#OnThisDay in 1922 the members of the #AlgonquinRoundTable performed their one-night-only revue “No Sirree,” a humorous collection of sketches and musical numbers. Mostly forgotten now the group was famous for their funny quips and witty barbs, sort of like if Twitter met for lunch to get drunk at the @algonquinnyc daily. (Harpo was not technically in the show but it felt amiss not to include him
#CoveringHistory
(Apologies to @thekevinmaguire )
On August 4, 1914 #Germany invaded #Belgium and declared war on #France in the first big military action in #TheGreatWar (later rebranded as “The War to End All Wars” and the much more accurate World War 1.
#CoveringHistory
On April 26, 1865, federal troops managed to track down fugitive presidential assassin #JohnWilkesBooth. After shooting #AbrahamLincoln, booth attempted to flee south, but infamy and a broken leg saw to it that he didn’t get far.
He was hiding in a barn when surrounded by troops who put it the torch. Before he could emerge he was shot in the neck by an insane soldier named #BostonCorbett. Shortly in between being dragged from the burning building and his death a few minutes later he is supposed to have uttered his last words: “Useless. Useless.”
#CoveringHistory
#OnThisDay in 1960 young @paulmccartney and #JohnLennon performed as the #NerkTwins at the @foxandhounds in Caversham. The pub was owned by Paul’s cousin and in addition to acoustic music the lads helped out behind the bar.
I’m sure you’ve spotted my error: there was no microphone.
#CoveringHistory #Beatles
Saturday, April 25 at @dynastytypewriter , HOLDO’S MOST WANTED, our live reading of Star Wars: Episode 8: The Last Jedi.
In-Person tickets are sold out but please grab livestream tickets! This one is gonna be wild.
Cast announcement coming soon!
🎨: @arobtwist
#OnThisDay in 1963 #MartinLutherKing was locked up in #Birmingham, Alabama for his part in America’s #CivilRights protests. A group of (white) religious leaders wrote an editorial called “A Call for Unity” insisting that change would only come via the courts rather than upsetting people with marches and protests. King responded with “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, a landmark in political literature explaining how it was naive to expect justice under unjust laws “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
#CoveringHistory
(Swiped from Al Milgrom)
#OnThisDay in 1865 famous actor and southern sympathizer #JohnWilkesBooth abandoned his plan to kidnap #AbrahamLincoln in favor of straight up murder. While the president and his party took in a show at #FordsTheater Booth crept in and shot him, jumping off the balcony and breaking his leg during his escape. Was he captured? Did he manage to make his way down south, presumably hailed as hero? Stay tuned
#CoveringHistory
#OnThisDay in 1945, #FranklinDelanoRoosevelt passed away suddenly while having his portrait painted by #ElizabethShoumatoff in Warm Springs, GA. He would be our longest serving president for now.
Layout swiped from #XMen 42
#CoveringHistory
#OnThisDay in 1968, #DennisWilson of the famous #BeachBoys picked up two young female hitchhikers in California. They turned out to be two members of an oddball hippie community known as the #MansonFamily. At first Wilson was into it but eventually he had to flee his own home to get away from the freeloading flower children, and their leader #CharlesManson, who was determined to have the Beach Boys record one of his songs (which they did!)
