Events: Earth passed through Halley’s Comet (1910), “separate but equal” doctrine upheld (1896), Aimee Semple McPherson goes missing (1926), Mount St. Helens erupts (1980), TVA created (1933), Beijing protest (1989), Dracula published (1897), Lincoln nominated for president (1860), Jackie Cochran breaks sound barrier (1953), Les Miserables closes on Broadway (2003).
Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet. (1910) The public panicked after an astronomer predicted that the gas from the comet’s tail would be deadly, and there was a mass rush for “anti-comet” pills, gas masks, and even umbrellas. When Earth actually passed through the comet, no ill effects were reported.
The doctrine of “separate but equal” was implemented. (1896) The Supreme Court upheld the doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson on this day, who said black and white public facilities should be kept separate but equal. The separate but equal doctrine has been highly influential in United States law, even after it was officially overturned in the 1950s.
Aimee Semple McPherson is missing. (1926) McPherson was a very popular evangelist and she even baptized Marilyn Monroe, so when she went missing, the police went out of their way to try and find her. She reappeared a month later, claiming she had been kidnapped, but it was quickly revealed that she had been with her friend, Kenneth Ormiston, the whole time. The scandal rocked her ministry and she disappeared from the public eye.
The Mount St. Helens volcano has erupted. (1980) The eruption killed nearly 60 people and ash was seen in several states.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is created. (1933) The TVA brought electricity and running water to many areas of Appalachia for the first time and is believed to have revived the region. However, not everyone was a fan of the organization – over 15,000 families were displaced to build TVA dams.
A massive protest took place in Beijing. (1989) Over a million protesters marched through Beijing, demanding democratic reforms. The protests lasted for several weeks until the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Dracula has been published. (1897) Bram Stoker’s novel greatly influenced how people view vampires – in fact, many vampire tropes, including the pale skin and elegant dress, come from Stoker’s novel.
Abraham Lincoln was nominated for president. (1860) Lincoln practiced law and also acted as a representative for Illinois. He won more than 40 percent of the popular vote, but by the time he was inaugurated, seven states had already seceded.
Jackie Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. (1953) Cochran was a longtime aviation fan and a close friend of pilot Chuck Yeager. She was also the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic and the first pilot overall to perform a blind landing, one that relied only on instruments.
Les Miserables has closed on Broadway. (2003) The Phenomenal Show was the third longest running show on Broadway and ran for over 16 years.
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