History Schmistory: October 22. “I wasn’t ready!”
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
1926: Smarty-pants J. Gordon Whitehead sucker punches legendary magician, escapologist and stunt performer Harry Houdini in the stomach several times, rupturing his appendix. Houdini refuses medical attention and goes on to perform what would be his final show, collapsing several times in the duration. He dies a few days later in a Detroit hospital on Halloween. And this time it was no trick (or treat.)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Houdini_in_Handcuffs,_1918.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Jack_Dempsey,_Harry_Houdini_and_Benny_Leonard2.jpg
History Schmistory: October 21. UFO-snap!
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
1978: Australian pilot Frederick Valentich vanishes somewhere over the Bass Straight after reporting an unidentified aircraft hovering above him. Dude got jacked by some punk aliens.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/PurportedUFO2.jpg
History Schmistory: October 20. No worries, mate!
Monday, October 20, 2025
1973: 10 years overdue and $95 million over budget, the Sydney Opera House finally opens, and quickly becomes the universal icon of Australia. That is, until Crocodile Dundee comes out.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Sydney_Opera_House_-_Dec_2008.jpg
History Schmistory: October 19. Somebody please do something historic!
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Today in history kinda bites. Nothing all that significant, fun, or crazy to report. So, here you go!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Chuck_Norris,_The_Delta_Force_1986.jpg
History Schmistory: October 18. Happy Alaska Day!
Saturday, October 18, 2025
1867: The United States moves in with Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for 7.2 million clams. They live together for 92 years before finally making the relationship official in 1959. Meanwhile, Canada insists they are carrying Alaska’s baby.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Alaska_purchase.jpg
History Schmistory: October 17. Flow this way!
Friday, October 17, 2025
The manor house of Toten Hall, where the flood began http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/The_manor_house_of_Toten_Hall_-_1813.gif
1814: The London Beer  Flood occurs in, you guessed it, London, killing nine and inebriating several others.
History Schmistory: October 14. Poor Steve.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
2003: 95 years (to the day) after the Chicago Cubs won their last World Series title, fan Steve Bartman does his part to make sure it doesn’t happen again, in what has become known as the Steve Bartman incident. Should be a holiday in Florida. Though, in all fairness, he was really just the unfortunate scapegoat for the Cubbies monumental choke-fest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bartman_seat_heckler.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Foul_ball_alou.jpg
History Schmistory: October 13. Speaking of Galaxies…
Monday, October 13, 2025
1773: The Whirlpool Galaxy is discovered by Charles Messier (‘s awesome telescopes.)
![By NASA and European Space Agency [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/800px-Messier51_sRGB.jpg)
By NASA and European Space Agency [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: October 12. Do you know where your towel is?
Sunday, October 12, 2025
1979: The greatest book in the history of the galaxy is published. Within its pages lies the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything…
![By User:Drozd (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Hitchhikers_gesture.jpg)
By User:Drozd (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Common5
History Schmistory: October 11. “Doing It Right”
Sunday, October 12, 2025
1929: JC Penney opens store #1252 in Milford, Delaware. But this was not just any ordinary JC Penney, this was THE JC Penney that officially put them in every state in the US, a first for any American chain store. Many Delaware state officials later confessed that they were just tired of doing it wrong.
By the way, did you know the C in JC Penney stands for Cash? As in founder, James Cash Penney… That was his real name. Seriously, this was the Great Depression, pennies could get you a lot back then. Today, he would be the equivalent of Donald Trump being named Donald Cash Money.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/James_Cash_Penney_%28ca._1902%29.jpg
