This Week in History: June 9-13, 2008

Well bloggers we have survived a long week of rain, tornadoes, and otherwise grim weather and can all breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, just to keep our minds at rest TWIH will make no mention of mother earth or her foul temper. Perhaps this will appease her? Instead we will focus on Judy Garland, Anne Frank, and Tom Cheek. Curious what little tidbits I might have about these fascinating people, and how they tie to UNP? Well join me and find out!

June 10, 68:  Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide by beseeching his secretary to slit his throat in an attempt to avoid death by flogging.

Nero isn’t the first prominent figure to have an even more public suicide. In 1954 CBS’s Don Hollenbeck ended his own life after a very public altercation with Senator Joe McCarthy. Read more about this confrontation, and his otherwise extraordinary life in Radio’s Revolution: Don Hollenbeck’s CBS Views the Press, by Loren Ghiglione.

June 10, 1922: The beloved American actress Judy Garland was born today.

Ms. Garland is best known for her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.  If you’re a fan of L. Frank Baum then you’re sure to love a newly printed book of his children’s stories, The Twinkle Tales.

June 11, 1805: The Great Fire of 1805. The same year that Detroit was named the capitol of Michigan Territory, the city was burned to the ground.

Wildfires are unfortunately nothing new to modern day America. To find out more about how we can learn to prevent these natural disasters by changing our own perspectives, please read Wildfire and Americans, by Roger G. Kennedy.

June 12, 1942: A young girl named Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday.

The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most widely read books in the world. She gave us a front row seat to possibly the largest genocide in human history. For more unique perspective on this time period, check out The Great Plains during World War II, by R. Douglas Hurt.

June 13, 1939: Major League Baseball announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays, Tom Cheek was born today.

Before the arrival of television (and all its wonders…) baseball could be enjoyed through sound only, as families crowded around radios to listen to their favorite games. To see how the advent of technology affected this beloved American pastime, take a look at Center Field Shot, by James R. Walker and Robert V. Bellamy Jr.

Ok, bloggers that’s it for this week. See you again next week for a little Tuesday Trivia!