Big Wind Day

April 12th is Big Wind Day and Russian Cosmonaut Day

1633- Galileo was convicted of heresy by Pope Urban VIII via his chief inquisitor, Father Vincenzo Maculano da Firenzuola. All because he believed the Earth revolved around the sun, what a silly, who would believe such a thing??

1861 – General PGT Beauregard opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in SC beginning the Civil War. 

1900 – The Foraker Act passed through US Congress proclaiming Puerto Rico a US territory.

1914 – The Mark Strand Theater opened in NYC. The first motion picture palace seating 3000 and featuring balcony seating, orchestra and a two-story rotunda for pre-movie and intermission socializing.

1934 – Mount Washington Observatory recorded highest earth surface wind ever measured. 231 miles per hour. There have been higher winds recorded, including 316 mph wind speed in Moore, OK, on May 3, 1999. It was logged during an F5 tornado. But the measurement was not recorded at "ground level" (The instrument was 30 feet up.)

1945 – After a long overseas trip including The Yalta Conference, Meetings aboard USS Quincy near the Suez Canal (with King Farouk I, Emperor Haile Selasse, King Abdulaziz & Prime Minister Winston Churghill), President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed Congress about his findings. He took a short break at Warm Springs, GA before his anticipated appearance to the founding conference of the United Nations, FDR died of a massive stroke. He had been President for more than 12 years.

1954 – Rock Around the Clock was recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets. It was recorded in two takes and spliced together to get the right sound, a tremendous effort for 'the day'. And was the B-side to Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town). The record did poorly until Peter Ford, son of actor Glenn Ford, donated several records for his dad to take to work for his 'bosses' to choose one to use in the opening credits of a new movie...Blackboard Jungle. 

1961 – Yuri Gagarian became first man in space aboard Vostok 1. He spent 108 minutes (1 hour 48 minutes) up there.

^{1981- NASA launched Space Shuttle Columbia. This was the first reusable manned spacecraft to travel into space.}

^{1777- Henry Clay, Stateman from Kentucky; Secretary of State, 1825-1829}

^{1888- Cecil Kimber, MG Car Company founder}

^{1916- Beverly Cleary, Author. Leave it to Beaver TV tie in books, Ramona series, etc.}

^{1919- Ann Miller, Dancer/Actress. Anne of Green Gables, Kiss Me, Kate, Easter Parade.}

^{1926- Jane Withers, Actress. Bright Eyes (with Shirley Temple), Giant, Josephine the Plumber}

^{1930- Tiny Tim, Musician. Tip Toe Through the Tulips.}

^{1947- Tom Clancy, Author. The Hunt for Red October, Executive Orders, The Teeth of the Tiger.}

^{1949- Scott F. Turow, Author. Presumed Innocent, Burden of Proof.}

^{1950- David Cassidy, Actor/Singer (AAAAAHHHHHHHH). I Think I Love You, The Partridge Family, Ruby and the Rockets.}

^{1956- Andy Garcia, Actor. The Untouchables, Ocean's Eleven series.}

^{1971- Shannon Doherty, Actress. Little House on the Prairie, Beverly Hills,90210, Charmed.} 

^{1979- Claire Danes, Actress. Little Women (1994), My So-Called Life, Stardust.}