September 29, 1982: The Tylenol Murders Begin

September 29, 1982: The Chicago Tylenol Murders begin. Over the next few days, 7 people die after taking Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide.

James William Lewis, a New Yorker, would be convicted of extortion, for sending Johnson & Johnson a letter claiming credit for the deaths, and demanding $1 million to stop them. But no one has ever found evidence tying him to the poisonings themselves. It remains a great unsolved mystery.

James William Lewis

Johnson & Johnson, makers of Tylenol, repackaged their capsules to prevent tampering, and introduced "caplets," a combination of tablets and capsules. But the bottles have become more "child-proof" than ever. Whoever tainted those pills was one of those "people who ruined it for everybody."

Seven people died from tainted Tylenol, and we can't get the damn bottles open anymore. But thousands of people die from gun violence, and guns get easier to get, not harder.

UPDATE: Lewis died on July 9, 2023, at the age of 78.

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September 29, 1982 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that Fyodor Cherenkov led Spartak Moscow to victory in a UEFA Cup match against Arsenal in North London. I have a separate entry for that event.

These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 13-6 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Ken Griffey Sr. went 4-for-4 with 5 RBIs, Jerry Mumphrey went 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs, and Dave Winfield went 1-for-5, with rookie Don Mattingly driving in a run with a sacrifice fly, all in support of Jay Howell. Nevertheless, the dynasty of 1976-81 was over, as the Yankees had their worst season since 1967.

* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 4-1 at Shea Stadium. Bill Buckner hit a home run. I don't know if it was his best day at Shea, but the worst was yet to come.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. For the Brew Crew, on their way to their 1st Pennant, Don Money and Ned Yost hit home runs. Robin Yount went 0-for-2, but drew 2 walks and had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Paul Molitor went 2-for-4 with a walk. For the BoSox, Jim Rice and Gary Allenson homered, and Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-4.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Montreal Expos, 4-0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. It was Win Day: Steve Carlton pitched a 2-hit shutout. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4 with an RBI, and Pete Rose went 0-for-4 with an RBI groundout.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-0 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Gary Ward went 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs, in support of Brad Havens, who allowed 9 hits bur kept the shutout.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Willie Stargell, in his last week as an active player, did not get into the game. In spite of this loss, the Cardinals went on to win the World Series, beating the Brewers in 7 games.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Eddie Murray went 0-for-4, but Cal Ripken hit a home run.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 6-5 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the California Angels, 6-5 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 1-for-4 with an RBI. For the Angels, Reggie Jackson and Don Baylor hit home runs, and Rod Carew went 2-for-4.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-3 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-5 with an RBI.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Terry Kennedy singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Tony Gwynn went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Johnny Bench did not play.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Braves scored 2 runs in the top of the 12th, while the Dodgers could only score 1 in the bottom half.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros, 6-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.