At midday, a 40-foot wave of fiery hot molasses flooded the
streets of Boston on January 15, 1919, killing 21 people and
injuring scores of others.
A 58-foot high tank filled with 2.5 million gallons of crude
molasses burst under pressure due unseasonably hot
weather at the U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company plant in
the north end of the city.
The flood crushed buildings, moved a firehouse, and
knocked an elevated train off its tracks.
Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at a Detroit
ice rink following a practice session two days before the
Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back
of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment. When the full story emerged a week later,
the nation became caught up in a real-life soap opera.
One of Kerrigan’s chief rivals for a place on the U.S. Figure
Skating Team was Tonya Harding. In mid-December 1993,
Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn
Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the
competition. Eckardt set up a meeting with Derrick Smith
and Shane Stant, who agreed to injure Kerrigan for a fee.
Tonya Harding (left) says she was scared for her own
safety after the infamous 1994 baton attack on her fellow
fellow Olympic figure skater and longtime competitor
Nancy Kerrigan (right).
Tonya Maxene Price (54) was born
in Portland, Oregon.
On January 5, 1920, the New York Yankees major league baseball
club announced its purchase of the heavy-hitting outfielder
George Herman “Babe” Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for the
sum of $125,000.
Ruth had played six seasons with the Red Sox, leading them to
three World Series victories. On the mound, Ruth pitched a total
of 29 2/3 scoreless World Series innings, setting a new league
record that would stand for 43 years.
George Herman "Babe" Ruth
(February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948)
CAMILLE
BOHANNON
Hiram King "Hank" Williams
(September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953)
Williams was a singer-songwriter, regarded as one of the
most significant and influential American singers and
songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55
singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country
& Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released
posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.
The ball was dropped for the first time in Times Square
on New Years Eve at midnight on January 1, 1907.
A New Year’s Eve ball has dropped in Times Square for
over 100 years, starting in 1907, with the exception of
1942 and 1943 when nightly “dimouts” occurred during
World War II to protect the city from attacks.
The crowd waiting for the New Year’s tradition to begin.
Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball displayed at One Times Square, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York.
