1. 1954: Marilyn Monroe and DiMaggio get divorced
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Photo: youtube
It was on this date in 1954 that Marilyn Monroe won an uncontested divorce against baseball legend, Joe DiMaggio. She claimed that he was “mentally abusive” as well as being “terribly moody”. America’s favorite couple had gotten married just over nine months prior after dating for over a year. Their relationship was heavily publicized in the media and it appeared as if they were a perfect match for each other. However, behind closed doors, there was significantly more to the story. Just over a month before the divorce, DiMaggio marked himself as a jealous and controlling man when Marilyn was shooting her famous subway grate upskirt photo. According to reports, he made quite the scene demanding that she not participate in the photo shoot. When she made the decision to go ahead and do it DiMaggio apparently stormed off the set which ultimately was the beginning of the for America’s most popular couple at the time. As soon as Monroe returned home to California after the shoot she contacted her lawyer, Jerry Giesler, and filed for divorce.
2. 1904: The opening of the New York City subway
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Photo: kalw
It was on this date in 1904 that the first stretch of what would become the biggest underground subway system in the world opened in New York City. It was a 9.1-mile section of track that ran from the Grand Central Terminal in midtown down to City Hall in lower Manhattan, then west along 42nd Street to Times Square before heading north to finish all the way up on 145th Street in Harlem. Along the route, there were 28 stations where passengers could get on and off to reach their desired destination. The first part of the day the subway wasn’t open to the public, instead it was reserved for city officials and other V.I.P.’s. Although starting at 7pm it was open to any and all comers, each paying a nickel for the ride. According to reports, more than 100,000 people showed up for this momentous event. The following year the subway system was expanded to reach the Bronx and continued growing at a significant rate in the coming years
3. 2004: The “Curse of the Bambino” finally ends
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Photo: thenkblog
The “Curse of the Bambino” finally came to an end when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series on this date in 2004. This was the first time they’d won since 1918, roughly 86 years prior. It all started back in 1920 when Red Sox team owner Harry Frazee made the boneheaded decision of selling Babe Ruth to the Sox’s nemesis, the New York Yankees. Not only was Ruth the best player on the team at the time, but he also went on to become one of the all-time greats. Frazee apparently made the deal for just $125,000 as well as a loan for an additional $300,000, for which he apparently used to produce a musical as well as to pay the mortgage on Fenway Park. Prior to him making the deal, the Sox had won the championship a total of five times and the Yankees hadn’t won a single one. But after the deal was made, the tables drastically turned. After 1920, the Yankees became world champs a record 26 times and the poor Red Sox went on an 86-year stretch without another championship title.