On January 4th, 1903 Thomas Edison electrocuted an elephant. Apparantly, Edison electrocuted many animals including stray dogs, cats, cattle and horses.
I guess a cranky elephant that had squashed three of her caregivers at a zoo on Coney Island was given to Edison (rather than being hung....imagine hanging an elephant) so that he could electrocute it.
The elephant, "Topsy", died immediately in front of 1500 spectators.
More Information can be found here: Elephant Electrocution
8 comments:
To bad Tom Edison wasnt a chef. 1500 people could have dined on elephant meat (is that good?)
Park officials originally considered hanging Topsy but the SPCA objected on humanitarian grounds, so someone suggesting having the pachyderm "ride the lightning,"
I wonder if "riding the lightning" would be considered a more humane death by the SPCA today? Poor Topsy!
wasn't "riding the lightning" banned as cruel and unusual punishment and replaced with "getting the needle" which now also is considered cruel and unusual? Maybe they should've just waited until the elephant died of natural causes.
KT, I'm a little perturbed by your last two posts - cannibalism AND elephant electrocution...is that what was on the Dream Dinners menu this month? :)
poor topsy! didn't anything else noteworthy happen on january 4?? topsy can't top the list!
:)
Jenn Ann,
Cannibalism AND elephant electrocution.
3 words for 2007
To :)
That wasn't all that happened. Here are other notables:
1974 U.S A. Watergate
4th January, 1974 : Richard Nixon received a subpoena which required him to show tapes which would lead to evidence regarding 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Headquarters located in the Watergate complex.
As a result, Sam J. Irving, Jr. D.N.C. planned to take Richard Nixon to court. Over 500 tapes as well as several hundred written documents were sought as evidence regarding this case. 1974
1936 U.S.A. Billboard Magazine
4th January, 1936 : Billboard Magazine publishes the first pop music chart that is based on national record sales. Today, Billboard is still the leading publication for various charts throughout many different musical genres. 1936
1948 Burma Independence
4th January, 1948 : Burma became an independent nation no longer under control of the British. Independence to Burma was originally granted by Japan in 1943 after Japan had temporary control over it.
However, this land area was primarily turned into a Japanese military base at this time. Since then, this country has undergone quite a few changes-one of which is a name change in 1989. As of this date Burma was referred to as the Union of Myanmar. 1948
1948 Middle East Wailing Wall
4th January, 1948 : The Arabs and Jews battled for control of the Wailing Wall. This is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in the entire city.
One news report indicates that Jews started this battle with the tossing of grenades. For two weeks prior to this date, Arab riflemen had seized this wall.
Incidentally, 1948 is the year that Israel became a nation, which is something that was predicted for a long time. The struggle for control of Israel continues to take place between opposing ethnic and religious groups. 1948
1948 Pakistan Train Crash
4th January, 1948 : A train collision had occurred in Sangi, Pakistan. The Zakara, a train which typically traveled between Multan and Karachi, took an overnight trip on January 4th was suddenly sent down an alternative track.
On this different track, a 67-car freight train was parked, unseen by the operators of the Zakara. The Zakara had crashed right into this parked freight. It was reported that an estimated 200 to 300 people were killed as a result. 1948
1955 U.S A. Hydrogen Bomb
4th January, 1955 : The U.S. had conducted hydrogen bomb experiments in the Pacific for about a year prior to this date. On this day (January 4th, 1955) the U.S. paid out $2,000,000 towards the loss of life and property which occurred on March 1, 1954.
In 1954, one fisherman had been killed and several other individuals were sickened. Furthermore, the fish located among local Japanese fishing operations were contaminated. 1955
1955 U.S A. Packard Cars
4th January, 1955 : New versions of Packard Company automobiles were being manufactured as of this date. The Packard Caribbean was one of the most noted automobiles produced by this company on this day.
It was this company’s first V-8 engine vehicle, and it competed against cars such as the new Corvettes and Thunderbirds being made at this time. 1955
1955 U.S A. Jackie Gleason
4th January, 1955 : Television celebrity Jackie Gleason signed a $5,000,000 contract with the CBS television station. He starred in television comedies such as the one entitled by his name (The Jackie Gleason Show), as well as The Honeymooners. He also played in a movie called Smokey and the Bandit II and hosted the variety show Cavalcade of Stars. 1955
1958 England Sir Edmund Hillary
4th January, 1958 : Sir Edmund Hillary, first man to conquer Mt. Everest, reached the South Pole, at the bottom of the world Friday. 1958
1964 U.S A. THE BOSTON STRANGLER
4th January, 1964 : The last victim of THE BOSTON STRANGLER Mary Sullivan is raped and strangled to death in her Boston apartment. The Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo terrorized the city between 1962 and 1964, raping and killing 13 women. 1964
1965 England T.S. Eliot
4th January, 1965 : T.S. Eliot Died in London on this day. He was a famous poet during the early to mid-20th Century. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1948. 1965
1966 U.S A. Ronald Reagan
4th January, 1966 : Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for the position of Republican Governor of California. Before he decided to run for political office, he was an actor who starred in Death Valley Days. He later became U.S. President. 1966
1967 England Dulwich
4th January, 1967: Eight art masterpieces that were stolen from the Dulwich College Gallery in London on New Year's Eve have been recovered after five were found today wrapped in newspaper in a park. The paintings, worth $8.2 million, were all intact 1967
1967 England Donald Campbell
4th January, 1967 : Donald Campbell is killed on Coniston Water in the Lake District while attempting to break his his own water speed record in his jet-powered boat, the Bluebird K7 1967
1976 UK Paintings Stolen
4th January, 1976 : Eight paintings that were stolen on New Year’s Even had been recovered on this day. These paintings were taken from the Dulwich College Gallery in London, and were found wrapped in newspaper in a park. These paintings totaled a value of $8.2 million dollars as of this time. 1976
1985 United Kingdom Surrogate Mother
4th January, 1985 : Scotland Yard are investigating reports that a surrogate mother in London is to receive £6,500 for her baby from a childless couple. Surrogacy is legal in the UK, but surrogate mothers cannot be paid. 1885
1990 Pakistan Train Collision
4th January, 1990 : Two trains collide in Sangi, Pakistan, killing between 200 and 300 people and injuring an estimated 700 others and was the worst rail accident in Pakistan. 1990
1990 U.S A. Lincoln Town Car
4th January, 1990 : It has been 38 years since the last time a luxury car won a “Car of the Year” award. This year the Lincoln Town car had made history on this very day when it received this very award by Motor Trend Magazine. 1990
2007 U.S A. Car Sales Figures
4th January, 2007 : 2007 has been a bad year for car sales due to the housing market problems and the over all credit squeeze. But to make matters worse Toyota continues to gain ground with new car sales overtaking Ford in the US and GM car sales declining decreasing the gap between Toyota and GM for the number 1 US car sales slot. Predictions for 2008 are gloomy as many forecast even more problems in the housing market and predictions of the lowest new car sales in the US in ten years back to the levels of 1998. 2007
Kim,
That is quite a list!
I didn't realize the 4th was such an important date in history.
;-)
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