A Brief History On June 17, 1994, after former NFL legend OJ Simpson failed to turn himself in to authorities after promising to do so, the LAPD spotted the accused murderer being driven in a 1993 Ford Bronco down the 405 and began a low-speed chase of the suspect which was televised live for 95 million American viewers. Digging Deeper Simpson had thrilled football fans as a college and professional running back, and further entertained movie and television watchers as an actor. With an outgoing and genial persona, OJ was one of the most popular sports figures in the US.…
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A Brief History On June 14, 2017, the Republican team was practicing for the annual Congressional baseball game when a gunman opened fire, wounding four people and resulting in the shooter being killed by police. Violence at sporting events is lamentable, but it happens. Digging Deeper Some other notable cases of violence in or at sporting events include the 2024 MMA fight between Igor Severino and Andre Lima when Severino was disqualified for taking a huge bite out of Lima’s bicep, the first such incident in the UFC. Another ridiculous biting took place when heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson chomped off…
A Brief History On May 26, 946, King Edmund I of the English was unceremoniously killed in a street brawl in the conspicuously named town of Pucklechurch in Gloucestershire, England. Digging Deeper According to John of Worcester (died c. 1140) as quoted by Reginald Ralph Darlington and Patrick McGurk in 1995, “While the glorious Edmund, king of the English, was at the royal township called Pucklechurch in English, in seeking to rescue his steward from Leofa, a most wicked thief, lest he be killed, was himself killed by the same man on the feast of St Augustine, teacher of the…
A Brief History On May 11, 1889, a US Army paymaster escorted by 11 “Buffalo” Soldiers were ambushed on their way from Fort Grant to Fort Thomas in the Arizona Territory by between seven and 13 bandits. The attack left eight of the soldiers wounded and the bandits absconded with the entire payroll of $28,000 in gold and silver coins. Digging Deeper The shootout resulted in two of the soldiers earning the Medal of Honor and the rest of the soldiers awarded Certificates of Merit, in spite of losing the payroll. The value of the payroll in today’s dollars would…
A Brief History On February 22, 1974, President Richard Nixon was the target of a failed assassination attempt. Failed attempts at presidential assassinations are numerous, including the first, in 1835, when President Andrew Jackson beat the would be assassin senseless with his cane, after the assassin’s pistol misfired. Digging Deeper An assassination attempt on Teddy Roosevelt after he left the White House left the macho ex-president with a bullet in his chest for life, but that did not stop him from delivering his scheduled speech moments later. In fact, the folded-up speech in TR’s pocket may have saved his life,…