1. 1947: Mille Miglia auto race reborn after WWII
Clemente Biondetti’s winning Alfa Romeo
Photo: grandprixhistory
Photo: stevemckelvie
On this date in 1947, the Mille Miglia auto race was held after a seven year hiatus due to World War II. The race started in Brescia Italy ended in Rome on public roads that was roughly 1,000 miles, hence the name Mille Miglia which means “One Thousand Miles” in Italian. The first race was held in 1927 and ran every year until 1940. Even though the war was over in 1945 most of Italy’s entire infrastructure needed to be rebuilt. Roads and bridges had to be repaired before any racing could resume. Finally, on June 21st 1947 more than 155 starters lined up to compete in the new version of the race that would add roughly 100 miles to their journey. Clemente Biondetti piloting an Alfa Romeo was the first to cross the finish line becoming the first driver to win the reestablished Mille Miglia
2. 1982: Man who shot President Reagan found not guilty
Photo cbsnews
It was on this date in 1982 that John W Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty for the attempted murder of the President of the United States by reason of insanity. On March 30, 1981, Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan and three other people outside of a hotel in Washington D.C. using a .22 caliber handgun. He fired a total six shots before he was thrown against the wall and subdued; one bullet hit the President just inches away from the heart, which surely would have been a fatal blow. Hinkley was said to have a narcissistic personality disorder and was pathologically obsessed with the Robert De Niro movie, Taxi Driver, where the main character makes an assassination attempt on a U.S. Senator. Hinkley’s defense attorneys claimed the movie was a key factor in the planning of the shooting. Although he was found not guilty, he was still a threat to society so he was placed into a mental institution where he remains still to this day.
3. 1955: Mr. Tambourine Man is released by the Byrds
Photo: musictap
Photo: kbtc
Many people feel as if the release of the debut album”Mr Tambourine Man” by the Byrds on this date in 1955 sparked the beginning of the folk-rock revolution. At the time, is was an entirely new sound combining the harmonies made famous in the British invasion with fancy guitars, and yet a lyrical depth that would become famous in folk music. Mr Tambourine Man was actually a Bob Dylan song, and when the Byrds took their version to #1 on the U.S. pop charts, it became the only Dylan song to achieve that. Dylan himself even went on record to say ” you can even dance to that,” something that you wouldn’t normally do with most of his music.