1. 1964: The Beatles kick off their first major U.S. tour
Photo: wtop
Photo: wiki
It was on this date in 1964 that The Beatles kick off their first major U.S. tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Roughly six months prior they had taken the East Coast by storm playing a few shows after the were a hit on the Ed Sullivan Show. But almost immediately following the two concerts and three appearances on the TV show the “Fab Four” hopped on a plane back to the United Kingdom. Finally after much anticipation they kicked off a two month tour that went to multiple cities all over the United States and Canada.
2. 1909: First race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Photo: beepi
Photo: hemmings
What originally started out as a testing tacitly that was started by a local businessman is now one of the most popular racetracks in the world. That of course is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it was on this date in 1909 that the first race was held. It was built on roughly 328 acres of farmland just outside Indianapolis, Indiana. At first the surface of the track was tar with crushed rock mixed in and it would constantly break apart causing multiple crashes. Soon after it was refinished with 3.2 million paving bricks that lay on a bed of sand and held in place with mortar. It fittingly earned the nickname ” the Brickyard” and reopened in December of 1909. The following year would be the debut of the 500 mile race we now know as the Indy 500 that would become a major success and now has become one of the most well know races in the world.
3. 2011: After 18 years the “West Memphis Three” released from prison
Photo: nytimes
It was on this date in 2011 that the famous “West Memphis Three” are finally released after being wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years. Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jesse Baldwin where young teenage boys from the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas who where accused of the horrific murders of three 8-year old boys in May of 1993. Investigators had very few leads at the time and soon got turned onto Damien Echols after an anonymous tip. He was known for being into witchcraft and wearing black clothing. Then after questioning known associates of Echols police where able to get a full confession out of Jessie Misskelley. Only problem was that nothing of what he was saying matched up to what very little information law enforcement did have on the murders. Misskelley was descried as having a less than average IQ and many people believe that he was pressured into the confession. Just three years after the horrific event a documentary film “Paradise Lost” was released that completely debunked the whole investigation and in a sense proved the innocence of the boys. Even the people of Hollywood started to get involved with many celebrities going on record about the innocence of the boys.