June 5: Bobby Kennedy Shot

On this date in History ... June 5, 1968:

Bobby Kennedy is shot during a campaign. 

He had just won the California primary and was the heir-apparent to the Democratic Nomination for President, to run against Richard Nixon. Roosevelt "Rosy" Grier, a star football player, was one of Kennedy's bodyguards and tackled the assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, wrestling him to the ground. Other bystanders were injured while Sirhan was being grabbed. 

Hubert Humphrey ended up on the Democratic ticket, losing by a small margin to Nixon.

February 18: California Death Penalty

On this date in History ..... 1972:

The California Supreme Court rules the death penalty to be cruel and unusual punishment and in violation of the state constitution. The ruling takes 107 inmates off of death row, including Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan (who killed Robert Kennedy).

 

Later that same year (1972), Californians passed Proposition 17 which reintroduced the death penalty and amended the California Constitution.  No executions were carried out in California until 1992 because of the Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia which temporarily suspended capital punishment in the U.S.

 
The case stemmed from People of California v. Robert Page Anderson who murdered three people during a robbery.  His sentence was commuted and in 1976, he was paroled and moved to Seattle.

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December 7: Singing Nun hits #1 in U.S.

On this date in History .... 1963:

No one could have predicted that a song about a Catholic saint, sung in French by a Belgium nun could have become a U.S. hit.  But “The Singing Nun” did just that when her song “Dominique” hit #1 and stayed there for four weeks, stopping (Click here to hear) the song "Louie Louie" from ever reaching the #1 slot. 

After the Nov 22 death of John Kennedy, radio pop stations were toning down the music they played in a period of respect for the President.  “Dominique” arrived during this lull period in the music world and is the only Belgium song to ever become a #1 hit single in the U.S. 

Click here to play the song "Dominque"

However, after tasting “pop immortality”, the nun left the church to pursue a singing career which did not take off as expected.  In 1985, she committed suicide over a Belgium Government bill for a royalties tax issue.

A semi-biographical movie was made in 1966 starring Debbie Reynolds.

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December 2: Monroe Doctrine

On this date in History .... 1823:

President James Monroe, in his annual message to Congress, warned European nations that the United States “would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs” and basically told them to “stay out of our backyard” and not interfere in “affairs of the Western Hemisphere.”  He stated, "The American continents … are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers."  

This message, named The Monroe Doctrine, that he “buried in a routine annual message delivered to Congress,” became the watchword of U.S. policy in the western hemisphere. 

It has been invoked a number of times.  In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt invoked the Monroe Doctrine when a number of European countries threatened armed intervention to collect debt.  Roosevelt sent U.S. Marines into the Latin countries to keep European countries out and prevent war activity near the United States. President Kennedy invoked the Doctrine during the Cuba Missile Crisis of 1962, convincing the Soviet Union to dismantle the missiles and missile sites in Cuba.

October 18: Gloria Swanson

On October 18, 1974, Gloria Swanson makes her final appearance in a made-for-theater film playing herself, in“Airport 1975”. (Her absolutely last acting role was a made-for-TV movie called “Killer Bees”.)

Swanson was the queen of the silent film stars and one of the few who made

the transition to‘the talkies’. The 5ft tall actress was also a fashion icon. Her fashion, hair and jewels were copied around the world, earning her the title of the screen’s first clothes horse and the most photographed woman in the world.
 (photo from wikipedia)

Swanson was married six times. Her 3rd husband was Henri, Marquis de la Falaise de la Coudraye, making Gloria the first film star to marry nobility. While still married to him, she had an affair that lasted for years with Joseph Kennedy, father of U.S. President John Kennedy.

She is best remembered for her role of Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard”, a part that was turned down by many actresses including Mae West and Mary Pickford. The film included many lines that are still quoted today, such as "I AM big .... It's the pictures that got small!" and of course her closing line of "All right Mr. DeMille ... I'm ready for my close-up." 

The famous closing scene of "Sunset Boulevard" can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTT0LW0M_Y