Today in History: Loss of Revolutionary Men

The first two paragraphs of this post are short biographies of Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley. 

The Bambino poses for a
photography with a bat

Ruth hit more home runs
than whole teams

Though today marks the fifty-fifth birthday of pop icon, Madonna, today was a sad day for two men that have revolutionized their respective fields. Baseball saw the lost of Hall of Fame legend Babe Ruth on this day in 1948. Ruth revolutionized baseball, aiding it to become "America's sport" after the unforgivable Black Sox Scandal of 1919. "The Sultan of Swat" or the "Bambino" hit more home runs than teams would hit in one season. With amazing baseball abilities, fans began swarming the baseball diamond to see this amazing baseball "god." Today, baseball draws over 70 million fans to the ballpark every year, excluding any who visit in standing view territory (in certain ball parks).

Ruth enjoyed to smoke and drink,
even at his older age

Though Ruth aided the return to popularity for baseball, he did not live a very healthy lifestyle. In 1946, doctors warned Ruth, who was a heavy drinker and smoker, to take better care of his health by limiting his drinking and smoking and also warning against a trip to the South Pacific. After two years of suffering through malignant tumors and reported throat cancer, the Great Bambino dies in his sleep at the age of 53 on August 16th, 1948. Ruth's legendary career can be seen when visiting the New York Yankees Stadium, where his number is retired. Ruth is not only honored by being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but also honored by having his own room in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

Presley's famous
publicity photo
for Jailhouse Rock

Today was also a sad lost in 1977, when "the King" or "the King of Rock n' Roll" dies of a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 42. Shortly after the death of "the King," thousands of mourning fans visited his mansion, Graceland, in Tennessee. Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8th, 1935. Shortly after birth, Presley's twin brother, Jesse, died. Presley, who lived a dirt-poor family, moved to Memphis in 1948 when he was thirteen years old. One day at age 19, he decided to visit a Memphis recording studio where he paid $4 to record a few songs for this mother. Impressed with Presley's soulful, rough voice, the studio owner, Sam Philips, invited Presley to practice with local musicians. After Presley had recorded "That's All Right (1954)," he grants Philips the permission to release the single under Sun Records label. The single topped local charts, which started Elvis Presley's legendary career. From 1956 to 1958, Elvis dominated the music charts with singles such as Love Me Tender (1956), Jailhouse Rock (1957), Loving You (1957), and King Creole (1958). Elvis' dominating music ushered in the age of rock n' roll. Elvis' music career took a turn when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1958, serving 18 months in West Germany. Presley's manager stockpiled on Elvis songs before his departure, with all five released singles becoming million sellers.

Presley still connected with his
passion for music while
serving in West Germany

Elvis was not only known
for music, but also
his famous dances

However, by the turn of the decade, the rock n' roll that Presley had known and have produced had undergone dramatic changes. With the change, "the King" was not seen as relevant in the eyes of American youth. He gained back some fans in a 1968 television appearance, allowing for the King's final Top 10 song, "Burning Love," in 1972. Presley's decline began in mid 1970s, starting with his divorce with wife Priscilla Beaulieu. After the divorce, Presley became addicted to prescription drugs and junk food, causing considerable weight gain. On the afternoon of August 16th, 1977, he was found unconscious in Graceland and immediately transferred to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Graceland is the final resting place of Elvis Presley, where millions of fans are attracted to view this tourist attraction of "the King of Rock n' Roll."

Today in history was rather quiet in event, though there were many small events. Perhaps one of the largest events on this day was the discovery of gold in the Yukon territory in Canada in 1896. While salmon fishing near the Klondike River, George Carmack spots gold nuggets in the creek. Years after the end of the California Gold Rush, Carmack seems to have found the final traces of valuable gold in western-North America. With the "Klondike Fever," Carmack became rich off his discovery, retrieving over $1 million worth of gold. Around 200 small gold mines are still in operation in the region today.

A news artcle from the late 1800s
reporting about the gold find
near the Klondike River

Small events are also scattered through the Vietnam War. Firstly, on this day in 1964, General Nguyen Khanh is elected as president of South Vietnam by the Military Council. Khanh ousted Duong Van Minh, who was president of the Republic in 1963. Today also marked heavy air attacks in North Vietnam by U.S. fighter bombers in 1972. With 370 air strikes, this was the highest daily total of the year.