Today in History: October 7, 1975 A deportation order for John Lennon was reversed on this day in 1975, which allowed Lennon to legally remain in his adoptive home of New York City with his wife, Yoko Ono. After the invasion of Cambodia on April 30, 1970, and the shootings of four student protestors at Kent State just four days […]

Today in History: October 4th, 2011 On this day in history, 2011, a great injustice to one man, Michael Morton, that has since inspired a book (Depraved Prosecution) and a documentary (An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story), was undone. On August 13, 1986, Christine Morton (age 31) was found by a neighbor beaten to death in her bed in […]

Today in History: October 3rd: 1863: Lincoln Proclaims Thanksgiving an Official Holiday After the tireless efforts of the author of Mary Had a Little Lamb (and the “Oprah” of her day), Sarah Hale, to get a national Thanksgiving holiday created, President Abraham Lincoln declared on this day in history, 1863- just a few days after receiving Hale’s final letter on […]

Today Day in History: October 2, 1950 The First Peanuts comic strip was published: Peanuts, written by Charles Schulz and one of the most influential and beloved comic strips of all time, made its debut on this day in 1950 in nine different newspapers. What made Peanuts especially remarkable for its time was its astute social commentary, especially when compared […]

Today in History: October 1, 1890 Yosemite National Park, the site of such natural wonders as Half Dome and the majestic giant sequoia trees, was established by an act of Congress this day in 1890. Environmental activist John Muir and his associates campaigned tirelessly for the passage of this act, and their work finally came to fruition when President Benjamin […]

Today in History: September 30, 1955 In just over the course of a year and with only a grand total of three films to his credit, James Dean managed to achieve an unparalleled iconic status. He became the personification of the cool, rebellious visionary who made adolescence appear as a hero’s journey rather than an awkward and unwelcome rite of […]

Today in History: September 27, 1779 For the purpose of negotiating treaties of peace and commerce with Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War, John Adams was appointed on this day in history by the Continental Congress as minister plenipotentiary, and sent to France to carry out his duties. Adams had traveled to Paris once before; he had tried to […]

Today in History: September 26, 1960 For the very first time, a debate between U.S. presidential candidates was broadcast on television for the consideration of the American people. The two presidential hopefuls were a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts named John. F. Kennedy, and the Vice-President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon. Kennedy went into the debate with several disadvantages. […]

Today in History: September 25, 1970 On Friday night at 8:30 p.m., after the popular show “The Brady Bunch,” ABC premiered a program that would give the production company Screen Gems its second show that proved to be hit with both TV and music audiences. Screen Gems enjoyed immense success with its first big smash “The Monkees,” and when it […]

This Day In History: September 24th, 1890 In 1890, Mormon leaders were forced to issue the “Mormon Manifesto,” in which they admonish all church members to obey the U.S. anti-polygamy laws. The church leaders had been left with little choice in the matter – their temples would be seized by the government and Mormons risked serious penalties if they did […]

This Day In History: September 23, 1949 During a deliberately calm and measured statement to the American people, President Harry S. Truman announced that the Soviets had successfully exploded a nuclear device. They managed to accomplish this much earlier than U.S. officials had estimated, which caused ripples of panic to spread through the government. By the time two bombs were […]

This Day In History: September 20, 2012 Amish Group Convicted of Beard Cutting Hate Crimes (Yep, that’s a thing.) A year ago today, 16 members of a dissident Amish group from Ohio were found guilty of both federal hate crimes and conspiracy, for forcibly cutting the hair and beards of other Amish with whom they had religious differences. The ruthless […]

This Day In History: September 19th, 1995 The Unabomber, nicknamed such from the FBI’s title for him “UNABOM” (UNiversity and Airline BOMber), in a series of 16 total bombings from May 25, 1978 to April 14, 1995 spanning across the U.S., killed three people and injured 23 more, yet somehow managed to avoid getting caught. Then, on September 19, 1995, […]

Today in History: September 18, 1975 On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old heiress to the Hearst newspaper empire, was abducted from her apartment in Berkeley, California by three armed assailants. Her fiancé, Stephen Weed and a neighbor who rushed to the scene to help the girl were both tied up and beaten by the kidnappers. Onlookers observed a […]

On this day in history, September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam in the American Civil War was fought. In the early morning hours, about 75,000 Union and 38,000 Confederate troops faced off near Maryland’s Antietam Creek in the deadliest single day of battle America had ever seen. The Battle of Antietam was the culmination Confederate Commander Robert E. Lee’s […]

Today In History: September 16, 1620 On this day in history, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England heading for the New World with 102 souls aboard- some religious dissenters, many others adventurous entrepreneurs. The colonists, who were headed for Virginia, had been given official authorization to settle there by royal authority. As fate would have it, rough seas […]

This Day In History: September 13 On this day in history, 1940, the Luftwaffe bombed Buckingham Palace. In World War II during the London Blitz, the Nazi German Air Force made an air strike on Buckingham Palace while King George VI and his consort Queen Elizabeth were both in residence. During the attack, the palace was hit by five explosives, […]

Today in History: September 12th On this day in history, 1951, John F. Kennedy wedded Jacqueline Bouvier. The foundation for what would later be fondly remembered as Camelot was laid on a crisp and clear September day at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Newport Rhode Island. The petite and doe-eyed 24-year-old bride possessed a natural elegance and grace that far […]