July 14th
Today in 1881,Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Billy the Kid's real name? William H. Bonney Jr.
Today in 1911,Harry N. Atwood landed an airplane on the lawn of the White House to accept an award from President William Taft.
Today in 1946,Benjamin Spock published the book that would forever change the way Americans raised their children. The book was “The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care,” and it is still one of the best-selling books in history.
Today in 1951,the George Washington Carver National Monument in Joplin, Missouri,became the first national park to honor an African American.
Today in 1965,the American space probe, the Mariner 4,flew by Mars, and sent back photographs of the planet.
Today in 1966,Richard Speck brutally murdered eight student nurses in a Chicago dormitory. A ninth nurse survived the attack and later testified against him. Convicted of multiple murder in April 1967, Speck was sentenced to death a month later. The Supreme Court later overturned the sentence (on the basis that the sentence was unconstitutional) and Speck was ordered to serve consecutive life sentences that totaled more than 400 years. He only served 19 years of the term as he died of a massive heart attack in December 1991. Not surprisingly, no one claimed the body, which was later cremated with the ashes buried in an undisclosed location.
Today in 1968,Hank Aaron hit his 500th career home run while with the Atlanta Braves.
Today in 1976,Jimmy Carter won the Democratic Presidential nomination by an overwhelming margin at the party's convention in New York City.
Today in 1981,the All-Star Game was postponed because of a 33-day-old baseball players strike. The game was finally played on August 9th.
Today in 1983,House representative Daniel Crane of Illinois and Gerry Studds of Massachusetts admitted to having sexwith congressional pages.
Today in 1997,O.J. Simpson's California mansion was auctioned off for $2.6-million dollars.
Today in 1998,the city of Los Angeles sued 15 tobacco companies for $2.5 billion over the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Today in 1999,major league umpires voted to resign on September 2nd and not work the final month of the season in an effort to get more money. The strategy collapsed when baseball owners accepted the resignations of 22 umpires.