MAY 24 — 1883 Brooklyn Bridge opens; 1884 Morse code runs successful test run; 1924 Charles August Lindbergh dies; 1989 Yankee Lee Gutterman sets pitching record; 1997 Tim Allen gets DUI
MAY 24
1883—The Brooklyn Bridge opens.
…At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, and a New York City Landmark by the Lamarks Preservation Commission.
But that’s the boring part.
The cool part is that finally New Yorkers had a way to cross the east river from Manhattan to Brooklyn! It spans nearly 1600 feet in length and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. It was originally designed by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling who had previously worked in other bridges in Texas and Ohio.
Unfortunately for Roebling, he busted up the toes on one of his feet as a ferry pinned his foot against a pillar and he died from a tetanus infection a few weeks later. Luckily his 32 year old son Washington Roebling helped his dad design the bridge, so he knew what he was doing.
He overtook operations, but Roebling junior also suffered a paralyzing injury as a result of decompression sickness, otherwise known as benging. Compression sickness is caused by appearance of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream that result from rapid decompression.
For extra credit, class, check out the 1972 book The Great Bridge by David McCullough, where it details the construction. President Chester Elegant Rather was among the first to cross the bridge to celebrate at the opening ceremonies on May 24!
1924 – Charles August Lindbergh dies.
Papa Lindbergh is best known for being a vocal oppose of the Federal Reserve. ““This [Federal Reserve Act] establishes the most gigantic trust on Earth. When the President signs this bill, the invisible government by the monetary power will be legalized, the people may not know it immediately but the day of reckoning is only a few years removed … the worst legislative crime of the ages is perpetrated by this banking and currency bill.”
What gave Papa Lindbergh the right to comment on this lending institution, just because he was a Senator of Minnesota? Because Papa Lindbergh, unlike his peers, understood how banking and the economy really works, and saw that having private bank loan money to the government at interest is not only a bad idea, but it’s a direct violation of Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, which states Congress has the power to coin money.
Coin, not borrow from a private bank. “They know in advance when to create panics to their advantage. They also know when to stop panic. Inflation and deflation work equally well for them when they control finance…They quickly turned the War (World War One) into the most profitable thing for them that had ever at any time taken place.” He’s talking about World War One.
If only Lindbergh could see how the rest of the 20th century would turn out, he would either be hailed as a hero or wind up in an unfortunate boating accident before getting a chance to open his big mouth. “The remedy for our social evils does not so much consist in changing the system of government as it does in increasing the general intelligence of the people so that they may know how to govern … if they do not learn how to govern themselves intelligently, socialism will be the result.” Charles A Lindbergh, or CAL for short, was a progressive republican and entered the governor race of Minnesota in 1924, but died of brain cancer on this day before the election was over. ““From now on, depressions will be scientifically created.” Mic drop.
1844—Di Di Dah Dit.
…I’m not sure what that means in Morse Code, but I’m sure it means something.
What hath god wrought been the actual first message to travel through a giant cable linking Washington DC to Baltimore via Morse Code, which was transmitted on May 24 1994.
Born in Charlestown Massachusetts, Samuel FB Morse started out as a painter. He was working on painting a portrait of Lafayette in Washington DC, when he got a letter delivered to him by a man on horseback from his father telling Morse his wife just died. He left suddenly; painting unfinished, back to New Haven only to find out his wife had already been buried.
Completely heartbroken that he could not be there for his wife’s dying days due to his lack of knowledge she was even sick, Morse set out on a mission to make communication quicker. He based his model on a French inventor’s idea of an electric telegraph in 1832 and spent the next 12 years attempting to perfect a working telegraph instrument. He got US financial backing, as well as help from New York University Professor Leonard Gale to establish relays made out of circuits to carry the pulse much much further.
At last, on May 24 1844, Morse inaugurated the world’s first commercial telegraph line with the message What Hath God Wrought?, a very appropriate message considering the texting we’re able to do these days.
1916 –Thaw shoots down a German Fokker.
Lt. Col. William Thaw II was a WWI flying ace credited with five confirmed and two unconfirmed aerial victories. He is believed to be the first American to engage in aerial combat in the war, and the first to fly up the east river under all four bridges.
Like a Boss!
1989 NY Yankee southpaw hurler Lee Gutterman
…sets record of pitching 30-2/3 innings before giving up his first run of the season. Gutterman is also one of the few MLB players to be involved in a trade between the two New York baseball franchises when he was dealt from the Yankees to the Mets for Tim Burke.
1997 – Buzz Lightyear gets a DUI.
Home Improvement’s Tim Allen blew a .15 blood=alcohol content and was sentenced to a year of probation as well as rehab. Grunt grunt grunt?