This Day in History April 16, 1971

I won't say much about this day's feature.  When I was a music teacher in Texas,  learned much about the young lady whose birthday is celebrated today.  It was always a bittersweet lesson to share with my students.  On this date in 1971, Selena Quintanilla-Perez was born.  She went on to become an unbelievable Hispanic musician, and she was killed by her fan club president.  Jennifer Lopez brought her story to life in the fantastic film Selena.  Watch the tribute film below that her brother and his group did ten years after her death.  (Don't worry that it is all in Spanish.  He is basically remembering his sister and thanking everyone for their support through the last ten years.  I figured that out, and I don't even speak Spanish.  I always had to explain that to my students.  Her husband is also featured in this video.  He has long hair, and you might be able to figure out who he is.)



For more info:
http://www.biography.com/people/selena-189149

This Day in History January 5, 1970

This was a new one for me.  Joseph "Jock" Yablonski was an American labor leader in the United Mine Workers in the U.S. back in the 1950's and 1960's.  He made an unsuccessful bid for UMWA (United Mine Workers of America) in 1969.  W.A. Tony Boyle had been president of that association, and he won in against Yablonski in a very corrupt race.  Although he did concede the election, he asked the United States Department of Labor to investigate it for fraud.  He also instigated five lawsuits against the UMWA in federal court.

On December 31, 1969, Joseph, his wife, and 25-year-old daughter were murdered in Pennsylvania as they slept in their beds.  It was on this date in 1970, that the bodies were discovered by his son, and it was known that Boyle had hired hit men to do this deed.  The day after the funeral, 20,000 miners walked off the job in a day-long strike.

In the aftermath of everything, a new president of the miner's group was chosen, and Boyle was indicted on murder charges.  He was sentenced to three life terms and died in prison in 1985.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Yablonski
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10716858
http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/today-in-history-for-january/article_f2ad8c1c-a8b2-5f7c-b0ed-3817bea5243a.html

This Day in Hstory October 3, 1995

OJ Simpson Not Guilty Verdict by TECHNOLOGOS

This is one of those dates that I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard this verdict.  I was in college, and I had class at exactly the time that the verdict was to be aired live.  I hadn't followed the trial really well, but I knew what was going on.  How could you not in ths country?  I was shocked with everyone else that the jury had come back so quickly.  I was in a music classroom with my professor (that I did not care for, and this is probably the only nice thing he ever did for us).  We were discussing the verdict, and he got the television out, and we sat there and watched it.  And we were all stunned.  On this date in 1995, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty for killing his ex-wife and her friend.

Since that time, there he lost a wrongful death lawsuit, and he has even gone to prison on another charge.  O.J. Simpson continues to maintain his innocence to this date.  And, of course, with our legal system, there's really nothing that could be done to him anyway.  He was found not guilty, and he cannot be tried again.

For more information, check out:
http://famousdaily.com/history/oj-simpson-not-guilty.html

This Day in History March 16, 1881

I found this story really something.  It just so happens that on this date in 1881 that Francisco "Chico" Forster (40) was shot to death by 18-year-old Lastania Abarta.  Forster was one of the most eligible bachelors in L.A., and the story goes that he promised to marry Abarta.  They went to a hotel, and they made love (she lost her virginity).  Of course, he didn't appear at the church, and Abarta and her sister tried to persuade him.  He got out of the cab--there was no way he was going to head to the church.  She pulled out a gun and shot him in the eye.


In the 1880's, America was obsessed with "female hysteria."  Her defense was that she lost her virtue to this man and went mad.  A jury comprised of all men took 20 minutes to acquit her.  Amazing!  I have to say that I do not agree.  She should have gone to jail, in my opinion.  This defense wouldn't work in this day and age.


For more information, check out:
http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?64603-Good-Morning...Chick-kills-quot-pump-amp-dump-quot-playa-and-walks! 

http://articles.latimes.com/1999/may/09/local/me-35547
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-virtuous-woman-turns-murderous

This Day in History March 10, 1980

Well, being a doctor does not necessarily mean that you will live a long life.  And it does not mean that you will not have enemies.  If Dr. Herman Tarnower were still alive, he would corroborate this sentiment.  But it was on this date in 1980 that he was murdered.  Read on for more about him.

He was born March 18, 1910 in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish immigrants.  He went on to become a doctor who specialized in cardiology.  Following WWII, he founded the Scarsdale Medical Center and became very well-known in high-end social circles.  He had a diet that he recommended to his clients, and he was finally persuaded to write The Scarsdale Medical Diet which was ublished in 1979.  It became extremely popular.

The good doctor was a bachelor who had plenty of women throughout his life.  But he had a long-term relationship with Jean Harris for several years.  He then began another relationship with a secretary, and that became his undoing.  Harris took a gun the evening of murder to the doctor's home.  According to her testimony, she planned on talking with him.  Her plan, supposedly, was suicide.  She was jealous when she saw the remnants of the other woman, and she and the doctor struggled.  The gun went off, and he was shot and killed.  She was sentenced to jail for 15 years on a charge of second degree murder.  She was released after 13 years due to poor health.

My mom had heard of this diet, and she didn't know that the author was dead.  I had never heard of this diet nor the author before, but I must say it is quite a story.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/24/weekinreview/jan-17-23-former-headmistress-freed-jean-harris-69-frail-paroled-for-1980-murder.html?src=pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Tarnower
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/harris/6.html
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=81&GSmpid=45426922&GRid=10712&