ON THIS DAY~APR 18

     April 18, 2008

 

MIDNIGHT RIDE DAY

 

At about 10 p.m. on this day in 1775, three men took to their horses to ride from Boston to Concord, MA to warn the citizens of the approaching British army. Most of us know of just one of those riders, one Paul Revere. The famous poem, Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadworth Longfellow, glorified the Bostonian as the lone rider. He was, in fact, accompanied by William Dawes and Samuel Prescott.

Incidentally, only Prescott made it all the way to Concord. The 3 were nabbed by a British cavalry patrol near Lexington, MA (Dawes and Prescott escaped). We’re not sure what happened to Dawes but Revere was released and returned to Lexington -- without his horse. There was lots of running/riding around that night, but suffice to say, when British forces arrived in Lexington, they found the minutemen waiting for them.

In honor of this midnight ride, get out your Revereware and make a pot of tea.

 

1521  Luther Defiant at Diet of Worms

Martin Luther, the chief catalyst of Protestantism, defies the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V by refusing to recant his writings. He had been called to Worms, Germany, to appear before the Diet (assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire and answer charges of heresy.

 

1846  The telegraph ticker (“....- ....- -----”) was patented by R.E. House of New York City. What does the telegraph message above say? “440”

 

1895 New York State Passed an Act that Established Free Public Baths!

They were to be open 14 hours a day and provide hot and cold water.

 

 

 

1906  The Great San Francisco Earthquake Occurred at 5:13 a.m.

The tremendous earthquake was responsible for some 3,000 deaths and catastrophic damage. There were many fires that followed the quake and they took days -- even weeks -- to contain. Survivors of the earthquake gathered annually for memorial services beginning at the moment the predawn temblor struck and became history.

 

1910  Walter R. Brookins Made the First Airplane Flight at Night.

He passed over Montgomery, AL. At least he was pretty sure it was Montgomery...

 

1923  Yankee Stadium Opened in the Bronx, NY as the hometown team, the NY Yankees, hosted the Boston Red Sox. A record crowd of 74,000 fans saw the action at the first three-level stadium in the U.S.

 

1929  First "Our Gang" Film with Sound Debuts

 

1956  Grace Kelly Marries Prince Rainier

 

     CHART TOPPERS

 

1956Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins

1964Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Suspicion - Terry Stafford
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash

1972The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Rockin’ Robin - Michael Jackson
My Hang-Up is You - Freddie Hart

1980Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Honky Tonk Blues - Charley Pride

1988Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - BillyOcean
Devil Inside - INXS
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with You - Eddie Rabbitt