On this day in 1938 millions of people believe that the United States is being invaded by Martians when Orson Welles broadcasts a "War of the Worlds" dramatization. Switchboards lit up with people concerned about their well being in the face of the enslavement of the human race. Wells took a lot of heat for this stunt, but he proved how powerful the media could be if put in the wrong hands. How gullible can you get?
On this day in 1974 the heavy weight boxing title was decided with the "Rumble in the Jungle". Muhammad Ali agreed to fight George Foreman in Zaire and solidified his already legendary status with the way he fought. Ali was older than the title holder Foreman by 7 years and was believed to be past his prime. No one believed Ali could take a punch from Foreman. But Ali spent the entire fight dancing around Foreman, at times taunting him to hit him. Ali enticed Foreman to punch him and would back against the ropes protecting himself with his arms. His brilliant strategy was to tire Foreman out, and it worked. Foreman's punches became more and more ineffective as the fight wore on, and Ali took advantage knocking him out in the eighth round.
On this day in 1995 the people of Quebec voted to stay with Canada, rather than becoming their own sovereign nation. I'm not really sure why, they speak a different language, hold a geographic advantage within Canada (splitting the nation in two) and would have had their own established economy. And they dip their fries in mayonnaise instead of ketchup....catsup...ketchup...whatever. The results were 49% in favor of independence and just over 50% against.
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