The boy in the bubble and the baby with the baboon heart

October 26th
On this day in 1881 there was a shootout at the OK Corral! Representing the side of the law were the Earp brothers, Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan, along with the infamous Doc Holliday. Representing the less than lawful in the fight were members of the Clanton/McLaury gang. Now in there defense, the "cowboys" as they were known, moved to Tombstone to escape the confines of city life. Anyone who wanted law and order should have just stayed where they came from. Everyone in that town knew what they were getting into. But the fight was about more than suppressing local vagrants. It was about pride! The gang and the Earps tangled the day before and when 5 members were spotted at the edge of town, the fight broke out. Two of the McLaury brothers and one Clanton died, the Earps and Holliday were wounded, but survived. It lasted only 30 seconds, but has lasted in the imaginations of millions, largely due to the movies made about it.

On this day in 1986 the curse of Babe Ruth raised it's head once again with a baseball going between the legs of one Bill Buckner. The Boston Red Sox were on the verge of winning game 6 of the World Series against the New York Mets, and thus winning their first world championship since 1918. But with two outs in the 10th inning, Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball toward Buckner who reached down to field it. Ole! It went under his glove and the Ray Knight scored the winning run from third base. Oops!

On this day in 1984 a 14 day old baby known as Fae received a heart transplant after doctors found out she was missing the left side of her heart. But what stands out about this transplant was that Fae received a baboon's heart. She lived for another twenty days but ultimately her body rejected the heart and she died. But it was an advance in science that paved the way for other infant heart transplants and surgeries.

The confidence is the balaclava

October 25th
On this day in 1944 the largest naval engagement in recorded history occurred with the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The United States had successfully used their "island hopping" strategy to regain lost territory from the Japanese. They were now ready to wrestle the Philippines back under their control. The Japanese lacked experienced pilots so they employed kamikaze attacks in force for the first time. The American Navy was caught off guard and lost many ships, but Japanese air power was crippled for the rest of the war.

On this day in 1994 Susan Smith reports that her car was stolen by an African-American man with her two small children still in the back seat. As it turns out, Smith used the car jacking story to cover up the fact that she drove her car intentionally into a lake in order to drown her kids. She was involved with a man who did not want children. So rather than let them live with their father, she thought that killing them would allow her to continue her relationship with her new man. She confessed 9 days later under the weight of her own guilt.

On this day in 1854 Lord Cardigan lead the famous "charge of the light brigade" against a heavily defended Russian position during the battle of Balaclava. The order was a result of a misunderstanding and confusion amongst those who gave the orders to attack. The heavy Russian guns destroyed Cardigans men, but the British spun the story to portray Cardigan (who survived) as a hero. Because of his celebrity, and the fashion sense he picked up in Russia, the cardigan sweater is named after him.

Bite me!

October 24th
On this day in 1861 workers from the Western Union Telegraph Company complete the first transcontinental telegraph line in Salt Lake City, Utah. The first message sent was from the Chief Justice of California to President Lincoln pledging the support of the west in the fight to preserve the Union. For the first time those who moved to the shores of the Pacific could communicate vital information to those on the other side of the country in a matter of minutes, rather than months.

On this day in 1997 broadcaster Marv Albert is sentenced in his trial for sexual assault against Vanessa Perhach. He allegedly bit her on the back and tried to force himself on her after she refused to have a three-way with him at a hotel in Washington DC. Apparently he took Dave Chappelle's famous line of "sometimes you just gotta take the pussy" to heart and added his own bite mark to it. Albert was fired from NBC and Madison Square Garden, but then was rehired a year later after complying with court orders for treatment.

On this day in 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opened around the US. Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the title characters, it was an old west buddy movie about bank robbers that has remained a favorite to many, including me! The movie was a huge success and it featured the Oscar winning song "Raindrops keep falling on my head" by Burt Bacharach.

Falling on a sword

October 23rd
On this day in 43 B.C. Marcus Junius Brutus commits suicide after his defeat at the second battle of Philippi.  Brutus was the leading conspirator in the murder of Julius Caesar two years prior and had joined forces with Cassius to try and restore the republic. He thought he would be treated as a hero, but instead the deceitful act plunged Rome into another civil war. He and the troops that were loyal to the republic started a series of battles against Caesars heir, Octavian, and Mark Antony. Cassius had killed himself at an earlier battle and once he was defeated, Brutus decided to kill himself rather than face the shame of being taken prisoner.

On this day in 1921 the body of the American soldier chosen to be the "Unknown soldier" from WWI was taken from France and placed on a boat to the United States. The symbolic choice of having one body represent all those lost in the field of battle is one that instills pride in many who choose to fight for their country, and especially for those who lost loved ones in battle and never got closure.

On this day in 1855 the start of "Bleeding Kansas" occurred when rival governments take claim to the government of the state of Kansas after a controversial election. President Franklin Pierce decided the best way to decide if the territory of Kansas should be a slave or free state was to leave it up to those who lived there. Seems simple enough, but this was a very heated decision, and many settlers moved in to try and sway their side towards victory. To complicate matters "border ruffians" from Missouri decided to vote anti-slavery, even though they weren't citizens of Kansas. Violence would become common place in the coming months as those from both sides would intimidate rivals into leaving Kansas.

You don't need a parachute to skydive, you need one to do it twice.

October 22nd
On this day in 1962 President Kennedy announced the blockade of Cuba after the discovery of Soviet missile silos being installed. The blockade was to halt the Soviets from transferring nuclear warheads to Cuba, thus putting the threat 90 miles away from Florida. Kennedy accused the Soviets of subterfuge and challenged Cuba to remove the weapons or face further consequences. In a back room deal with the Soviets Kennedy was able to avert the crisis by agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey in exchange for the removal of the missiles from Cuba, but not until after a standoff the nearly started a nuclear holocaust.

On this day in 1797 Andre-Jacques Garnerin became the first parachutist when he severed the tethering to his balloon some 3,000 feet above Paris. The idea of the parachute wasn't a new one, as Leonardo da Vinci conceived of an invention to slow the fall of a person from a high height. But Garnerin was the first person to try, and survive using the device. He ended up dying 26 years later in a balloon accident while trying out a new parachute.

Everyone is familiar with the concept of self sacrifice, and the term "falling on a grenade" has taken a new meaning in the dating world, but on this day in 1965 a young soldier took it sad new level. 18 year old PFC Milton Lee Olive III sacrificed his own life by falling on an enemy grenade to save the lives of at least 4 of his fellow soldiers while on a patrol in Vietnam. He absorbed the full blast of the explosion and died immediately. He was given the posthumous medal of honor and has a few landmarks in his hometown of Chicago named after him.

How did you know?

October 21st
On this day in 1805 two of the battles with the most consequence occurred. At the battle of Ulm, Austrian General Mack von Leiberich surrenders his army to Napoleon. It was a huge blow to the Third Coalition that had been brought together to defeat Napoleon on land. However, many miles away off the coast of Spain the Battle of Trafalgar ended with a decisive British victory. Under the leadership of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson, the British fleet destroyed most of the joint Spanish/French fleet. Nelson was killed during the battle, but British sea power wasn't challenged for another 100 years.

On this day in 1975 Carlton Fisk hit one of the most famous home runs in baseball history in the World Series to help his Red Sox to defeat the Cincinnati Reds in game six. The game had been close throughout and had gone into the 12th inning. Fisk lead off the inning with a long drive to left field that hit off the foul pole for the game winning home run. His waving gestures to almost will the ball fair have been on highlight reels ever since. This is the home run mentioned in Good Will Hunting when Robin Williams' character is talking about the first time he met his wife. The cursed Red Sox would go on to lose in the seventh game.

On this day in 1941 the German army massacred thousands of Yugoslavians who were part of a coup that was protesting their countries alliance with the Nazis. Knowing that they were next on the chopping block for German invasion, the Yugoslavian government signed the alliance the previous year. But its citizens didn't share the same view. Yugoslavia was the home to many different ethnic groups that were against the policies of the Nazi regime. Their resistance was crushed when the German army was sent into the towns thought to be putting up the most fight. With blatant disregard for human life the Germans killed men, women, and children alike.

I'm going over backwards!

October 20th
On this day in 1968 US Olympic high jumper, and Oregonian, Dick Fosbury reinvents his sport and wins the gold medal. Utilizing what is now known as the "Fosbury Flop" he went backwards over the bar and set a world record. Before this method, athletes would belly roll, or scissor kick over the bar, but their legs would often graze the bar on the way over. No record holder since 1980 has utilized any other method in the sport.

On this day in 1977 a plane crash in the back woods of Mississippi killed 3 members of the southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, including lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, and siblings Steve and Cassie Gaines. The crew on the flight were blamed for the crash for not recognizing that the plane was not fit to fly. Earlier in the year Aerosmith chose to switch planes over concerns with the crew, saving themselves from the demise of the original incarnation of Lynyrd Skynrd.

On this day in 1974 the iconic Sydney Opera House opens in Sydney, Australia. It took 15 years to complete the $80,000,000 project designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon. The structure hosts on average 3,000 events every year and seats a little over 1,500 people. Famous for its roof shells, the building is the most famous in the entire country of Australia, and probably in the entire southern hemisphere.

On this day in 1990 the members of the hip hop group 2 Live Crew are acquitted on charges of obscenity.  The group headed by Luther Campbell became popular for their vulgar lyrics and misogynistic portrayal of women. Their album As Nasty as They Want to be was quickly pulled from stores all over the nation. But when the group performed in Florida the police were on hand with tape recorders. The group was charged with public indecency and was brought to trial. The jury just laughed when the prosecutors played back the tapes and tried to decipher what was said.