Moments in Time: Mythical Bigfoot
The History Channel
On Oct. 20, 1967, the mythical Bigfoot was believed to have been filmed in northern California, firing the imaginations of numerous enthusiasts. However, when a prominent researcher sent the FBI a supposed hair sample, agents concluded that it was, sadly, of "deer family origin."
On Oct. 21, 1797, the USS Constitution launched in Boston Harbor. A 44-gun U.S. Navy frigate, it was constructed to fight Barbary pirates off the coast of Tripoli, and performed admirably during those conflicts. In 1805, a peace treaty with Tripoli was signed on the Constitution's deck.
On Oct. 22, 1895, a train with a faulty brake tore through the Gare Montparnasse in Paris and out the front before landing nose down in the street. Onlookers purchased train tickets just to see the damage.
On Oct. 23, 1958, Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for "Doctor Zhivago," a romance set during the Russian Revolution and World War I. The book was banned in the Soviet Union, and the Soviet government forced Pasternak to renounce the honor, but his admirers smuggled the manuscript out of Russia in pieces and the CIA helped with distribution behind the scenes. Appearing in numerous translations around the world, it was hailed as a classic, but Pasternak was banished from the Soviet Writers Union, ending his literary career.
On Oct. 24, 1921, in the French town of Chalons-sur-Marne, an American sergeant chose the body of the first "Unknown Soldier" to be honored among the approximately 77,000 American servicemen who died on the Western Front during World War I.
On Oct. 25, 1964, Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Jim Marshall ran 66 yards in the wrong direction into his own end zone after recovering a fumble against the 49ers in San Francisco. Despite the gaffe, the Vikings won.
On Oct. 26, 1984, 19-year-old John McCollum was found shot to death on his bed in Indio, California. The boy's parents believed that singer Ozzy Osbourne was responsible, because John was listening to Osbourne's album "Blizzard of Oz," which contained the song "Suicide Solution," when he died, but the suit was dismissed in 1988.
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