Today's Trivia and What Happened on August 17

You throw away the outside and then cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What is it?

You throw away the outside and then cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What is it? Close Large View

An ear of corn.

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Quote: Fear does not stop death; it stops life. And worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles; it takes away today's peace. - Vi Keeland

Quote: Fear does not stop death; it stops life. And worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles; it takes away today's peace. - Vi Keeland Close Large View

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What Happened On

What the Meaning of "IS" Is

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What the Meaning of "IS" Is

August 17, 1998

U.S. President Bill Clinton admits that he had had an "inappropriate" relationship with Monica Lewinsky. He also made his famous "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" defense of his previous statement, "there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or any other kind of improper relationship" because "is" means currently and he was not, at the time he made that statement, still in a sexual relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton claimed that because certain acts were performed on him, not by him, and he was passive during the acts, he did not "engage in sexual relations." He also denied that oral sex constituted a sexual relation.
This statement was issued after the FBI announced that Clinton was the source of the semen on Lewinsky's blue dress.

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Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death

Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death
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A Dingo Took My Baby!

August 17, 1980

Nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain disappears while she and her parents were tent camping in Australia. Her parents claimed their baby had been taken from their tent by a dingo. Her body was never found. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was tried and convicted for murder and sentenced to life in prison. Azaria's father, Michael Chamberlain, was convicted as an accessory after the fact and given an 18-month suspended sentence.
Lindy was released after a piece of Azaria's clothing was found near a dingo lair in 1986. She had spent more than three years in prison.
In 1988, all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were overturned. Lindy Chamberlain was paid $1.3 million for false imprisonment; however, this was less than one third of their legal expenses.
In 2012, 32 years after Azaria's death, the Chamberlains' version of events was officially supported by a coroner.

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Ringo Joins The Beatles

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Ringo Joins The Beatles

August 17, 1962

Ringo Starr joins the Beatles, replacing Pete Best on drums. Best had been fired from the group the previous day.
After the group auditioned for producer George Martin, he was dissatisfied with Best. He said they could use Best onstage, but he was going to bring in a session drummer for the recordings. The other Beatles, along with manager Brian Epstein, decided to replace Best entirely. Best was popular with the fans, with many protesting his firing. Best had taken the place of drummer Tommy Moore, who had quit the group (then known as the Silver Beetles) because their bookings interfered with his job as a forklift driver.

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Animal Farm

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Animal Farm

August 17, 1945

After being rejected by several publishers, George Orwell's classic is first published in England. It was an instant best seller and is considered one of the greatest works of Western literature.
The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.
Orwell claimed the book was a reflection of events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the following Stalinist era.
It was originally titled Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, but U.S. publishers dropped the subtitle when it was published there in 1946.

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Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching. Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching.

Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching. Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching.
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Leo Frank Lynching

August 17, 1915

Leo Frank had been convicted of murdering 14-year-old Mary Phagan. Although sentenced to death, after reviewing the evidence the governor commuted his sentence to life in prison. Angered by the change in sentencing, a mob kidnapped Frank from prison and lynched him. The lynch mob was said to include prominent citizens, including former Georgia Governor Joseph Mackey Brown. Nobody was ever charged in the lynching.
His conviction was based largely on the testimony of Jim Conley, but was overturned in 1986 after evidence surfaced implicating Conley.

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First Fully-Animated Film go to Video for First Fully-Animated Film

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First Fully-Animated Film

August 17, 1908

Fantasmagorie, by Émile Cohl, is shown at the Théâtre de Gymnase in Paris.

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Rogaine Photo Credit: BlaiserPascal

Rogaine Photo Credit: BlaiserPascal
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Rogaine

August 17, 1988

Rogaine becomes the first hair growth drug approved for marketing by the FDA. Rogaine is the Upjohn's trade name for the drug minoxidil. Upjohn's first choice, "Regain", was rejected by the FDA for being misleading.
Minoxidil was originally used to treat hypertension, but during testing it was found to have the side effect of promoting hair growth.

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Dan Quayle

August 17, 1988

The future U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle states, "Let me just tell you how thrilling it really is, and how, what a challenge it is, because in 1988 the question is whether we're going forward to tomorrow or whether we're going to go past to the back! …That's a Hoosierism. You've got to get used to that!"

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First Manned Transatlantic Unpowered Balloon Crossing

August 17, 1978

Three Americans arrive in France after having departed from Maine six days earlier.

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Hurricane Camille

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Hurricane Camille

August 17, 1969

Hurricane Camille strikes Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana killing more than 259 people and leaving 70,000 homeless. It is the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States. It produced a storm surge of 24 feet (7.3 m) and flattened nearly everything along the coast of Mississippi and caused $1.42 billion in damages (equivalent to $9.9 billion in 2019).

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Henry Armstrong Wins World Lightweight Boxing Championship

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Henry Armstrong Wins World Lightweight Boxing Championship

August 17, 1938

Henry Armstrong wins the world lightweight boxing championship. He was also the current world featherweight and welterweight champion.

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Birthdays

Gail A. Cobb in uniform and funeral Gail A. Cobb in uniform and funeral

Gail A. Cobb in uniform and funeral Gail A. Cobb in uniform and funeral
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This is a birthday

Gail A. Cobb

Born August 17, 1950 d. 1974

American police officer. She was the first U.S. female police officer shot and killed while patrolling in the line of duty (1974, Washington D.C.) and the first female African-American law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in the U.S. She was killed while trying to apprehend a bank robbery suspect. She was new to the force and was still on probationary duty just six months out of the academy.
In 1974, two men were approaching a bank with the intention of robbing it. Each was carrying a loaded sawed-off shotgun and handgun. Two plainclothes police officers were alerted of the robbery in advance and saw the two men nearing the bank. When the officers stopped them and asked for identification, the two men ran off in separate directions. Cobb was still on probationary duty six months out of the academy and was assigned to foot patrol a block away from the bank. Cobb, who was writing a traffic ticket at the time, was told by a citizen that they saw an armed man run into a garage. Cobb followed the suspect and confronted him inside the garage as he was in the process of changing out of his disguise. Cobb ordered the man to place his hands on the wall. As she called for assistance over her radio, the suspect spun around and fired a single gunshot at Cobb. The bullet went through Cobb's wrist and her police radio, where it then penetrated her heart. Cobb died at the scene and responding officers arrested the suspect at the scene. Her killer was sentenced to 15 years to life imprisonment for second-degree murder. He was released on parole in 1992.
Her funeral was attended by hundreds of police officers from all over the country.

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Mae West

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This is a birthday

Come Up and See Me Sometime

Mae West (Mary Jane West)

Born August 17, 1893 d. 1980

American actress, sex symbol. "Come up and see me sometime." In 1927, her play "Sex," which she wrote, produced, and directed, was raided on morals charges. She ended up spending eight days in jail, which she used as a publicity stunt. Her seduction of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy on the radio prompted an FCC investigation.

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Add Trivia to Your Web Page

Davy Crockett

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This is a birthday

Davy Crockett

Born August 17, 1786 d. 1836

American frontiersman, U.S. House of Representatives (1827-31, 1833-35, Tennessee). Known as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He died at the Fall of the Alamo.

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This is a birthday

Donnie Wahlberg (Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Jr.)

Born August 17, 1969

American pop musician, actor. Wahlberg was a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block, which formed in 1984 and achieved stardom in 1989. TV: Boomtown (2002-03, Detective Joel Stevens) and Bluebloods (2010-, Danny Reagan).

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Sean Penn

Born August 17, 1960

American actor, Madonna's ex-husband. He and Madonna wed on her birthday, which was one day before his birthday. Film: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982).

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David Koresh

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David Koresh (Vernon Howell)

Born August 17, 1959 d. 1993

American religious leader. He was the leader of the Branch Davidians during the 1993 Waco Disaster, which was a 51-day stand off with federal agents resulting in the death of Koresh and 82 of his followers. His claimed to be Jesus Christ.

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This is a birthday

Belinda Carlisle

Born August 17, 1958

American singer. With the Go-Go's. Music: We Got the Beat (1981) and Vacation (1982).

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Robert De Niro Photo Credit: David Shankbone

Robert De Niro Photo Credit: David Shankbone
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Robert De Niro

Born August 17, 1943

American Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Godfather Part II (1974, Oscar, Vito Corleone), Taxi Driver (1976, in which De Niro improvised the line "You talkin' to me?", which has become part of the pop culture lexicon), and The Deer Hunter (1978).

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Apollo Creed

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Apollo Creed

Born August 17, 1942 d. 1985

fictional fighter in the Rocky movies played by Carl Weathers. The character was also known as The King of Sting, The Master of Disaster, and The Count of Montefisto. Creed was killed in an exhibition match with Ivan Drago.

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This is a birthday

Francis Gary Powers

Born August 17, 1929 d. 1977

American CIA agent, U-2 pilot. In 1960 he was shot down over Russia, convicted of spying, and then exchanged in 1962 for Russian spy Rudolf Abel. Abel had been convicted of spying in the hollow nickel spy case, in which he transported microfilm inside a hollowed-out nickel.

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O'Hara as Esmeralda O'Hara as Esmeralda

O'Hara as Esmeralda O'Hara as Esmeralda
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Maureen O'Hara (Maureen FitzSimons)

Born August 17, 1920 d. 2015

Irish actress. Film: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, Esmeralda).

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This is a birthday

William Mark Felt, Sr.

Born August 17, 1913 d. 2008

American agent and Associate Director of the FBI (1972-73). He was the informant known as Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal. His leaks about Watergate led to U.S. President Richard Nixon's resignation.

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This is a birthday

Jesse Lynch Williams

Born August 17, 1871 d. 1929

American playwright. His Why Marry? (1917) was the first play to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama.

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Deaths

Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death

Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death Lindy and Azaria shortly before her death
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This is a death

A Dingo Took My Baby!

Azaria Chamberlain

Died August 17, 1980 b. 1980

Azaria Chamberlain disappeared when she was 9 weeks old while she and her parents were tent camping in Australia. Her parents claimed she had been taken from their tent by a dingo. Her body was never found. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was tried and convicted for murder and sentenced to life in prison. Azaria's father, Michael Chamberlain, was convicted as an accessory after the fact and given an 18-month suspended sentence.
Lindy was released after a piece of Azaria's clothing was found near a dingo lair in 1986. She had spent more than three years in prison.
In 1988, all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were overturned. Lindy Chamberlain was paid $1.3 million for false imprisonment; however, this was less than one third of their legal expenses.
In 2012, 32 years after Azaria's death, the Chamberlains' version of events was officially supported by a coroner.

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Alice Stebbins Wells

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This is a death

Alice Stebbins Wells

Died August 17, 1957 b. 1873

American female police officer. She was the first U.S. policewoman with the power to arrest. She was hired in 1910 by Los Angeles. Up to that time, woman in police departments only worked as matrons and with female prisoners.

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Ray Chapman

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This is a death

First Major League Baseball Player Mortally Wounded During a Game

Ray Chapman

Died August 17, 1920 b. 1891

American baseball player. In 1920, he became the first major league baseball player mortally wounded during a game. He was hit in the head by a pitch and died early the next morning. Chapman led the American League in runs scored and walks in 1918.

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Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching. Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching.

Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching. Frank's lynching. Judge Morris (far right in a straw hat), organized the crowd after the lynching.
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This is a death

Leo M. Frank

Died August 17, 1915 b. 1884

American factory worker. He was convicted of murdering 14-year-old Mary Phagan. Although sentenced to death, after reviewing the evidence the governor commuted his sentence to life in prison. Angered by the change in sentencing, a mob kidnapped Frank from prison and lynched him. The lynch mob was said to include prominent citizens, including former Georgia Governor Joseph Mackey Brown. Nobody was ever charged in the lynching.
His conviction was based largely on the testimony of Jim Conley, but was overturned in 1986 after evidence surfaced implicating Conley.

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This is a death

Pearl Bailey

Died August 17, 1990 b. 1918

Tony Award-winning actress, singer, noted for her role in the all-black version of Hello Dolly!

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This is a death

Rudolf Hess

Died August 17, 1987 b. 1894

German politician, Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler (1933-41). In 1941, he embarked on a solo peace mission to Scotland - without Hitler's permission. Upon finding out about Hess' secret mission, Hitler declared Hess should be shot on site. Hess was arrested when he landed in Scotland and imprisoned by the British for the remainder of the war. After the war, Hess was tried at the Nuremberg Trials and found guilty of planning and preparing a war of aggression, and conspiracy with other German leaders to commit crimes. He was sentenced to life in prison, where he remained until he committed suicide at the age of 93.

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This is a death

Ira Gershwin

Died August 17, 1983 b. 1896

American Pulitzer-winning lyricist. He collaborated with his brother George Gershwin for Funny Face (1927), Strike Up The Band (1929), Of the I Sing (1931, Pulitzer).

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Vivian Vance

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Vivian Vance (Vivian Roberta Jones)

Died August 17, 1979 b. 1909

American Emmy-winning actress. TV: I Love Lucy (1951-57, Ethel Mertz) and The Lucy Show (1962-68, Vivian Bagley). In 1954, Vance became the first actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.

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This is a death

Saint Eusebius

Died August 17, 310 b. ????

Greek-born religious leader, 31st Pope (c309-310).

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