NOVEMBER 1 — ELECTIONS: 1820 Monroe wins unopposed; 1834 America introduces Poker; 1968 Phoenix program begins; 2016 Addison Russell becomes first in World Series to hit 6 RBIs
NOVEMBER 1
1820 – Voting begins for the presidential election of 1820.
In this corner, from the Democratic-Republicans, the incumbent president going for his second term, James Monroe. In the other corner, nobody!
This would be the third and last time a president went virtually unopposed. George Washington was elected twice without any serious opposition. But this was a new time in America. Since the Treat of Ghent was signed, ending the War of 1812 with Great Britain, an Era of Good Feelings was coming around. Also, a new generation of Americans was leading this great young group of United States. Since for the first time there was no need to be seriously threatened by either France or England, there was no need for the English-sympathetic Federalist Party, which had dissolved since the last election when James Monroe handily defeated William Crawford of Georgia.
Therefore, the attention of America began turning towards the issue of slavery, the Indians, and westward expansion in general. Out of all three domestic issues, at that time slavery was the biggest. And why not. When New York congressman James Tallmadge proposed an amendment in the Constitution specifying the new state of Missouri having to be a free state, the Democratic=Republican party who owned the south and the last few presidential elections, would vote it down. The Missouri Compromise would be the first in many tests that would split up the United States. In 1808, importation of slaves to American had become a crime, but that didn’t compare to other parts of the world at that time. In 1811, slavery was completely abolished in some form or another in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Chile.
In 1815, the Congress of Vienna declared opposition to slavery in in Austria, Prussia, Sweden, Norway, France, and others. And the American southerners, who relied on slaves to support the agricultural aspect, wouldn’t hear any of it. For the time being, the South was perfectly happy with Monroe, a slave-owner himself, to lead the nation once again.
1800 – President John Adams moves into the White House.
Otherwise known as the president’s house, this is not to be confused with the Presidents house where George Washington lived in Philadelphia. Designed by Architect James Hoban, this newly almost finished but not quite constructed house was still being worked on when Adams moved in.
The walls were still being plastered and painted, but at least there was a nice self portrait of George Washington hanging on the wall. When first lady Abigail arrived, she wasn’t exactly electrified by the place, shall we say. It was cold and dreary, but as long as there was a fire burning in every single room during the winter, she stated, it wasn’t so bad. Abbey also took issue with the fact that so much slave labor was involved in building the white house.
1834 – First documented poker game is played.
Another great American invention. It spread across American by a Mississippi riverboat, starting in New Orleans. It was played by four people, and the bet would be on whoever had the most valuable hand. It evolved in the 1840s to a 52 card deck, and then the flush was introduced.
During the civil war, it was a favorite; Games like 5 card Stud poker were the most popular. This is also when the straight became part of the game. The wild card came around 1875, and split poker and community card poker were introduced in 1900. Today it’s an absolute phenomenon. If you don’t believe me just check out the world series of poker. Awesome.
1968 – The Phoenix program begins. Otherwise known as the Phuong Hoang program, this was one of the most controversial in the US. It was designed to bolster security and development efforts. Used with the Le Loi program, which was intended to repair damages done by the Viet Cong in previous campaigns, the Phoenix was used by the CIA to deal with the National Liberation Front of North Vietnam, using infiltration, capturing, terrorism, torture, and assassination, according to several sources on Wiki. The program resulted in 34,000 Cong being captures, 26,000 killed, and 22,000 communists to change allegiances to the South.
1901 – Sigma Phi Epsilon opens at Richmond College in VA. It would become the largest national male collegiate fraternity in America. Notable members include Dr. Seuss, comedian Jon Lutz, Country star travis Rush, numerous professional CEOs and athletic stars, including Ryan Matthews from the San Diego Charges, Raider QB Richard Gannon, Chicago Bull James Johnson, and dozens more.
1896 – Check out the November 1s issue of National Geographic. It’s the first to show bare-breasted women in Zulu. Wait till you see the centerfold! Hubba hubba! Creepy…
1894 — William Donaldson and James H. Hennegan published their first edition of Billboard
…as “A monthly resume of all that is new, bright and interesting on the boards.” The eight page magazine was “devoted to the interests of advertisers, poster printers, bill posters, advertising agents & secretaries of fairs.” It later began reporting on circuses, carnivals, vaudeville and other forms of live entertainment before focusing on motion pictures and later still, the music industry. The cost of that initial publication was 10 cents or 90 cents a year. Now it’s like 6 bucks man.
2016 Addison Russell ties World Series record with 6 RBIs in one game.
Up until that night, the World Series hadn’t even seen a grand slam since White Sox’s Paul Konerko in 2005. The Cubs were down three games to two and on the brink of elimination. Game 6, Addy would bring in a two run double in the first inning and a grand slam in the third to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 9-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians; forcing a game 7, which the Cubs would win 8-7, winning their first World Series since 1917.