On August 22…
“The Beatles exist apart from myself. I am not really Beatle George. Beatle George is like a suit or shirt that I once wore on occasion, and until the end of my life, people may see that shirt and mistake it for me.”
~George Harrison
1851 – The U.S. built schooner America defeated a fleet of 14 of Britain’s finest ships in a race around England’s Isle of Wight.
In the 53-mile race, the America trounced the competition, beating the cutter Aurora by 22 minutes and finishing nearly an hour ahead of the third boat, the schooner Bacchante.
The ornate silver trophy won by the America was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on condition that it forever be placed in international competition. Today, the “America’s Cup” is the world’s oldest continually contested sporting trophy and represents the pinnacle of international sailing yacht competition.
1862 – President Abraham Lincoln wrote a carefully worded letter in response to an abolitionist editorial by Horace Greeley, the editor of the influential New York Tribune, and hinted at a change in his policy concerning slavery.
From the outset of the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed the war’s goal to be the reunion of the nation. He said little about slavery for fear of alienating key constituencies such as the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and, to a lesser extent, Delaware.
Each of these states allowed slavery but had not seceded from the Union. Lincoln was also concerned about Northern Democrats, who generally opposed fighting the war to free the slaves but whose support Lincoln needed.
In his editorial, “The Prayer of Twenty Millions,” Greeley had criticized Lincoln for his soft treatment of slaveholders and for his unwillingness to enforce the Confiscation Acts, which called for the property, including slaves, of Confederates to be taken when their homes were captured by Union forces.
In a rare public response to criticism, Lincoln articulated his policy by stating, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.”
Although this sounded noncommittal, Lincoln closed by stating, “I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.”
By hinting that ending slavery might become a goal of the war, Lincoln was preparing the public for the change in policy that would come one month later with the Emancipation Proclamation.
1864 – The Geneva Convention of 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick of Armies in the Field was adopted by 12 nations meeting in Geneva.
The agreement, advocated by Swiss humanitarian Jean-Henri Dunant, called for nonpartisan care to the sick and wounded in times of war and provided for the neutrality of medical personnel.
It also proposed the use of an international emblem to mark medical personnel and supplies. In honor of Dunant’s nationality, a red cross on a white background – the Swiss flag in reverse – was chosen.
1953 – The penal colony on Devil’s Island in French Guiana was permanently closed.
Opened in 1852, it was notorious for being used for internal exile of French political prisoners, the most famous being Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most tense political dramas in modern European history.
Devil’s Island was also known for its harsh treatment of criminals, who were deported there from all parts of the French empire.
1969 – It was the end of an era. The Beatles – the tension and weariness evident on their faces – gathered at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park estate in Ascot, Berkshire, UK for their final photo session together.
1971 – Over 40 FBI agents stormed a raid on a Camden, New Jersey draft board. The raid’s goal, as executed by the Camden 28, a group of anti-Vietnam War activists (including four priests and a Protestant minister), was to collect, and either destroy or remove the records of all Class 1-A status draft registrants.
The FBI agents initially held back and watched as the activists broke into the draft board office and commenced destroying and bagging thousands of draft-related documents before storming the building.
By the time the Camden 28 were brought to trial in the spring of 1973, their case was viewed by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War. Each of the 28 faced seven felony charges stemming from the raid and more than 40 years in prison if convicted. The 28 chose to be tried together.
Immediately prior to the trial they were offered a plea bargain whereby they would each plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge and the rest of the charges would be dropped. The group rejected the offer and proceeded to trial.
Unfortunately for the prosecution, its star witness Bob Hardy – a group member who had contacted the FBI about the raid – was feeling that he had been betrayed by the government. Hardy maintained that from the start of his interaction with the FBI he sought and received assurances that none of his co-conspirators in the raid would see any jail time.
Now, as the trial loomed ahead, Hardy testified (in depth) the extent to which the FBI encouraged and enabled the raid on the draft board to take place. Through Hardy’s testimony, the raid came across as being funded and driven by the FBI, and the defense was able to argue effectively that through the FBI, the government “over-reached” in its zeal to arrest and prosecute this particular set of anti-war activists.
On May 20, 1973, the jury returned “not guilty” verdicts for all counts against all 28 defendants.
1977 – Actor Sebastian Cabot died at the age of 59, following a series of strokes.
Cabot was a voice performer in many animated films, in particular the voice of “The Narrator” in the Winnie-the-Pooh series. He also appeared in over 40 films, was a co-star on the Checkmate television series, but will forever be best known for his role as “Mr. French” on Family Affair.
1989 – Huey P. Newton, African-American political activist and revolutionary who, along with Bobby Seale, co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966, was fatally shot by drug dealer Tyrone Robinson in Oakland, CA. The murder occurred in a neighborhood where Newton once organized social programs that helped destitute African-Americans.
Robinson claimed that Newton pulled a gun when the two met at the street corner, but Oakland police officers found no evidence that Newton had been armed.
Newton’s last words, as he stood facing his killer, were, “You can kill my body, and you can take my life but you can never kill my soul. My soul will live forever!”
Robinson then shot Newton twice in the face.
2011 – Lyricist Jerry Leiber, who together with composer Mike Stoller wrote countless hits during the early days of rock and roll, died at the age of 78.
The duo wrote (and these are just a few examples) Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, Kansas City, Yakety Yak, There Goes My Baby, Love Potion #9, Charlie Brown, Ruby Baby, Along Came Jones, Loving You, Poison Ivy, and many, many more.
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2018 RayLemire.com / Streamingoldies.com. All Rights Reserved.