1965 – Blackheath, England: Richard couldn’t read until he was 8. He found school boring. A high school teacher once wrote on his report card, “Richard tries very hard but has great difficulty in understanding the simplest mathematical process or in retaining any new...
Early April 1947 – Lima, Peru: The Peruvian Navy admiral observed the crude raft being assembled. He turned to Thor Hyerdahl and said, “Mr. Hyerdahl, your father and mother will be grieved when they hear of your death.” Hyerdahl was reminded of the phone call a few...
May 7, 1988 – Kentucky Derby – Louisville, Kentucky: The ladies came early. They came in record numbers with their painted signs and their flamboyant, frilly hats. Believing the bigger the hat, the better the luck, they filed into Churchill Downs, the most famous...
May 13, 1862 – Charleston, South Carolina: Robert had planned his escape for weeks. On this foggy night,Charles Relyea, captain of the C.S.S. Planter, and his two white crewmembers left the ship after dark to spend the night ashore with their families. Smalls had...
5 p.m., July 6, 2004 – Welcome, Maryland: Garth and JoAnne Boyle got the phone call that all parents hope they never get. Their only child, 18-year-old Brian, had been in a serious car accident while driving home from swim practice. A dump truck smashed into the...
September 1935 – Seattle, Washington: University of Washington crew coach Al Ulbrickson told the Seattle Times that his Huskies would win the gold medal in the 8-man crew in the 1936 Olympics or he would quit his job. It was an extraordinary boast from a coach who had...
