1. 1939: Major League Baseball made its television debut
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History was made on this date in 1939 when major league baseball makes its television debut. The game was broadcast on the W2XBS station, which would later become WNBC-TV. The Brooklyn Dodgers faced off against the Cincinnati Reds in a doubleheader at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. At the time television programming was almost non-existent, as a matter of fact according to reports it was estimated that only around 400 people owned TV’s. The games were filmed using two stationary cameras, one along the third base line to catch any infield plays, and the second was placed high above home plate to give a birds eye view of the entire field. Apparently the video quality was poor at best, movement was hard to distinguish. The ball was basically invisible anytime it was in play, when players swung the bat it apparently resembled a paper fan. The Reds dominated the first game picking up the win 5-2, however the Dodgers came back with a vengeance in the second game winning 6-1.
2. 1968: Protesting at the Democratic National Convention become violent.
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The Democratic National Convention kicks off on this date in 1968 in the city of Chicago, Illinois. This was a time when violence was at an all time high. The four months leading up to the convention saw the assassination of both Martin Luther King and Senator Robert Kennedy. Protesters flocked to the city to spread their message against the Vietnam War but they were greeted by more than 23,000 Policemen and National Guardsman even though there were only about 10,000 protesters. According to reports there were many people beaten by the Chicago Police, including members of the press like Mike Wallace and Dan Rather. Vice President Hubert Humphrey received the nomination as the Presidential Candidate and the convention ended on August 29th. However the aftermath would continue for quite some time.
3. 1959: The Mini released.
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It was on this date in 1959 that one of the best selling British cars in history makes its debut. At first it went by two different names, the Morris Mini-Minor, or Austin Seven, but soon became widely known simply as the Mini. Sir Leonard Lord, who was the head of the British Motor Company, wanted to make a fuel efficient car because of the spike in gas prices. Development on the Mini started sometime in 1957 which meant the entire design process took only two years when normally it takes much longer. The Mini was only about 10 feet long but still had quite a bit of seating space for it being such a small car. Apparently you could fit four adults and still have room for a reasonable amount of luggage. It was extremely affordable with a starting price right around $800 and very quickly earned the nickname “people’s car. More than 5.3 million Mini’s were produced by the time production ended in 2000. In 2003 BMW revived the brand making a modern day version of the Mini and its remains in production to this day.