Today's Trivia and What Happened on March 15

What did the Tin Man say when he got rolled over by the steamroller?

What did the Tin Man say when he got rolled over by the steamroller? Close Large View

Curses, Foiled Again!

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Quote: For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. - Richard Feynman, commenting on the Challenger Disaster

Quote: For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. - Richard Feynman, commenting on the Challenger Disaster Close Large View

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What Happened On

John F. Kennedy Accused of Buying Election

John F. Kennedy Accused of Buying Election Close Large View

John F. Kennedy Accused of Buying Election

March 15, 1958

After having been accused of using his father's money and influence to buy the election, John F. Kennedy reads a telegram he said he received from his dad: "Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide."
This was during a speech to the Gridiron Club, Washington, D.C.
Kennedy had been re-elected to the U.S. Senate with 73.6 percent of the vote, the largest winning margin in the history of Massachusetts politics.

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Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv

Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
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"Fighting Girlfriend" Killed in Battle

March 15, 1944

Mariya Oktyabrskaya is killed in battle. When she had learned her husband had been killed fighting the Germans during WWII she sold all of her possessions and bought a tank for the Red Army. Her conditions were that the tank be named "Fighting Girlfriend" and that she be allowed to drive it. Seen at first as a publicity stunt, she fought in several battles proving herself an able and skilled tank driver. She died of wounds received while repairing her tank under heavy fire after it had been hit by a German anti-tank shell.
She was the first female tank driver awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union award (the Soviet Union's highest award for bravery during combat).

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First escalator, at Coney Island, NY First escalator, at Coney Island, NY

First escalator, at Coney Island, NY First escalator, at Coney Island, NY
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First Escalator

March 15, 1892

The escalator is patented, by American inventor Jesse Wilford Reno. The idea for his "inclined elevator" was originally part of his proposal to build an underground New York City subway. The subway proposal was rejected, but the inclined elevator caught on. It included a rubber-coated moving handrail and a comb of projected fingers on the ends to help prevent feet from getting caught in the mechanism. The first one was demonstrated at Coney Island, New York, and transported some 75,000 people during its two-week stay there. It was then moved to the Manhattan entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869

Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869
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First Professional Baseball Team

March 15, 1869

The Cincinnati Red Stockings is organized, becoming the first professional baseball team. The team consisted of 10 players who went on salary till November. They would post a perfect season of 67-0, the only perfect season in professional baseball history.

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Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini

Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini
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Beware the Ides of March

March 15, 44 

Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Brutus. According to the historian Plutarch, a fortune teller had warned Caesar, "beware the Ides of March." This event was immortalized in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
The word Ides is from Latin, meaning to divide, and is the 15th day of March, May, July, October, and the 13th day of the other months in the ancient Roman calendar. At one time, the Ides of March marked the new year.

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First Black American Catholic Archbishop

March 15, 1988

Eugene A. Marino is appointed Archbishop of Atlanta. After becoming Archbishop, Marino became involved in addressing the sexual misconduct of priests. However, after moving to Atlanta, Marino began an affair with a female lay minister. Marino resigned when this was revealed in 1990.

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First U.S. Blood Bank

March 15, 1937

The first U.S. blood bank opens.

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American Legion

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American Legion

March 15, 1919

Delegates representing veterans of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe meet in Paris and form the patriotic organization the American Legion.

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Russian Revolution

March 15, 1917

Czar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates his throne, ending the 300-year-old Romanov dynasty. He and the royal family were killed the following year by the Bolsheviks in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.

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First American Roman Catholic Cardinal

March 15, 1875

John McCloskey, archbishop of New York, is selected.

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Maine

March 15, 1820

Maine becomes 23rd state.

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First Catholic Nun Ordained in the U.S.

March 15, 1729

Ceremony of Profession is held for Sister St. Stanislaus Hachard, of New Orleans.

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Birthdays

Bean on the Moon Bean on the Moon

Bean on the Moon Bean on the Moon
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Alan L. Bean

Born March 15, 1932 d. 2018

American astronaut. The fourth man to walk on the Moon (1969).

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General Andrew Jackson

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General Andrew Jackson

Born March 15, 1767 d. 1845

American politician. 7th U.S. President (1829-37), the only U.S. President to fight in a duel (1806). He shot and killed Charles Dickinson.
Note: Vice-President Aaron Burr killed former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel during his vice-presidency (1804) and Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a duel, but wittingly convinced his adversary it was ill advised.

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Jimmy Baio (James Joseph Baio)

Born March 15, 1962

American actor. TV: Soap (1977-81, Billy Tate). He is the cousin of actor Scott Baio.

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Sly and the Family Stone (Sly Stone second from left) Sly and the Family Stone (Sly Stone second from left)

Sly and the Family Stone (Sly Stone second from left) Sly and the Family Stone (Sly Stone second from left)
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Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart)

Born March 15, 1944

American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer, songwriter. Frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, known for the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s.

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Mike Love

Born March 15, 1941

American singer, with The Beach Boys. Music: Surfin' USA (1963), I Get Around (1964, #1), Help Me Rhonda, (1965, #1), and Good Vibrations (1966, #1).

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Judd Hirsch

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Judd Hirsch

Born March 15, 1935

American Tony-Emmy-winning actor. TV: Taxi (1978-83, Alex Reiger), Dear John (1988-92, John Lacey), and NUMB3RS (2005-10, Alan Eppes). Film: Ordinary People (1980), Running on Empty (1988), Independence Day (1996), and A Beautiful Mind (2001).

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Macdonald Carey

Born March 15, 1913 d. 1994

American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Days of Our Lives (Dr. Horton and narrator for the opening, "Like sands through the hourglass…") and Roots (1977, Squire James).

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Emil von Behring

Born March 15, 1854 d. 1917

German Nobel-winning physiologist, bacteriologist. He discovered tetanus and diphtheria vaccines (1890).

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Deaths

Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv

Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers Oktyabrskaya and a T-34 tank similar to hers
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
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Fighting Girlfriend

Mariya Vasilyevna Oktyabrskaya

Died March 15, 1944 b. 1905

Soviet tank driver. What would you do to avenge your spouse's death? Oktyabrskaya bought a tank and fought the Germans.
When she learned her husband had been killed fighting the Germans during WWII she sold all of her possessions and bought a tank for the Red Army. Her conditions were that the tank be named "Fighting Girlfriend" and that she be allowed to drive it. Seen at first as a publicity stunt, she fought in several battles proving herself an able and skilled tank driver. She died of wounds received while repairing her tank under heavy fire after it had been hit by a German anti-tank shell.
She was the first female tank driver awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union award (the Soviet Union's highest award for bravery during combat).

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Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini

Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini
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Julius Caesar

Died March 15, 44  b. 100 

Roman general, statesman. He was assassinated by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Brutus. A fortune teller had warned Caesar, "beware the Ides of March." The Ides of March falls on the 15th, the day Caesar was assassinated.

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David Brenner

Died March 15, 2014 b. 1936

American comedian. TV: Hollywood Squares (panelist) and The Tonight Show (guest host). He was a pioneer in observational comedy (Have you ever noticed…).

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Ron Silver

Died March 15, 2009 b. 1946

American Tony-winning actor. TV: Rhoda (Gary Levy).

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Ann Sothern

Died March 15, 2001 b. 1909

American actress. Film: Heroine of the Maisie movies (1939-47). TV: My Mother the Car (voice of the car).

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Benjamin Spock

Benjamin Spock Close Large View
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Benjamin Spock

Died March 15, 1998 b. 1903

American pediatrician. Author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946), which was one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century, selling 500,000 copies in its first six months and 50 million by the time of Spock's death in 1998.
He won a gold medal for rowing in the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1968, he was convicted of conspiracy to aid others in draft evasion and sentenced to two years.

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Morrie Brickman

Morrie Brickman Close Large View
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Morrie Brickman

Died March 15, 1994 b. 1917

American cartoonist. Created the small society (1966). He also created the Mr. Yoyo character for Duncan Yoyos.

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Aristotle Socrates Onassis

Died March 15, 1975 b. 1906

Greek shipping executive, husband of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

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1950 Harlem Globetrotters World Series Team - Owner-Coach Abe Saperstein (right) 1950 Harlem Globetrotters World Series Team - Owner-Coach Abe Saperstein (right)

1950 Harlem Globetrotters World Series Team - Owner-Coach Abe Saperstein (right) 1950 Harlem Globetrotters World Series Team - Owner-Coach Abe Saperstein (right)
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Abe Saperstein

Died March 15, 1966 b. 1902

English-born basketball coach Hall of Famer. He formed and coached the Harlem Globetrotters (1927). Although the original players were from the Chicago area, Saperstein chose the name "New York Harlem Globe Trotters" as Harlem was considered the center of African-American culture at the time. Ironically, they did not play in Harlem until 1968, more than 40 years later.
At 5′3″ Saperstein is the shortest male member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Globetrotters won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1940.

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Davidson Black

Died March 15, 1934 b. 1884

Canadian anthropologist. He discovered the race Homo erectus (1927) when he identified a single hominid tooth as the "Peking Man."

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