Moments in Time – October 2, 2024

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• On Oct. 14, 1957, The Everly Brothers scored their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts with “Wake Up, Little Susie.” Though the lyrics described a perfectly innocent scenario, the song still managed to stir up enough controversy to get it banned in Boston for a time.
• On Oct. 15, 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ruled that hearse manufacturers would no longer be required to install anchors for child-safety seats in their vehicles, though the rare models that contain rear seats are not technically “funeral coaches” and are therefore subject to the same child-restraint rules as other carmakers.
• On Oct. 16, 1991, George Jo Hennard drove his truck through a Luby’s Cafeteria window in Killeen, Texas, before opening fire on a lunch crowd of more than 100, killing 23 and injuring 20 more. He was shot several times by police before fatally turning the gun on himself. No clear reason for one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history was ever determined.
• On Oct. 17, 1835, Texans approved a resolution to create the Texas Rangers, a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers.”
• On Oct. 18, 1977, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers – a feat only Babe Ruth had ever previously pulled off – in the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• On Oct. 19, 1796, an essay by a writer calling himself “Phocion” appeared in the Gazette of the United States, in which presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson was accused of carrying on an affair with one of his enslaved workers. Phocion turned out to be former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.
• On Oct. 20, 1984, Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the largest in the world, opened in California. Amongst its many firsts, the aquarium holds the distinction of being the only one in the world able to keep a great white shark captive for more than 16 days.

© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.