A Brief History On February 13, 1542, the Queen of England and wife of King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery. Catherine was between 17 and 19 years old at the time of her beheading, old enough to understand the dangers of cheating on the King. Digging Deeper Some other historical wives that behaved badly toward their husbands include: Empress Catherine II of Russia, better known as Catherine the Great, born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst in Prussia, married the man that would become Emperor Peter III of Russia, also a German, but overthrew him after he ascended the…
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A Brief History On February 12, 1967, British police raided the home of Rolling Stones member Keith Richards at Redlands, confiscating illegal drugs, a pistol, and a shotgun along with ammunition. Richards and bandmate Mick Jagger were arrested, along with singer Marianne Faithfull. Also present were Dennis Hopper, Polish Prince Jean Christien Stanislaus Klossowski, and George Harrison of the Beatles. Digging Deeper Richards was charged with 25 crimes and was sentenced to a year in jail with Jagger earning a six month stay in the slam. A prompt appeal resulted in charges against Richards being dropped and Jagger’s sentence being…
A Brief History On February 3, 1998, a bizarre aircraft accident occurred on the ski slopes of Italy when a USMC EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare jet flew below allowable altitude and cut the cable to a cable car carrying skiers. Digging Deeper The cable car was carrying an operator and 19 passengers, all of whom were killed as the car fell 300 feet from the severed cable. The pilot and navigator of the jet were uninjured, and the damaged jet made a safe landing. The accident happened in the Dolomite mountains at Cavalese, and of course, the Italian public and…
A Brief History On February 2, 1954, the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League played the first ever outdoor hockey game in the history of the NHL in Marquette, Michigan, up North in the Upper Peninsula. Digging Deeper Not only was the outdoor venue a notable first, but the opponents of the Red Wings were also inmates of the Marquette Branch Prison! The prisoners gave their team the apropos name of “Pirates,” but unfortunately for the convicts, their hockey team was not up to NHL standards. The Red Wings won the game by a score of 18 to…
A Brief History On January 29, 2009, Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich was successfully impeached by the state legislature and booted from office for the crime of soliciting appointment as the replacement as US senator for President-elect Obama. Blagojevich was convicted and served eight years in prison for his crime. About 18 governors have suffered sexual scandals or criminal charges resulting in being forced from office. Digging Deeper Spiro Agnew of Maryland, while serving as Vice President was charged with taking bribes and kick backs while Governor of Maryland and became the second US VP to resign in 1973. Virginia…