Oct. 9: Washington Monument Opens; ‘Black Sox’ Scandal

1888 Washington Monument Opened to Public

The planning stage for a monument to honor America’s first president began in 1783.  The Washington National Monument Society did not select Robert Mills’ obelisk design until 1836, and construction was not complete until 1884.  Following an August 2011 earthquake outside of Washington D.C., the monument is currently closed while structural damage  is assessed.

 1919 ‘ Black Sox’ Scandal

The Cincinnati Reds win the baseball World Series, but it’s the losing team that dominated news headlines.  Players for the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally throwing the series.  Eight players from the “White Sox” were banned from baseball for life, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

 1958 Pope Pius XII Died

Pope Pius XII’s reign began in 1939.  He was succeeded by Pope John XXIII.

1990 David Souter Sworn Into Supreme Court

Appointed by President George H. W. Bush, David Souter is sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Upon retiring in 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to fill his seat.

2006 North Korea Nuke Test

 

Isolated nation North Korea claims it conducted an underground nuclear weapon test.

2009 President Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

In his first year as president of the United States, Barack Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

 

Famous Birthdays

1873 Charles Walgreen

1935 Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

1940 John Lennon

1964 Guillermo del Toro

1966 David Cameron

1969 P.J. Harvey

1975 Sean Lennon

1993 Scotty McCreery

 

View more videos from This Month in History: October.