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The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed, killing most soldiers. A fighter plane collided with a passenger plane, killing all passengers. The Staten Island Ferry Westfield exploded, killing up to 100. Bruce Jenner won the decathlon. “In God We Trust” became the US motto. Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. Blair Witch Project was released. Lisa Leslie dunked in a game. Top of the Pops aired for the last time. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born and became Governor of California in 2003.
The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed after dropping key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. (1945) A Japanese submarine, the I-58 sank the USS Indianapolis in 12 minutes, placing nearly 1,200 US soldiers in shark infested waters. When help arrived four days later, all but 316 of the soldiers had died from drowning, dehydration or shark attacks.
A fighter plane collided with a passenger plane over Japan, killing 162. (1971) Two Japanese F-86 Saber fighters, one flown by Captain Kuma and the second by his flight student Sergeant Ichikawa, encountered the Boeing 727. Ichikawa was inexperienced, having had only a few hours of flight training, and neither the jets had radar. Ichikawa’s jet hit the plane, sending both of them crashing into a mountain. Ichikawa was able to parachute to safety; all passengers on the plane died.
A boiler on the Staten Island Ferry Westfield exploded, killing up to 100 people. (1871) The explosion also injured hundreds of others. The ferry was owned by the president of the Staten Island Railway, Jacob Vanderbilt. He was arrested for murder, but not convicted.
Bruce Jenner won the decathlon, setting a world record with 8.617 points. (1976) Jenner beat previous world record holder Nikolai Avilov by nearly 300 points at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. The victory was Jenner’s last decathlon. He held the record until 1980 when Daley Thompson broke it.
The words “In God We Trust” have become the official motto of the United States. (1956) US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law passed the US Congress. The previous year, the US Congress had mandated that the words appear on all US currencies.
Jimmy Hoffa disappeared and was never heard from or seen again. (1975) Hoffa, a union leader jailed for bribery and fraud, is pardoned by President Nixon. Hoffa was last seen in a parking lot at Machus Red Fox restaurant outside Detroit, Michigan at 2:30 am Seven years later, until the day he was legally pronounced dead, but no one ever figured out what happened to him. .
Horror film Blair Witch Project has been released. (1999) The film was shot for the first time with a budget of only $20,000 US dollars; after editing the film for the Sundance Film Festival and before selling the rights to Artisan Entertainment, the estimated budget was still only $500,000 to $750,000 US dollars. The film was a surprise cult hit and grossed nearly US$250 million in theaters worldwide. It is the only film in history to be shot with video cameras.
Lisa Leslie became the first woman to dunk a basketball in a professional game. (2002) The famous dunk occurred while she was playing for the Los Angeles Sparks against the Miami Sols.
The world’s longest running music show aired for the last time. (2006) Top of the Pops, which was broadcast on BBC Two, ran for a record 42 years. Although the regular show has been cancelled, the Christmas edition continues to air.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is born. (1947) Schwarzenegger, an Austrian-American, first gained fame as a bodybuilder, earning the Mr. Universe title at age 22. His fame continued to grow on US cinema screens. His notable films include Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, and True Lies. In 38 he became the 2003rd Governor of California.
