Once again I have to rely on the History Channel’s web site to find something to write about. Today I hit the jackpot!
Kate Smith had a weekly television show in 1960 and my parents made sure to watch it. Kate was a dearly loved singer from the depression days on. She passed away on June 17, 1986.
Another thing that happened during my lifetime (and it wasn’t that long ago – 1994) was the great car chase of Southern California. You know the one! The White Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings. The vehicle belonged to O.J. Simpson who was, supposedly, hiding in the back seat holding a gun to his own head.
For nine hours the Bronco drove (within the speed limit) back and forth along the freeways. O.J. had used his cell phone to warn the police to back off or he would commit suicide. He had planned to escape to Mexico and had his passport, a fake mustache and goatee, and the gun with him. He’d heard he was going to be indicted for the murders (which he claimed he didn’t commit) of his wife and her boyfriend. As we all know, innocent people always flee when charged with a crime they didn’t commit.
That Ford Bronco must have had a very large gas tank… unless the police stood by as Cowlings refueled. Eventually, the ‘high speed’ chase found its way back to O.J.’s home, For another ninety minutes, O.J. refused to get out of the vehicle.
I recall getting into more than a few heated discussions following the acquittal of O.J. because I thought the jury returned the correct verdict – BASED ON THE EVIDENCE. I thought the prosecutors did a terrible job. Do I think he murdered the two people? Absolutely! Do I think he got away with murder? Without a doubt. Do I think the prosecutor was too interested in the television cameras and failed to introduce key pieces of evidence? Yep.
In any case, O.J. is now behind bars. We’ll have to wait and see how long he remains there.
Two other events from June 17th deserve to be mentioned. One was a learning experience for me. It begins with an event that happened about fifty years ago.
Sometime while I was in high school, the Langley High School basketball team won the Pittsburgh City Championship and qualified for the state tournament. The first game was played against the team from Erie Strong Vincent High School. Langley lost that game. But the story continues.
When I entered Edinboro State Teachers College in the fall of 1962, I met a number of people who had graduated from Erie Strong Vincent. But I never gave any thought to the name of that school… until today.
On June 17, 1837, a man named Strong Vincent was born in Waterford, Pennsylvania. Waterford is a small town just outside of Erie, Pennsylvania. I immediately recognized the name and figured, correctly, that he was the namesake of the school.
Colonel Strong Vincent led a group of Union soldiers during the Battle of Gettysburg and successfully defended Little Round Top. However, he was mortally wounded during that battle and died on July 7, 1963.
Now, after all these years, I know who that school is named after. By the way, Langley is named after Samuel Pierpont Langley. Langley worked at what eventually became the University of Pittsburgh. He is best known for his work with gliders and aviation. His designs were instrumental to the Wright brothers.
That brings me to the most interesting story of the day. On June 17, 1943, Senator Harry Truman was heading a committee investigating possible profiteering by defense contractors. (Sounds familiar – some things never change!)
Truman was looking into a defense plant located in Pasco, Washington. According to the History Channel, on this day in 1943…
Truman received a phone call from Harry Stimson (Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of War), who told him that the Pasco plant was “part of a very important secret development.” Fortunately, Stimson did not need to explain further: Truman, a veteran and a patriot, understood immediately that he was treading on dangerous ground. Before Stimson could continue, Truman assured the secretary “you won’t have to say another word to me. Whenever you say that [something is highly secret] to me that’s all I want to hear…if [the plant] is for a specific purpose and you think it’s all right, that’s all I need to know.” Stimson replied that the purpose was not only secret, but “unique.”
Can you imagine something like this happening today? If the media caught wind of something like this, it would be labeled a conspiracy and that Senator would be hit with all sorts of political pressure.
It would be two years before Truman learned the truth about the Pasco plant. In 1944, Truman was elected to serve as Roosevelt’s vice-president, but it wasn’t until 1945, after Roosevelt’s death and Truman’s ‘promotion’ that Stimson told him about the Manhattan Project. Pasco was one of several plants developing components of the world’s first atomic bomb.
So that’s it. Lots of interesting stuff happened on June 17th. Hopefully nothing of any import will happen today… unless I win the lottery.
Perhaps I should buy a ticket!
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If you haven’t already done so, you might want to read my brother’s account of an atomic bomb test on the Bikini Atoll.
