1. First Teddy Bear goes on sale, 1903
PHOTO: Examiner
PHOTO: Wiki
The Teddy Bear has an interesting history to say the least. It started around 1902 when Teddy Roosevelt was out hunting and a group of his attendants had gone and found a black bear, clubbed it, tied it to a tree and then brought the President to the bear to shoot it. But the President refused to kill the animal because it would be ” unsportsmanlike” and order that the bear be put out of its misery. Which you have to admit is a very cool thing to do and the fools that tied the bear to a tree need a swift ass kicking if you ask me. But anyways, the story of Teddy and the bear spread like wildfire and on this day in 1903 Morris Michtom placed two stuffed bears in his toy store window calling them “Teddy Bears”
2. The First Maple Leaf Flag is raised in Canada
1957-1965
PHOTO: Wiki
PHOTO: Wiki
On this Day in 1965 Queen Elizabeth the II of England proclaimed that the new National Flag shall be raised above Parliament Hill in Canada’s capitol city of Ottawa. The Flag had changed a couple times over the past 20 years and originally started trying to find a different flag back in 1925 but the committee appointed to make the decision on what the new flag would be was not able to come to a universal agreement on what the flag should be. Later in 1946 another parliamentary committee was formed to yet again try to find a new Canadian Flag but also were unsuccessful at coming to an agreement. It wasn’t until 1964 when they officially dropped the British Royal Union Flag from the top left corner and created the Red and white Maple flag that has become one of the most recognizable Nation Flags in the world.
3. 18 members of the US Figure skating team killed in a plane crash, 1961
PHOTO: ESPN
PHOTO: CemetaryGuide
On this day in 1961 the entire 18 member US figure skating team was on their way to the World Figure Skating Championship in Prague when the Boeing 707, Sabena Flight 548, crashed in Berg-Kampenhout, several miles from the Brussels Airport they were scheduled to make a stopover on the way to the final destination of Prague. Also on the plane were 16 other friends, family, coaches and trainers as well as the 38 other passengers and crew on the plane and unfortunately there were no survivors. Reasons for the crash were never determined although it was said that mechanical failure was the most likely cause. In 2011 at the 50th anniversary of this tragedy all 18 members and the 16 people traveling with them, were inducted into the US Figure Skaters Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado.