This Day in History

1/17/1950: Boston Thieves Pull Off Historic Robbery​

On this day in 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million from the Brinks Armored Car depot in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the perfect crime--almost--as the culprits weren't caught until January 1956, just days before the statute of limitations for the theft expired.

The robbery's mastermind was Anthony "Fats" Pino, a career criminal who recruited a group of 10 other men to stake out the depot for 18 months to figure out when it held the most money. Pino's men then managed to steal plans for the depot's alarm system, returning them before anyone noticed they were gone.

Wearing navy blue coats and chauffeur's caps--similar to the Brinks employee uniforms--with rubber Halloween masks, the thieves entered the depot with copied keys, surprising and tying up several employees inside the company's counting room. Filling 14 canvas bags with cash, coins, checks and money orders--for a total weight of more than half a ton--the men were out and in their getaway car in about 30 minutes. Their haul? More than $2.7 million--the largest robbery in U.S. history up until that time.

No one was hurt in the robbery, and the thieves left virtually no clues, aside from the rope used to tie the employees and one of the chauffeur's caps. The gang promised to stay out of trouble and not touch the money for six years in order for the statute of limitations to run out. They might have made it, but for the fact that one man, Joseph "Specs" O'Keefe, left his share with another member in order to serve a prison sentence for another burglary. While in jail, O'Keefe wrote bitterly to his cohorts demanding money and hinting he might talk. The group sent a hit man to kill O'Keefe, but he was caught before completing his task. The wounded O'Keefe made a deal with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to testify against his fellow robbers.

Eight of the Brinks robbers were caught, convicted and given life sentences. Two more died before they could go to trial. Only a small part of the money was ever recovered; the rest is fabled to be hidden in the hills north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In 1978, the famous robbery was immortalized on film in The Brinks Job, starring Peter Falk.

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina, 1781

Automotive

• Corvette unveiled at GM Motorama, 1953

Civil War

• Sherman's army is delayed by rain, 1865

Cold War

• Eisenhower warns of the "military-industrial complex", 1961

Crime

• The Great Brinks Robbery, 1950

Disaster

• Earthquake rocks Los Angeles, 1994

General Interest

• Americans overthrow Hawaiian monarchy, 1893
• Eisenhower bids farewell, 1961
• H-bomb lost in Spain, 1966
• The execution of Gary Gilmore, 1977

Hollywood

• U.S. Supreme Court decides Universal v. Sony, as VCR usage takes off, 1984

Literary

• Anne Bronte is born, 1820

Music

• NBC Television greenlights The Monkees, 1966

Old West

• John Jacob Astor is born, 1763

Presidential

• Eisenhower warns of military-industrial complex, 1961
• Paula Jones accuses Bill Clinton of sexual harassment, 1994

Sports

• PGA is formed, 1916

Vietnam War

• South Vietnamese forces raid POW camp, 1971
• Nixon threatens President Thieu, 1972

World War I

• Winston Churchill hears speech on the tragedy of war, 1916

World War II

• Allies make their move on Cassino, Italy, 1944
• Soviets capture Warsaw, 1945

 

1/18/1919: World War I Peace Conference Begins in Paris​

On this day in Paris, France, some of the most powerful people in the world meet to begin the long, complicated negotiations that would officially mark the end of the First World War.

Leaders of the victorious Allied powers--France, Great Britain, the United States and Italy--would make most of the crucial decisions in Paris over the next six months. For most of the conference, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson struggled to support his idea of a "peace without victory" and make sure that Germany, the leader of the Central Powers and the major loser of the war, was not treated too harshly. On the other hand, Prime Ministers Georges Clemenceau of France and David Lloyd George of Britain argued that punishing Germany adequately and ensuring its weakness was the only way to justify the immense costs of the war. In the end, Wilson compromised on the treatment of Germany in order to push through the creation of his pet project, an international peacekeeping organization called the League of Nations.

Representatives from Germany were excluded from the peace conference until May, when they arrived in Paris and were presented with a draft of the Versailles Treaty. Having put great faith in Wilson's promises, the Germans were deeply frustrated and disillusioned by the treaty, which required them to forfeit a great deal of territory and pay reparations. Even worse, the infamous Article 231 forced Germany to accept sole blame for the war. This was a bitter pill many Germans could not swallow.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, five years to the day after a Serbian nationalist's bullet ended the life of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and sparked the beginning of World War I. In the decades to come, anger and resentment of the treaty and its authors festered in Germany. Extremists like Adolf Hitler's National Socialist (Nazi) Party capitalized on these emotions to gain power, a process that led almost directly to the exact thing Wilson and the other negotiators in Paris in 1919 had wanted to prevent--a second, equally devastating global war.

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• Georgia's royal governor is arrested, 1776

Automotive

• GM auctions off historic cars, 2009

Civil War

• Former U.S. president and Confederate congressman-elect John Tyler dies, 1862

Cold War

• United States walks out of World Court case, 1985

Crime

• Barry arrested on drug charges, 1990

Disaster

• Heavy rain leads to landslides in Southern California, 1969

General Interest

• Cook discovers Hawaii, 1778
• Scott reaches the South Pole, 1912

Hollywood

• Coen brothers release debut film, Blood Simple, 1985

Literary

• A.A. Milne is born, 1882

Music

• "Mandy" is Barry Manilow's first #1 pop hit, 1975

Old West

• Jefferson requests funds for Lewis and Clark, 1803

Presidential

• Jefferson requests funding for Lewis and Clark expedition, 1803
• Wilson attends Paris Peace Conference, 1919

Sports

• NHL is integrated, 1958

Vietnam War

• China and Soviet Union recognize Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 1950
• McGovern begins his presidential campaign, 1971

World War I

• Peace conference opens in Paris, 1919

World War II

• Germans resume deportations from Warsaw to Treblinka, 1943

1/19/1809: Edgar Allan Poe Is Born​

On this day in 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

By the time he was three years old, both of Poe's parents had died, leaving him in the care of his godfather, John Allan, a wealthy tobacco merchant. After attending school in England, Poe entered the University of Virginia (UVA) in 1826. After fighting with Allan over his heavy gambling debts, he was forced to leave UVA after only eight months. Poe then served two years in the U.S. Army and won an appointment to West Point. After another falling-out, Allan cut him off completely and he got himself dismissed from the academy for rules infractions.

Dark, handsome and brooding, Poe had published three works of poetry by that time, none of which had received much attention. In 1836, while working as an editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, Virginia, Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. He also completed his first full-length work of fiction, Arthur Gordon Pym, published in 1838. Poe lost his job at the Messenger due to his heavy drinking, and the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Poe worked as an editor at Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and Graham's Magazine. He became known for his direct and incisive criticism, as well as for dark horror stories like "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." Also around this time, Poe began writing mystery stories, including "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter"--works that would earn him a reputation as the father of the modern detective story.

In 1844, the Poes moved to New York City. He scored a spectacular success the following year with his poem "The Raven." While Poe was working to launch The Broadway Journal--which soon failed--his wife Virginia fell ill and died of tuberculosis in early 1847. His wife's death drove Poe even deeper into alcoholism and drug abuse. After becoming involved with several women, Poe returned to Richmond in 1849 and got engaged to an old flame. Before the wedding, however, Poe died suddenly. Though circumstances are somewhat unclear, it appeared he began drinking at a party in Baltimore and disappeared, only to be found incoherent in a gutter three days later. Taken to the hospital, he died on October 7, 1849, at age 40.

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• John Wilkes expelled from Parliament, 1764

Automotive

• First McDonald's drive-through opens in Beijing, 2007

Civil War

• Robert E. Lee born, 1807
• Yankees defeat Rebels at the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads, 1862

Cold War

• Communist China recognizes North Vietnam, 1950

Crime

• Man charged in California cyberstalking case, 1999

Disaster

• Fog leads to deadly collision in North Sea, 1883

General Interest

• Wilkes claims portion of Antarctica for U.S., 1840
• Indira Gandhi becomes Indian prime minister, 1966
• Butcher of Lyons arrested in Bolivia, 1983

Hollywood

• Production begins on Toy Story, 1993

Literary

• Patricia Highsmith is born, 1921

Music

• Fleetwood Mac reunite to play "Don't Stop" at Bill Clinton's first Inaugural gala, 1993

Old West

• Mexican rebels kill Charles Bent, 1847

Presidential

• Ford pardons Tokyo Rose, 1977

Sports
N

• otre Dame beats UCLA to end 88-game winning streak, 1974

Vietnam War

• Eisenhower cautions successor about Laos, 1961
• Operation McLain is launched, 1968

World War I

• First air raid on Britain, 1915

World War II

• British attack Italians in Africa, 1941

 

1/20/1981: Iran Hostage Crisis Ends​

Minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis.

On November 4, 1979, the crisis began when militant Iranian students, outraged that the U.S. government had allowed the ousted shah of Iran to travel to New York City for medical treatment, seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran. The Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's political and religious leader, took over the hostage situation, refusing all appeals to release the hostages, even after the U.N. Security Council demanded an end to the crisis in an unanimous vote. However, two weeks after the storming of the embassy, the Ayatollah began to release all non-U.S. captives, and all female and minority Americans, citing these groups as among the people oppressed by the government of the United States. The remaining 52 captives remained at the mercy of the Ayatollah for the next 14 months.

President Jimmy Carter was unable to diplomatically resolve the crisis, and on April 24, 1980, he ordered a disastrous rescue mission in which eight U.S. military personnel were killed and no hostages rescued. Three months later, the former shah died of cancer in Egypt, but the crisis continued. In November 1980, Carter lost the presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan. Soon after, with the assistance of Algerian intermediaries, successful negotiations began between the United States and Iran. On the day of Reagan's inauguration, the United States freed almost $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and the hostages were released after 444 days. The next day, Jimmy Carter flew to West Germany to greet the Americans on their way home.

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• Battle of Millstone, New Jersey, 1777

Automotive

• GM takes an interest in Oakland Motor Car Corp., 1909

Civil War

• Union General Burnside's troops get bogged down in mud, 1863

Cold War

• Truman announces Point Four program, 1949

Crime

• Football player-turned-murderer born, 1974

Disaster

• Bullfight spectators die when bleachers collapse, 1980

General Interest

• Hong Kong ceded to the British, 1841
• FDR inaugurated to fourth term, 1945
• John F. Kennedy inaugurated, 1961
• Terry Waite disappears, 1987
• Arafat elected leader of Palestine, 1996

Hollywood

• Actress Audrey Hepburn dies, 1993

Literary

• Robert Frost reads at JFK's inauguration, 1961

Music

• Country star Jerry Lee Lewis rocks the Grand Ole Opry, 1973

Old West

• Ronald Reagan becomes president, 1981

Presidential

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt is sworn in as president, 1937

Sports

• President Carter calls for Olympics to be moved from Moscow, 1980

Vietnam War

• Richard Nixon takes office, 1969
• New communist offensive anticipated, 1972

World War I

• Goeben and Breslau battle the Allies in the Aegean, 1918

World War II

• The Wannsee Conference, 1942

 

1/21/1977: President Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers​

On this day in 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War.

In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some initial controversy they were eventually welcomed as immigrants. Still others hid inside the United States. In addition to those who avoided the draft, a relatively small number--about 1,000--of deserters from the U.S. armed forces also headed to Canada. While the Canadian government technically reserved the right to prosecute deserters, in practice they left them alone, even instructing border guards not to ask too many questions.

For its part, the U.S. government continued to prosecute draft evaders after the Vietnam War ended. A total of 209,517 men were formally accused of violating draft laws, while government officials estimate another 360,000 were never formally accused. If they returned home, those living in Canada or elsewhere faced prison sentences or forced military service. During his 1976 presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter promised to pardon draft dodgers as a way of putting the war and the bitter divisions it caused firmly in the past. After winning the election, Carter wasted no time in making good on his word. Though many transplanted Americans returned home, an estimated 50,000 settled permanently in Canada, greatly expanding the country's arts and academic scenes and pushing Canadian politics decidedly to the left.

Back in the U.S., Carter's decision generated a good deal of controversy. Heavily criticized by veterans' groups and others for allowing unpatriotic lawbreakers to get off scot-free, the pardon and companion relief plan came under fire from amnesty groups for not addressing deserters, soldiers who were dishonorably discharged or civilian anti-war demonstrators who had been prosecuted for their resistance.

Years later, Vietnam-era draft evasion still carries a powerful stigma. Though no prominent political figures have been found to have broken any draft laws, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and Vice-Presidents Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney--none of whom saw combat in Vietnam--have all been accused of being draft dodgers at one time or another. Although there is not currently a draft in the U.S., desertion and conscientious objection have remained pressing issues among the armed forces during the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• Ethan Allen is born, 1738

Automotive

• Toyota officially passes GM as planet's biggest car maker, 2009

Civil War

• Rebels recapture Sabine Pass, 1863

Cold War

• Alger Hiss convicted of perjury, 1950

Crime

• Switzer of Our Gang murdered, 1959

Disaster

• Ferry sinks off Indonesian coast, 1996

General Interest

• King Louis XVI executed, 1793
• Vladimir Lenin dies, 1924
• Concorde takes off, 1976

Hollywood

• Hilary Swank moves on, 1998

Literary

• Don DeLillo's White Noise wins the American Book Award, 1985

Music

• Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts introduce America to Patsy Cline, 1957

Old West

• Gun designer John Browning is born, 1855

Presidential

• Carter pardons draft dodgers, 1977

Sports

• John McEnroe disqualified from the Australian Open, 1990

Vietnam War

• Battle for Khe Sanh begins, 1968

World War I

• Vladimir Ilyich Lenin dies, 1924

World War II

• General Weygand is born, 1867

1/22/1998: Ted Kaczynski Pleads Guilty to Bombings​

On this day in 1998, in a Sacramento, California, courtroom, Theodore J. Kaczynski pleads guilty to all federal charges against him, acknowledging his responsibility for a 17-year campaign of package bombings attributed to the "Unabomber."

Born in 1942, Kaczynski attended Harvard University and received a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He worked as an assistant mathematics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, but abruptly quit in 1969. In the early 1970s, Kaczynski began living as a recluse in western Montana, in a 10-by-12 foot cabin without heat, electricity or running water. From this isolated location, he began the bombing campaign that would kill three people and injure more than 20 others.

The primary targets were universities, but he also placed a bomb on an American Airlines flight in 1979 and sent one to the home of the president of United Airlines in 1980. After federal investigators set up the UNABOM Task Force (the name came from the words "university and airline bombing"), the media dubbed the culprit the "Unabomber." The bombs left little physical evidence, and the only eyewitness found in the case could describe the suspect only as a man in hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses (depicted in an infamous 1987 police sketch).

In 1995, the Washington Post (in collaboration with the New York Times) published a 35,000-word anti-technology manifesto written by a person claiming to be the Unabomber. Recognizing elements of his brother's writings, David Kaczynski went to authorities with his suspicions, and Ted Kaczynski was arrested in April 1996. In his cabin, federal investigators found ample evidence linking him to the bombings, including bomb parts, journal entries and drafts of the manifesto.

Kaczynski was arraigned in Sacramento and charged with bombings in 1985, 1993 and 1995 that killed two people and maimed two others. (A bombing in New Jersey in 1994 also resulted in the victim's death.) Despite his lawyers' efforts, Kaczynski rejected an insanity plea. After attempting suicide in his jail cell in early 1998, Kaczynski appealed to U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell Jr. to allow him to represent himself, and agreed to undergo psychiatric evaluation. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia, and Judge Burrell ruled that Kaczynski could not defend himself. The psychiatrist's verdict helped prosecutors and defense reach a plea bargain, which allowed prosecutors to avoid arguing for the death penalty for a mentally ill defendant.

On January 22, 1998, Kaczynski accepted a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole in return for a plea of guilty to all federal charges; he also gave up the right to appeal any rulings in the case. Though Kaczynski later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that it had been involuntary, Judge Burrell denied the request, and a federal appeals court upheld the ruling. Kaczynski was remanded to a maximum-security prison in Colorado, where he is serving his life sentence.

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• Claudius Smith, "Cowboy of the Ramapos,"hangs, 1779

Automotive

• "Gran Torino" opens Down Under, 2009

Civil War

• Rebel General John McCausland dies, 1927

Cold War

• Reagan links arms talks with Soviets to oppression in Poland, 1982

Crime
Roe v. Wade, 1973

Disaster

• Plane crashes at Nigerian airport, 1973

General Interest

• British colonists reach New Zealand, 1840
• Queen Victoria dies, 1901
• First Russian Revolution begins, 1905
• Supreme Court legalizes abortion, 1973
• Sakharov arrested in Moscow, 1980

Hollywood

• Heath Ledger dies of accidental prescription drug overdose, 2008
• Conan O’Brien makes final appearance as “Tonight Show†host, 2010

Literary

• George Gordon, Lord Byron, is born, 1788

Music

• Final portrait of John and Yoko is on the cover of Rolling Stone, 1981

Old West

• Chief Dull Knife makes last fight for freedom, 1879

Presidential

• Lyndon Baines Johnson dies in Texas, 1973

Sports

• Foreman beats Frazier to win heavyweight title in Jamaica, 1973

Vietnam War

• U.S. Joint Chiefs foresee larger U.S. commitment, 1964
• Operations Jeb Stuart and Pershing II kick off, 1968

World War I

• Bloody Sunday Massacre in Russia, 1905

World War II

• Brits and Australians take Tobruk, 1941

 

1/23/1957: Toy Company Wham-O Produces First Frisbees​

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1/24/1935: First Canned Beer Goes on Sale​

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1/25/1905: World's Largest Diamond Found​

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1/26/1788: Australia Day​

Other Stories​

American Revolution

• Engagement at Burke County Jail, 1779

Automotive

• "The Dukes of Hazzard" premieres, 1979

Civil War

• Joseph Hooker takes over the Army of the Potomac, 1863

Cold War

• U.S. Olympic Committee votes against Moscow games, 1980

Crime

• First Australian penal colony established, 1788
• So-called Mad Butcher terrorizes Cleveland, 1936

Disaster

• Cyclone Wanda causes flooding in Australia, 1974

General Interest

• Pinzon discovers Brazil, 1500
• Tennessee passes nation's first prohibition law, 1838
• Franco captures Barcelona, 1939
• Republic of India born, 1950

Hollywood

• Sam Goldwyn buys rights to The Wizard of Oz, 1934

Literary

• Oprah Winfrey takes James Frey to task for lying, 2006

Music

• "The Twist" ends record-setting run, 1962

Old West

• Pinkertons maim Frank and Jesse James' mother, 1875

Presidential

• Kennedy appoints first female presidential physician, 1961
• Bush appoints Rice as secretary of state, 2005

Sports

• Bears beat Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 1986

Vietnam War

• POW spends 2,000th day in captivity, 1970
• North Vietnam rejects U.S. peace proposal, 1972

World War I

• Ukraine declares its independence, 1918

World War II

• Audie Murphy wounded, 1945
• Soviets liberate Auschwitz, 1945

 

1/27/1888: National Geographic Society Founded​

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1/29/1936: U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame Elects First Members​

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1/30/1948: Gandhi Assassinated​

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1/31/1950: Trueman Announces Development of H-Bomb​

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2/3/2005: Gonzales Becomes First Hispanic U.S. Attorney General​

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2/5/1994: Beckwith Convicted of Killing Medgar Evers​

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2/6/1952: Elizabeth Becomes Queen​

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2/7/1964: Beatles Arrive in New York​

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2/8/1943: Americans Secure Guadalcanal​

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2/10/1996: Kasparov Loses Chess Game to Computer​

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2/11/1990: Nelson Mandela Released from Prison​

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2/12/2002: Milosevic Goes on Trial for War Crimes​

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