Senator Huey Long was shot and killed at the Louisiana State
Capitol in 1935 by Carl Weiss. Long’s bodyguards, nicknamed
the "Cossacks" or "skullcrushers", responded by firing at
Weiss with their own pistols, killing him; an autopsy found
that Weiss had been shot more than 60 times. 

Long, who was a prominent and controversial political figure,
was in the process of preparing a presidential bid when he
was assassinated.

Long  gave himself the nickname “Kingfish,” saying “I’m a
small fish here in Washington. But I’m the Kingfish to the
folks down in Louisiana.”

Carl Austin Weiss Sr.
(December 6, 1906 – September 8, 1935)

For the first time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives
exercised its constitutional power of impeachment and votes
to charge Senator William Blount of Tennessee with “a high misdemeanor, entirely inconsistent with his public duty and
trust as a Senator.”

The constitutional conundrum of conducting a trial of an
impeached senator has not yet been resolved.

      
TIM MAGUIRE

Les Paul records with wife Mary Ford in his home studio
in the 1950s.

Les Paul  (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009)

Les Paul, was a jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter,
and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body
electric guitar, and his prototype, called the Log, served as
inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul.

Paul is credited with many recording innovations. His early
experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on
sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing, and
multitrack recording.

Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the
world’s environmental problems, was celebrated in the
United States for the first time on April 22, 1970.

Millions of Americans, including students from thousands
of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches
and educational programs across the country.
 

Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916 – July 3, 2005)

Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of
Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide
unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase
ecological awareness.