On This Day: October 27
Today's History Show Notes - Episode 20
There are six national days designated today, the most important being National Civics Day. Interestingly, this was also the day in 1787 that the Federalist Papers began appearing in New York newspapers under the pseudonym "Publius." The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, and they should be required reading for every American.
Today is also the birthday of the US Navy commemorating the day it formed in 1775 as the Continental Navy. National Navy Day was first commemorated in 1922. Sadly it was also on this day that the US aircraft carrier Hornet sank in 1942.
In food, it’s National Breadstick Day and National American Beer Day, and in Halloween related observances, it’s National Frankenstein Day and National Black Cat Day.
Government
The state of Pennsylvania was founded on this day in 1682 by Englishman William Penn. I wonder what Penn would think about the state’s Junior Senator in 2023.
More than a century later, in 1795, the Treaty of San Lorenzo was signed by the US and Spain, which established a US Southern Border and permitted Americans to navigate the Mississippi River. On the same day 15 years later in 1810, the US annexed West Florida from Spain.
On this day during the Civil War, in 1863, the first “Sanitation Fair” to fundraise for war relief opened in Chicago. The following year in 1864, the Battle of Boydton Plank Road and the Second Battle of Fair Oaks took place in Virginia. Additionally in 1864, the Confederate ship “Albemarle” was torpedoed and sunk. Wait, there were torpedoes in the Civil War?
On this day in 1871, Boss Tweed was arrested. Tweed was the leader of the NY Democrat party, and his corruption ring and organized crime through Tammany Hall, the local Democrat political organization, included widespread election fraud. Funny, in 2020 on this day US voters set a record as 69.5 million Americans had allegedly already voted – a week before election day. That was quite possibly the most rigged election in US history.
Tweed was only sentenced to 12 years, and Democrats haven’t changed after all these years. Worse, they’re still apologizing for him. Check out these guys at the “Bill of Rights Institute.”
In statements that didn’t age well, on this day in 1913 President Woodrow Wilson said that the US would never attack another country, and in 1941 the Chicago Daily Tribune printed that there would not be war with Japan. Both of those assertions turned out to be false.
In 1962, the event known as “Black Saturday” during the Cuban Missile Crisis took place when an American spy plane was shot down over Cuba, and the navy dropped depth charges on a Soviet submarine as a warning.
In 1997, the US released a redesigned $50 bill – the same day that the Dow Jones crashed a record 554 pts to 7161. Prophetic.
Today In World History…
1275: Amsterdam Founded
1920: League of Nations Moved HQ to Geneva
1982: China Population Allegedly Reached 1 Billion
1986: Britain Deregulates Financial Markets
2017: Catalonia Declares Independence from Spain
For what it’s worth, this is how I feel digging into government history.
Culture
There were many firsts on this day in history. In 1896, the first Pali Road was completed in Hawaii. It’s reported that the winds there are so strong that streams flow up! In 1925, water skis were patented by Fred Waller. In 1938, DuPont announced the creation of nylon. And in 2017, the first operation to separate conjoined twins joined at the head was completed in India.
The two babies, Jaga and Balia, spent more than two years in the hospital and, unfortunately, Balia died in 2020:
“We tried our best but could not save him. During past one week the health condition of Balia deteriorated and today he passed away due to septicemia and shock.”
-Bhubanananda Moharana, Emergency Officer of SCB Medical College and Hospital
In media history, in 1947, "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx premiered on ABC radio, and in 1954, "Disneyland," Walt Disney's first television show, premiered on ABC. In 1955, "Rebel Without a Cause" was released and, in 2014, Taylor Swift released "1989," her fifth studio album – she won Billboard Album of the Year in 2015 and the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2016.
In other Culture history:
1969: Ralph Nader Established “Nader's Raiders”
1983: Larry Flynt Paid Hitman $1M to Kill Hugh Hefner, Bob Guccione, Walter Annenberg, and Frank Sinatra
2020: NXIVM Cult Leader Keith Raniere Sentenced to 120 Years
Religion
There are few historical events in religious history worth mentioning today. In 312, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great allegedly received his famous Vision of the Cross, and in 625 Honorius I began his reign as Catholic Pope. In 1553, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake outside of Geneva after being condemned as a heretic. The old church really loved burning people at the stake in October.
Centuries later in 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issued the “Extermination Order” for Mormons – ordered them to leave the state or be exterminated.
Death & Destruction
October 27 was another deadly day in the world, but we had some weird events today – including two foreign billionaires dying in air travel. Here is today’s D&D update:
1854: 52 killed in Chatham Rail disaster
1919: Last victim of the Axeman of New Orleans
1962: Italian billionaire Enrico Mattei’s plane crashes in mysterious circumstances
1985: 49 die when Hurricane Juan ravages US Gulf states and east coast
1999: 8 killed when gunman opens fire in the Armenian Parliament
2012: 46 people are killed and 123 injured in Iraq after a series of attacks and bombs
2013: 18 killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan
2013: 38 killed in a series of car bombings in Bagdhad, Iraq
2018: Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha dies in a helicopter crash
2018: 11 killed, six injured when gunmen attacks Tree of Life synagogue in Pennsylvania
Birthdays
1872: Emily Post (Etiquette Columnist)
1901: Teddy Roosevelt (26th US President)
1926: H. R. Haldeman (Nixon Chief of Staff)
1932: Sylvia Plath (Writer)
1939: John Cleese (Actor)
1940: John Gotti (Gangster)
1941: Dick Trickle (Racer)
1963: Marla Maples (Actress)
Death Days
1505: Ivan the Great (Unknown)
1941: Ernest Everette Just (Pancreatic Cancer)
2013: Lou Reed (Liver Disease)
On This Day is published Monday through Friday. Watch the Today’s History podcast weekdays at 12PM ET! Don’t forget to visit bootlegproducts.com and use coupon code MYAMERICA!
So interesting. Thank you for your work.