The Pony Express delivered mail in record time (1860), while the Unabomber was arrested for a 20-year bombing spree (1996). The first non-car-based cell phone call was made (1973), and the Marshall Plan sent aid to Europe (1945). Jesse James was killed by a fellow gang member (1882), Lenin returned to Russia (1917), Microsoft violated antitrust laws (2000), Oscar Wilde sued for libel (1895), and the ACLU defended Allen Ginsburg’s Howl against obscenity charges (1955). Annie Hall beat Star Wars for Best Picture Oscar (1978).
The Pony Express has made its first run. (1860) The Pony Express was the fastest and most reliable method of delivering mail in the newly developing American West and covered the land from Missouri to California in less than ten days, a speed unheard of at the time. Although the Pony Express only lasted about a year, it had a profound impact on the development of the West.
The Unabomber was arrested. (1996) Ted Kaczynski was an anti-tech anarchist who went on a mail-in bombing spree that lasted for more than 20 years. What many people don’t know is that Kaczynski was considered a child prodigy and was even accepted to Harvard to study mathematics at the age of 16.
The first call was made. (1973) Motorola researcher Martin Cooper made the first phone call on a non-car-based cell phone to his rival, Dr. Engel of Bell Labs.
President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan. (1945) The Marshall Plan sent more than 13 billion US dollars (USD) in aid to Europe. The plan helped both postwar Europe and postwar America by opening the global market to American goods.
Jesse James was killed. (1882) James was shot in the back by one of his fellow gang members, Bob Ford, who betrayed him for reward money. James’s gang terrorized the Midwest for over 14 years, though they were largely romantics even in their day – in fact, James’s gravestone said he was “murdered by a traitor and a coward whose name is not worthy of appear here”.
Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia from exile. (1917) Lenin’s return to Russia marked the beginning of Bolshevik rule in Russia, which eventually led to the modern form of Russian government.
Microsoft was found to be in violation of antitrust laws. (2000) United States v. Microsoft found Microsoft guilty on a series of civil charges under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The lawsuit was repeatedly appealed and the sentences – although the findings of fact were not established – were overturned; an agreement was finally reached in 2001.
Oscar Wilde is suing a Marquess for libel. (1895) Wilde sued the Marquess of Queensberry for insinuating that Wilde was homosexual, despite the fact that he was. The reckless trial ended unhappily for Wilde, who found himself in prison for homosexuality.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it would defend Howl. (1955) Allen Ginsburg’s poem Howl was a classic of the Beat generation, but it might not have been if the ACLU hadn’t decided to back it against obscenity charges. The book was only published in the United States after the ACLU defended the book at trial; before all copies were confiscated by the United States Department of Customs.
Annie Hall beat out Star Wars for the Best Picture Oscar. (1978) Many were shocked when the quirky romantic comedy beat the wildly popular sci-fi flick. It was a turning point for both director Woody Allen and lead actress Diane Keaton, on whom the plot of the film was loosely based.
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