Author: Major Dan

A Brief History On October 17, 1931, Mobster Al “Scarface” Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and later sent to Alcatraz Federal Prison.  Authorities had long sought to arrest and convict this famous gangster for the murders, extortion and bootlegging he was involved in, but they never had enough evidence. Finally, law enforcement hit on the idea of going after him on income tax evasion. It is not a surprise that a career criminal would have income-reporting irregularities, but what about seemingly non-criminal people?  Here we look at  9 celebrities, not from the criminal underworld, who have had problems…

A Brief History On October 16, 1968, two U.S. Olympic athletes on the medal podium raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the American national anthem to protest the status of human rights in the U.S., particularly in regard to African-Americans.  What is hardly remembered is that both African-American medalists also wore no shoes and instead stood there in black socks to symbolize Black poverty in the U.S.  Both of the Americans as well as the silver medalist from Australia wore “Olympic Project for Human Rights” badges and some other symbols of protest.   An irate International Olympic Committee expelled…

A Brief History On October 14, 1066, the Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.  This date is one that you might find on a high school or college history test or perhaps on the television trivia show Jeopardy. Certain battles in history are associated with a particular date or year that many people remember or are reminded of, regardless of the importance of the battle.  Here 9 such dates and battles are listed. (By battles we mean the starting or ending date of the battle or the date of a significant event that…

A Brief History On October 13, 1983, with a network in the Chicago area, Ameritech Mobile Communications (later renamed Ameritech Cellular and then AT&T Mobility) opened the first mobile phone service in the United States. Digging Deeper History and Headlines Trivia: The Guinness Book of World Records claims that David Cotorno, one of the early Chicago-area customers, has had the same cell phone number since August 2, 1985, longer than anyone else!  He has been with Ameritech all along.  Some more History and Headlines Trivia: The term “cellular phone” or “cell phone” is actually a misnomer, as the phones are not cellular, the network…

A Brief History On October 12, 1957, Little Richard made a dramatic gesture to prove he was quitting rock music for a more religious life when he tossed four diamond rings into the Hunter River in Sydney, Australia.  Well, that lasted five years before Little Richard was back on stage, where he still is to this day, rocking and rolling at the age of 81. In 1955 Little Richard had a massive hit with the song “Tutti Frutti” at a time when many white parents were trying to keep their kids away from rock and roll.  This slam-bang-in-your-face song was…