Category Archives: This Day in History

This Day in History: November 10th- In Which We Discuss Henry Wirz, the Civil War, and the Notorious Andersonville Prison

This Day In History: November 10, 1865 On November 10, 1865, Henry Wirz, the commander of Andersonville prison in Georgia (a.k.a. Camp Sumter), was executed for his actions during the Civil War. A Swiss immigrant, Wirz was the only Confederate officer convicted and put to death for war crimes. (Even Confederate President Jefferson Davis ultimately got off more or less […]

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This Day in History: November 4th- The Man, the Legend

This Day In History: November 4, 1879 William Penn Adair Rogers, “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son,” was born on November 4, 1879 at his family’s ranch in present day Oklahoma (becoming the 46th state in the United States in 1907). Rogers was the youngest of eight children of his parents, Clement and Mary Rogers, who were part Cherokee. Precocious, intelligent, and personable, […]

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This Day in History: October 26th- Victory

This Day In History: October 26, 1977 For many millennia, smallpox was one of the most easily transmitted and deadly diseases in the world for humans. In the 20th century alone, when a successful vaccine was already being widely administered in many countries, it is estimated that smallpox still caused somewhere between 300 and 500 million deaths worldwide. Approximately one-third […]

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This Day in History: October 22nd- The Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills

This Day In History: October 22, 1934 One of America’s most colorful folk bandits was Charles Arthur Floyd, also known as “Choc” Floyd or “Pretty Boy.” Hailing from Oklahoma, he became one of the country’s most notorious criminals, immortalized by Woody Guthrie and in John Steinbeck’s novel Grapes of Wrath. More of a Robin Hood figure to most than a […]

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This Day in History: October 19th- A Bust

This Day In History: October 19, 1985 In the early 1980s, video rental stores were small-time operations that offered a very limited selection of titles. At a time when buying pre-recorded VHS movies was prohibitively expensive for many people, renting them was the perfect solution for the dedicated movie fan or couch potato. (See: The Origin and Trademarking of “Couch Potato”) […]

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This Day in History: October 16th- The Truth About Ruth Judd and Her Infamous Murders

This Day In History: October 16, 1931 Winnie “Ruth” Judd was the 26-year-old wife of a physician who spent much of his time away from home, including leaving Ruth in Phoenix while he was off in L.A. To kill time, Ruth kept company with 44-year-old “Happy Jack” Halloran, an influential – and also married – businessman. According to a Phoenix […]

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This Day in History: October 15th- A Tale of Two Brothers, Hitler’s Right Hand Man and the One Who Opposed Him

This Day In History: October 15, 1946 Hermann Göring was second only to Hitler in the hierarchy of the Third Reich. Commander of the Luftwaffe, acting Prime Minister of Prussia, President of the Reichstag, and Hitler’s designated successor – Göring’s Nazi resume was almost unparalleled. Born in Bavaria in 1893, Göring was the son of a professional soldier and governor in West […]

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