This Day In History: December 11, 1978 There were many groups that wanted the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi gone from Iran in 1978, and they were rallying around Ruhollah Khomeini to replace him as head of the government. Born in 1902, Khomeini was a scholar and cleric who earned the title of Ayatollah after rigorous religious study. In addition to […]

This Day In History: December 10, 1963 On December 10, 1963, Frank Sinatra received a phone call from a group of co-conspirators who had been holding his son, Frank Jr., hostage since December 8th. They demanded a ransom payment of $240,000 (about $1.8 million today), which Sinatra paid immediately. It was a bizarre crime to say the least. The kidnapping […]

This Day In History: December 8, 1542 On December 8, 1542, Mary, Queen of Scots, renowned for her beauty and quick wit as well as her sad fate, was born at Linlithgow Palace. Her father, James V, was away fighting the English at the time of her birth. He had suffered a crushing defeat to Henry VIII at Solway Moss […]

This Day In History: December 4, 1956 On December 4, 1956, one of the most famous and awe inspiring jam session in history occurred at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. Four legendary performers happened to bump into one another, and, as musicians tend to do, sat down to play some tunes. They met completely by chance, the jam session was […]

This Day In History: December 2, 1845 James K. Polk is one of those presidents that most people draw a complete blank on, like Fillmore or Hayes. He may not be high on the recognition scale, but Polk got things done- perhaps the only U.S. president to accomplish every major point he promised when campaigning for office, doing it all […]

This Day In History: November 30, 1924 “Apparently all they know here in Washington about Brooklyn is that a tree grew there.” – Shirley Chisholm Congresswoman, civil rights activist, social reformer, and educator, Shirley Chisholm broke down racial and gender barriers in the 1960s and 1970s. She made history not only as the first black Congresswoman but also as the […]

This Day In History: November 26, 1894 “I am yours, you are mine, of that be sure. You are locked in my heart, the little key is lost and now you must stay there forever.” – Alix to Nicholas They first met in 1884 when Princess Alix of Hesse (later Empress Alexandra) was 12 and Nicholas was 16 at a […]

This Day In History: November 25, 1970 Yukio Mishima was born as Kimitake Hiraoka in 1925. Often referred to as the “Japanese Hemingway,” Mishima was arguably the best known Japanese author of the twentieth century. Many of his works were translated into English, and he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on three occasions. Mishima was an enigma […]

This Day In History: November 24, 1807 The Native Americans and the colonists lived in closer proximity than modern Americans often realize. They worked as tailors, carpenters, whalers, and in other contemporary occupations. Native Americans were an integral part of the colonial economy, and their presence in colonial villages was completely unremarkable on the whole. When the Revolutionary War broke […]

This Day In History: November 23, 1936 The issue of an extramarital affair, Robert Johnson was born as Robert Dodds in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, the son of Julia Dodds and Noah Johnson. (Julia briefly took up with Noah after her husband and father of her other ten children had to flee town in order to avoid being hanged after he injured […]

This Day In History: November 19, 1964 Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard had to be tenacious to get their big break. When they first auditioned for Berry Gordy at Motown under the group name The Primettes, he told them to come back after they’d finished high school. Undaunted, the three girls loitered around the Motown office after school, […]

This Day In History: November 16, 1957 On November 16, 1957, notorious murderer Ed Gein killed hardware store employee Bernice Worden. Gein is said to have provided the blueprint for Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Norman Bates in Psycho. (See: The Secrecy of Psycho.) Since Ed reportedly liked to […]

This Day In History: November 13, 1687 Nell Gwynne was that rarest of creatures – a royal mistress who was as popular with the people as she was with her exalted lover. Although England’s Charles II had many mistresses throughout his lifetime, his “pretty, witty Nell” held a special place in his affections. Born on Feb. 2, 1650, probably in […]

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 […]

This Day In History: November 9, 1520 The situation in Sweden in 1520 was chaotic. The point of contention was Swedish sovereignty. The pro-union faction that championed allegiance to King Christian II of Denmark was headed by Archbishop Gustavus Trolle. The supporters of Swedish independence were led by Sweden’s Regent Sten Sture the Younger. King Christian II had already stepped […]

This Day In History: November 6, 1479 On November 6, 1479, Juana, the third child and second daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, was born. All of their daughters were raised to marry foreign royalty and spread Spain’s influence across Europe (Juana’s sister Catherine married King Henry VIII of England.) Juana had been promised since birth to the Holy […]

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, […]

This Day In History November 2, 1772 “.. an attack on the liberties of one Colony was an attack on the liberties of all.” – Sam Adams The Sons of Liberty were always busy organizing new public protests and resistance strategies against unpopular British policies. They continually looked for new ways to educate the citizens about the pressing issues of […]