August 28, 1895: The Invention of Movies' "Special Effects"

August 28, 1895: The Execution of Mary Stuart premieres. This film is directed by Arthur Clark, is produced by Thomas Edison, and stars Robert L. Thomae (not “Thomas”), one of the top Shakespearean stage actors of the time, in drag, as Mary, Queen of Scots.

An edit halfway through shows Thomae replaced by a mannequin, whose head is chopped off by an axe. Thus, all at once, in a space of 15 seconds, is invented film editing, film special effects, the historical film, and the horror film.

The real Mary, cousin and rival of Queen Elizabeth I of England, was executed on February 8, 1587, at Fotheringay Castle outside Oundle, Northamptonshire, England. She was 44, had been married 3 times, the 1st time, to King Francis II of France, which is why she spoke French at court and signed her name as "Marie R" -- for "Marie Regina," or "Mary, the Queen."

And, while seeming to have lost the struggle against Elizabeth for the throne of England, ended up having the last laugh: Elizabeth had no children, and thus the Tudor line died out; but Mary's son became King James VI of Scotland, and, on Elizabeth's death in 1603, he became King James I of England.

So all subsequent British monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs, are descended from Mary, Queen of Scots and the House of Stuart.

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August 28, 1895 was a Saturday. The only professional sports league operating in North America at the time was baseball's National League. These games were played:

* The New York Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-1 at the Polo Grounds, the version in use from 1890 to 1911.

* The Brooklyn Bridegrooms beat the Louisville Colonels, 13-5 at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Bridegrooms became the Superbas in 1899, and the Dodgers in 1911. The Colonels folded after the 1899 season.

* The Cleveland Spiders beat the Boston Beaneaters, 10-5 at the 3rd and final version of the South End Grounds in Boston, in used from 1894 to 1914. The Beaneaters went through a few name changes, and became the Braves in 1912. The Spiders folded after the 1899 season.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Colts, 5-3 at the Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds, later renamed Baker Bowl. The Colts became the Cubs in 1903.

* An unusual doubleheader was played at Union Park in Baltimore. The Baltimore Orioles, the defending Champions, played the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 0-0 tie, then beat them, 11-5. This doesn't seem to make sense, and Baseball-Reference.com gives no explanation. If it had been the other way around, if the 2nd game had ended in a tie, it could be argued that it was cut short due to darkness, or because the teams were wrapping up a series, and at least one of them had to catch a train to get to the next city on their schedule. Maybe darkness or a train schedule was the reason they didn't play extra innings in the 1st game, but there's no indication. The Orioles folded after the 1899 season, and bear no connection to the later American League team of the same name.

* And the St. Louis Browns and the Washington Senators were tied at 5-5 after 9 innings at Boundary Field in Washington, when the game was called due to darkness. The Browns became the Cardinals in 1900. The Senators folded after the 1899 season. Neither bears any connection to the later American League teams of the same names.