004: 10 killed in plane crash in Virginia
2012: 3 killed, 2 critically wounded in public shooting in California
2012: 1 killed, $50M in damage when Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in Jamaica
2012: 130 civilians killed when Libyan militias capture Bani Walid
2016: 61 killed, 117 injured by Suicide bomb at a police training academy in Pakistan
2020: 140 die when migrant ship sinks off the coast of Senegal
Birthdays
1788: Sarah Josepha Hale (Writer)
1915: Bob Kane (Batman Co-creator)
1947: Kevin Kline (Actor)
1972: Scott Peterson (Murderer)
1986: Drake (Musician)
1989: PewDiePie (YouTuber)
Death Days
1972: Jackie Robinson (Heart Attack)
1994: Raul Julia (Stroke)
2005: Rosa Parks (Natural Causes)
2015: Maureen O'Hara (Natural Causes)
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