Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

October 2

1967
First black U.S. Supreme Court Justice: Thurgood Marshall is sworn in.

1961
Ben Casey debuts on ABC.

1959
The Twilight Zone debuts on CBS, starring Rod Serling as its narrator and host.

1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents debuts on CBS.

1950
Peanuts: Charles Schulz' comic strip featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and pals debuts.

1942
The Queen Mary rams and sinks a British cruiser, killing 338 aboard the cruiser.

1889
First Pan-American Conference, in Washington D.C.

1971
Tiffany (Tiffany Darwish), American singer. Music: I Think We're Alone Now (1987, #1).

1951
Sting (Gordon Sumner), British singer, with The Police, actor. Music: Roxanne (1978), Message In A Bottle (1979, #1), Every Breath You Take (1983, #1).

1945
Don McLean, American singer. Music: American Pie (1971).

1938
Rex Reed, American movie critic.

1929
Moses Gunn, American actor. TV: Father Murphy (Moses Gage) and Roots (Kintango).

1928     d. 1993
Spanky McFarland (George McFarland), American actor. Film: The Little Rascals (Spanky). He appeared in 95 Our Gang films.

1897     d. 1974
Bud Abbott (William Alexander Abbott), American comedian, Costello's partner.

1890     d. 1977
Groucho Marx (Julius Marx), American comedian, cigar-smoking Marx Brother and host of TV's You Bet Your Life.

1871     d. 1955
Cordell Hull, American statesman, Nobel Peace Prize winner (1945). He served in both houses of Congress and as secretary of state (1933-44). He is noted for his contributions to the establishment of the United Nations.

1869     d. 1948
Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand), Indian political, spiritual, and civil rights leader. He gained world honor for his advocacy of nonviolence.

1452     d. 1485
Richard III, King of England (1483-85). He was killed in battle with Henry Tudor after being deserted by his key nobleman.

1998     b. 1907
Gene Autry, American actor, the singing cowboy. He wrote and recorded more than 200 songs.

1987     b. 1915
Sir Peter Brian Medawar, British Nobel-winning medical scientist. He was co-winner of a 1960 Nobel Prize for his work on skin grafting.

1985     b. 1925
Rock Hudson (Roy Scherer Jr.), American actor. TV: McMillan and Wife (McMillan). He was the first major public figure to announce he had AIDS.

1973     b. 1904
Paul Hartman, American actor. TV: The Andy Griffith Show (Emmett the fix-it man).

1940     b. 1849
Freelan O. Stanley, American automaker. He and his twin brother formed the Stanley Steamer Co. (1897-1924), which produced steam-powered automobiles.

1931     b. 1850
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, British tea maker, yachtsman, he began empire in 1871 with a single provision shop in Glasgow.

1928     b. 1855
Clarence Walker Barron, American financial editor, Barron's Financial Weekly (1921-28).

1872     b. 1800
Francis Lieber, German-born American historian, political economist, creator and first editor of the Encyclopedia Americana (1829-33).

1803     b. 1722
Samuel Adams, American patriot, one of the leaders of the Boston Tea Party (1773), signer of the Declaration of Independence, and governor of Massachusetts (1794-97).

1780     b. 1751
John André, British officer. After exposing Benedict Arnold's plot to betray West Point (1780), he was hanged by the Continental Army.

1264     b. ????
Urban IV, French-born religious leader, 182nd Pope (1261-64).

Please send Corrections and Omissions to epicidiot.com