Only Human After All
May 27, 1995 - Christopher
Reeve, the actor best known for his role as Superman, was paralyzed from the
neck down after falling from his horse during a riding competition in Culpeper, Virginia. Reeve took up horse riding in 1985 after learning to
ride for the film Anna Karenina. The always competitive Man of Steel,
who had participated in sports ranging from windsurfing to parasailing, refused
to let this accident be his Kryptonite -- living another nine years before dying
from other medical complications.
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First 500
May 30, 1911 - The
first  Indianapolis 500 was held at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the first automobile race of such a distance and offered the largest racing purse to date, $27,550, attracting 46 entries from the United States and Europe from which 40
qualified. Interestingly the starting position was determined by date of entry as opposed
to the fastest qualifying speed. The race was won by Ray Harroun with an average speed of
74.602 miles per hour. In contrast the current average speed record for the
race is 185.981 miles per hour, set by Arie Luyendyk in 1990. |
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She's a Witch!
June 2, 1692 - Bridget
Bishop was the first person tried in the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. She was found
guilty and was hanged on June 10. All together about 72 people were accused and tried
and 20 killed during the witch-hunt mania from February 1692 to May
1693. Looking back, most of the allegations against the accused witches are illogical -- a testament to the horrific injustice of the trials. Though not
historically accurate in any way this satirical witch trial portrayed by the
acting troupe Monty Python seems to capture the insanity and mob mentality that
afflicted the region. |
