APRIL 2 — 1992 Gotti pronounced guilty; 1917 Wilson asks Congress for war; 1868 Hawaii earthquake kills 77; 1976 Reggie Jackson gets traded to Orioles
APRIL 2
1992- John Gotti is pronounced guilty…
…on 13 counts of murder , racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion, and loan sharking, He became the Teflon Don no more. John Crazy Horse Gotti was one of the most powerful crime bosses in his day, once he started leading the Gambino family. He and his brothers, who grew up poor in Queens, turned to crime very early In life. He quickly rose up the ranks, and after having Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano, Gotti became got to be in charge. He made hundreds of millions of dollars a year from construction, hijacking, loan sharking, gambling, extortion, etc. etc. etc. He became the Teflon Man in the 1980s after getting off scott free in three famous court trials, although not surprisingly the trials were tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct and witness intimidation.
But FBI assistant director for New York office James Fox wouldn’t give up compiling evidence. Finally in December 1990 Gotti was arrested at the Ravenite Social Club. Salvatore “Sammie the Bull” Gravano, one of Gotti’s main lieutenents, made a deal with the government to testify against his boss. Sammie admitted to the 19 murders he committed; 10 of them sanctioned by Gotti, and also had incriminating recorded audio phone conversations. Gotti was sent to life in prison and died of throat cancer at age 61.
1917-President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress for declaration of war against Germany.
Don’t forget that the Schoolmaster of Politics was elected to his second US Presidential term based on the neutrality position the US was taking during WWI. But there’s only so much even he could take. When the Gerrman submarines sunk American cargo ship Housatonic in early February, Wilson broke off diplomatic ties with Germany. Then, the Zimmerman Telegram which proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany to invade the US through Mexico was intercepted by the British, decoded and given to The Coiner of Weasel Words, he made sure that the State Department would authorize the story in the newspapers.
So the Germans weren’t too popular in America. Wilson said: We shall fight for the things we have always carried nearest to our hearts, for democracy, for the rights of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of rights by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at least free. On April 4, the Senate voted in favor or war 82 to 6, and then the House voted yes 373 to 50, and that’s how we got into WWI.
1868 Hawaii earthquake kills 77.
There are two current volcanos in the Big Island; Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Due to volcanic activity magma that was pushing up from below the earth’s crust forced the side of the big island of Hawaii to expand. This would cause the largest slump, called the Halina Slump to move, causing a huge tsunami. Drowning dozens of people in Hawaii and sinking houses and warehouses. Dozens more people as well as livestock and other animals perished after getting caught up in the ensuing mudslides. Many villages have never rebuilt to this day.
1875-Happy birthday to Walter Chrysler!
Founder of the Chrysler Corporation, for a long time up there with the rest of the big three automakers; Genberal Motors and Ford. Started out in the railroad business, started by managing a plant, then became the head of GM’s Buick Division. In 1929 Time Magazine named Chrysler Man Of the Year, for some reason they passed me over. Between 1925 and 1940 he built over 8 million cars and was called an Automotive Genius by Vincent Curcio. But by the 1970s they ran into financiual hardship and received a governemtn bailout in 1979 and then some German company bought it in 1998.
1976-The Oakland A’s trade Reggie Jackson to the Orioles after being swept in the ALCS by the Red Sox.
1969 – The Sultan of Swoon originally from Hoboken, NJ, blasts into the British charts with My Way for 122 weeks; the longest run up until that point.