Land Run of 1889
April 22, 1889 - At high noon, an estimated 50,000 people rushed
to claim land in the Oklahoma Territory. Under the Homestead Act, which was designed
to open up the western United States to settlement, individuals could claim lots up to 160
acres in size. The settlers were required to live on the land for five years
and make improvements before they would receive title. The unassigned lands in
Oklahoma were considered some of the best unoccupied public land in the United States. There was a designated start line and time of entry, but a number of individuals cheated by entering early and hiding out so they could be first to claim some of the choicest homesteads. These people came to be
identified as "sooners" and while some lost their claims through legal challenges, many succeeded. By the end of the day, both Oklahoma City and Guthrie had established cities of around 10,000
people in literally half a day.
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Record Record
April 23, 1988 - Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon left the charts for the first time after spending a record of 741 consecutive
weeks (over 14 years) on the Billboard 200. With an estimated
45 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd's most commercially successful
album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide. The album is notable for its use of musique concrète and conceptual, philosophical lyrics. Each side of the album is a continuous piece of music. The five tracks
on each side reflect various stages of human life, beginning and ending
with a fading heartbeat, and exploring the nature of the human experience. Two singles were generated from the album, the most well-known of which is Money. |
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Not On My Watch
 April 25, 1976 -
During a Major League baseball game at Dodger Stadium two
protesters rushed into the outfield and attempted to set fire to an American
flag they had brought with them. Rick Monday, who was an outfielder for the
Chicago Cubs, noticed the men fumbling with matches and lighter fluid. Before
the protesters could ignite the flag, Monday rushed over and snatched it off the ground. When he came up to bat in
the next half-inning, he got a standing ovation from the crowd and the big
message board behind the left-field bleachers flashed the
message, "RICK MONDAY... YOU MADE A
GREAT PLAY..." You can watch Monday's rescue here. |
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Mutiny on the Bounty
April 28, 1789 - Eighteen mutineers took control of the HMS Bounty in the
South Pacific. Captained by William Bligh, the Bounty had been on a mission to
harvest breadfruit plants from the island
of Tahiti and transport them to Jamaica.
After spending five months in Tahiti the ship left with
its cargo. But a short while later several members of the crew who despised
Captain Bligh desired to return to the idyllic life on the island. The mutineers
entered the Captain's quarters and forced him at gun point onto the deck. Despite
strong words and threats from both sides, the ship was taken bloodlessly
and apparently without struggle by any of the loyalists except Bligh himself. The
mutineers ordered Bligh, the ship's master, two midshipmen, the surgeon's mate,
and the ship's clerk into Bounty'slaunch boat. Several more men voluntarily joined
Bligh rather than remaining aboard. Bligh and his crew then made an epic journey
of 3,618 nautical miles in the small boat to the island
of Timor in the Dutch East
Indies using only a sextant and a pocket watch for navigation. The
mutiny has been commemorated by several books, films, and popular songs, many
of which take considerable liberties with the facts. |
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"If you're going to burn the flag, don't do
it around me. I've been to too many veterans' hospitals and seen too many
broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it."
- Rick Monday
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Heath is Reading
Pursuit of Honor
by Vince Flynn
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