What Happened On
Charles Manson
August 10, 1969
Several of cult leader Charles Manson's followers murder Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson's followers had murdered actress Sharon Tate and four others the previous day.
Famous Last Words "French Fries"
August 10, 1966
Convicted murderer James French is executed by electric chair for murdering his cell mate. When discussing his pending execution with a reporter, he asked "How's this for a headline? 'French Fries.'"
French had killed a motorist who had picked him up while hitchhiking in 1958. Even though he requested the death penalty at his trial, he was given only a life sentence. In 1961, French treated his cellmate to a steak sandwich from the prison canteen and then allowed him to go breakfast. When he returned, French strangled him to death with a towel. French again requested the death penalty and this time it was granted.
Mount Rushmore
August 10, 1927
The Mount Rushmore memorial is dedicated. It was completed in 1941. Work had begun in 1927 by sculpture Gutzon Borglum who died in March of 1941 leaving his son to complete the task. The sculpture would feature the 60-foot (18 m) tall heads of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These presidents were chosen by Borglum to represent the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively.
First Woman President of the American Bar Association
August 10, 1994
Roberta Cooper Ramo is elected president of the 375,000-member male-dominated American Bar Association, becoming its first woman president.
Echo II class submarine
Echo II class submarine
Nuclear Submarine's Reactor Explodes
August 10, 1985
A Soviet nuclear-powered submarine's reactor explodes in a Russian shipyard in Vladivostok. Ten crewmen were killed and radioactive material was spewed over several square miles. The Echo II class submarine K-431 had been commissioned in 1965 and was refueling. During the refueling, the reactor tank lid was laid incorrectly. This required re-lifting the lid with the control rods attached. A safety beam was supposed to prevent the lid and rods from being lifted too far, but it had been improperly installed and the lid was lifted too far causing the reactor to go critical and explode. Ten people died in the initial explosion and 300 men from rescue parties received various doses of radiation, with several dying later.
Pete Rose Gets Hit #3,631
August 10, 1981
The baseball legend Pete Rose gets hit number 3,631, breaking Stan Musial's NL record.
Berkowitz and part of letter he left near victims
Berkowitz and part of letter he left near victims
Son of Sam Killer
August 10, 1977
David Berkowitz is arrested in New York. He had killed at least six people and wounded seven others, initially claiming he was acting under orders of his neighbor Sam's demon-possessed dog Harvey, but later stated that was a hoax. He was called "Son of Sam Killer" after he left a note near the bodies of two of his victims in which he referred to himself as "Son of Sam."
In the mid-1990s, he changed his confession to claim that he had been a member of a Satanic cult that orchestrated the incidents as ritual murder.
Berkowitz was also suspected in a number of unsolved arsons.
First U.S. Moon Satellite
August 10, 1966
Lunar Orbiter I is launched. It successfully orbited the Moon 526 times before intentionally striking the Moon's surface.
$2 Bill
August 10, 1966
The U.S. Treasury Department discontinues printing the bill due to lack of demand. It would be reintroduced in 1976.
Eisenhower inspects the recovered capsule
Eisenhower inspects the recovered capsule
First Object Successfully Recovered from Orbit
August 10, 1960
The U.S. Earth satellite Discoverer XIII is launched. The following day, after 17 orbits of the Earth, its 350-pound payload was ejected and recovered. The payload included an American flag that was later presented to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
We Are Not the Enemy
August 10, 1949
The name of the U.S. National Military Establishment (NME) is changed to Department of Defense (DOD) since NME's pronunciation sounded too much like "Enemy."
Candid Camera
August 10, 1948
The hidden camera reality television series debuts on ABC. It was created and hosted by Allen Funt, and featured pranks and practical jokes. It had begun on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947.
Smithsonian Institution
August 10, 1846
Congressional Act establishing the "nation's attic" is signed into law by U.S. President James K. Polk as per the will of James Smithson. Smithson never visited the U.S.
Missouri
August 10, 1821
Missouri becomes the 24th state.
Birthdays
The Tin Man
Jack Haley (John Joseph Haley, Jr.)
Born August 10, 1897 d. 1979
American comedian, actor. Film: The Wizard of Oz (1939, Tin Man and farm hand Hickory Twicker). Radio: The Jack Haley Show (1937-39).
Haley got the role of the Tin Man after Buddy Ebsen had an allergic reaction to the silver makeup and had to drop out. Haley suffered an eye infection from the makeup that required surgery to avoid permanent damage to his eye.
The second season of his radio show featured Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon.
Inventor of Monopoly
Charles B. Darrow
Born August 10, 1889 d. 1967
American inventor. Creator of the game Monopoly (1933). Parker Brothers initially rejected the game, citing 52 fundamental errors. Now published in 23 languages and a Braille version, more than 200,000,000 games have been sold, making Darrow the first millionaire game designer in history.
Darrow derived Monopoly from The Landlord's Game created by Lizzie Magie in 1903. Magie's game had two sets of rules: an anti-monopolist set in which all were rewarded when wealth was created, and a monopolist set in which the goal was to create monopolies and crush opponents. After Darrow sold the rights to the game to Parker Brothers, they found out he was not the sole inventor and bought the rights from Magie for $500.
The properties are named after streets and properties in Atlantic City.
His Ridiculous "Monkey Crouch" Riding Style
His Ridiculous "Monkey Crouch" Riding Style
Monkey Crouch Jockey
James Forman "Tod" Sloan
Born August 10, 1874 d. 1933
American jockey. The leading race horse jockey of the late 1800s. He introduced the practices of riding high on the horse and hunching down to reduce wind resistance. He was ridiculed by his detractors, calling his riding style the "monkey crouch."
Herbert Clark Hoover
Born August 10, 1874 d. 1964
American politician. 31st U.S. President (1929-33), U.S. Secretary of Commerce (1921-28). He was the first U.S. president who was a Quaker and the first U.S. president born west of the Mississippi.
Ian Anderson
Born August 10, 1947
British singer, with Jethro Tull. Music: Aqualung (1971) and Thick as a Brick (1972).
Jimmy Dean (Seth Ward)
Born August 10, 1928 d. 2010
American Grammy-winning country singer, sausage maker. Music: Big Bad John (1961, #1).
Clifford Byron Hicks
Born August 10, 1920 d. 2010
American children's author. Writings: The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald (1960), Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day (1970), and Peter Potts (1971).
Noah Beery Jr.
Born August 10, 1913 d. 1994
American actor. TV: The Rockford Files (1974-1980, Jim's father).
Sam Warner
Born August 10, 1887 d. 1927
American film executive. He and his brothers Harry, Albert, and Jack founded Warner Bros. Pictures (1923).
First Airplane Flight Across the U.S. from West to East
Robert G. Fowler (Robert Grant Fowler)
Born August 10, 1884 d. 1966
American aviator. He made the first airplane flight across the U.S. from west to east (1911-12).
Designed the Chrysler Building
William Van Allen
Born August 10, 1882 d. 1954
American architect, skyscraper pioneer. Designed the Chrysler building of New York. At the time of its completion in 1929 it was the world's tallest building.
The Great Masticator
Horace Fletcher
Born August 10, 1849 d. 1919
American dietician. Known as "The Great Masticator." He founded "Fletcherism," the belief that each bite of food must be chewed thoroughly.
Jay Cooke
Born August 10, 1821 d. 1905
American banker, "Financier of the Civil War." He sold over $2.5 billion in Union bonds during the war. The collapse of his bank led to the Panic of 1873.
Deaths
Goddard next to the first liquid-fueled rocket
Goddard next to the first liquid-fueled rocket
Father of the Space Age
Robert Hutchings Goddard
Died August 10, 1945 b. 1882
American physicist, rocket pioneer, "Father of the Space Age." He launched the first liquid-fueled rocket (1926). A New York Times editorial mocked Goddard, stating that rockets will never fly in space and saying that "…he only seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." Goddard's response was, "Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it; once realized, it becomes commonplace."
The New York Times issued an apology in 1969 after the successful launch of Apollo 11 to the Moon.
Rin Tin Tin
Died August 10, 1932 b. 1918
German-born American dog actor. American soldier Lee Duncan found Rin Tin Tin in a German trench during World War I and brought him back to Hollywood where he became one of its biggest stars, winning Most Popular Film Performer of the Year award (1926). Rin Tin Tin starred in 27 Hollywood films. After his death, other dogs took over the roll.
Ornithopter Flight - 1894
Ornithopter Flight - 1894
Inventor of the First Successful Gliders
Otto Lilienthal
Died August 10, 1896 b. 1848
German aviation pioneer. Inventor of the first successful gliders. He died from injuries sustained in a gliding accident.
Eydie Gormé (Edith Gormezano)
Died August 10, 2013 b. 1928
American Grammy-Emmy-winning singer. Wife of partner Steve Lawrence.
Isaac Hayes
Died August 10, 2008 b. 1942
American Oscar-Grammy-winning singer, composer, actor. Film: Shaft (1971, won Oscar and Grammy for the Score). TV: South Park (1997-2006, voice of Chef).
James Wilson Marshall
Died August 10, 1885 b. 1810
American pioneer. He started the California Gold Rush when he discovered gold at Sutter's Mill (1848).
Ferdinand VI
Died August 10, 1759 b. 1713
King of Spain (1746-59).