On this day in 1988 Hurricane Gilbert is recorded to have the lowest barometric reading in the history of the Western Hemisphere, 888 mbar, and was the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. It devastated Jamaica and later Mexico on it's path of destruction. It was also recorded to be one of the biggest hurricanes ever seen at 558 miles in diameter.
On this day in 1814 while aboard a British prison ship, Francis Scott Key is inspired to write the "Star Spangled Banner". He watched as the British tried to destroy the Americans at Fort McHenry and thus gain access to Baltimore by sea. It was all for naught as the Americans repelled the attack and the large flag above the fort stayed aloft throughout the battle.
On this day in 1971 the prison riots at Attica Prison in western New York state came to a bloody end when national guardsmen and police open fire and kill 29 prisoners and 10 hostages. The prisoners had been claiming they had poor living conditions due to the overcrowding of an old, and decrepit prison. A large number of inmates attacked the guards 4 days prior and took some of them hostage and demanded change. Fed up with the insurrection, Governor Nelson Rockefeller order the prison to be retaken by force. It became the rallying cry for prison reformation nationwide.
On this day in 1922 the temperature at Al Aziziyah, Libya reaches 135.9 degrees Fahrenheit, IN THE SHADE! This would be the highest recorded temperature in the history of the world. Can you imagine the guy who took the temperature that day? "Man it's hot today, I wonder just how hot it is?"
On this day in 1936 17 year old Bob Feller strikes out 17 batters in a game against the Philadelphia A's. This would be a new American League record. Feller made his debut a month earlier and struck out 15 batters in that game.
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