December 31, 1934: The Oval Office Opens

December 31, 1934: The modern Oval Office opens, in the West Wing of the White House in Washington. It has been the seat of power for every President of the United States from Franklin Delano Roosevelt onward.

There is an Oval Room on the 2nd floor of the main building of the White House, and it inspired previous Oval Offices. In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt had the greenhouse on the west side of the building torn down, to make for more office space. He took a corner office, and had it built in an oval shape.

His successor, William Howard Taft, didn't like the design, and had it totally rebuilt. In 1929, a fire gutted the West Wing, and Herbert Hoover had to have it redone. Finally, FDR, wanting to remove every last vestige of Hoover, had it torn down and rebuilt.

That office has been the site of some of the most important speeches broadcast from the White House: FDR's "Fireside Chats" from 1935 to 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower's announcement of sending federal troops to desegregate Little Rock Central High School in 1957, his Farewell Address warning of the dangers of the military-industrial complex in 1961, John F. Kennedy's announcement of the naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, his announcement of a civil rights bill in 1963, Lyndon Johnson's announcement that he wouldn't seek re-election in 1968, Richard Nixon's "Silent Majority" address in 1969, his resignation in 1974, Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech in 1979, and Ronald Reagan's memorial to the Space Shuttle Challenger victims in 1986.

To this day, people working in the West Wing feel that others measure their influence by how close they are to "The Oval." Its importance is emphasized in its recreation in every Presidential Library from FDR's onward, decorated to look as it did during that President's tenure.

*

December 31, 1934 was a Monday. Baseball was out of season. The NFL season had ended 22 days earlier, with the New York Giants beating the Chicago Bears in the Championship Game. No college bowl games were played. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And the NHL had no games scheduled for this date. So there were no scores on this historic day.

December 18, 1915: President Woodrow Wilson Marries Edith Galt

No photograph of the wedding is known to exist.

December 18, 1915: President Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Galt, a wealthy widow and jeweler, at her home in Washington, D.C.

Edith Bolling was born on October 15, 1872 in Wytheville, in the Virginia Panhandle. She was related, either by blood or through marriage, to Pocahontas, George Washington's wife Martha, Thomas Jefferson, William Henry and Benjamin Harrison, and John Tyler's 1st wife Letitia Tyler. Her father was a slaveholding lawyer, and the family was proud of its Southernness and its support for the Confederate States of America. Which was also true for President Woodrow Wilson, and for his 1st wife, the former Ellen Axson.

In 1896, Edith met Washington jeweler Norman Galt. In 1903, she gave birth to a son, who lived only a few days, and due to complications, she could have no more children. Norman died in 1908, and she paid off his debts, and ran his business better than he ever did.

In March 1915, she was introduced to recently widowed President Woodrow Wilson at the White House, by his cousin, Helen Woodrow Bones, who was filling in as White House hostess after the death of Ellen Wilson on August 6, 1914. The President had been deeply depressed by Ellen's death, but took an instant liking to Edith, and proposed soon after meeting her.

The relationship was threatened by vicious rumors, that Wilson was already seeing Edith before Ellen died, and even that they had Ellen murdered. He was so disturbed by this that he tried to do the gallant thing, and offered to let Edith go. She refused, conceding only to postpone the wedding until after a year had passed since Ellen's death. In the end, it took a bit longer than that.

They had a common love of golf, and Edith's surviving diary contains notations of her having beaten him at the game. It's not surprising: Both a Sports Illustrated article during Bill Clinton's time in office and an article recently published on the Southern California Golf Association's website suggest that he was one of the worst golfers in Presidential history. The SCGA article suggests his handicap was between 25 and 30, and quotes him as saying, "Golf is a game in which one endeavors to put a small ball into an even smaller hole with implements ill-adapted for the purpose."

(The article says 2 Presidents were worse: Calvin Coolidge, who once said, "I did not see the sense in chasing a little white ball around a field"; and Lyndon Johnson, who admitted, "I don't have a handicap. I'm all handicap." The best ones? The SI article said John F. Kennedy was the best, and the SCGA article ranks him 3rd -- behind Joe Biden, who admits he hasn't played since 2018; and Donald Trump, who says his handicap is 3, but lies about everything, but they took him at his word. Before Trump, the Presidents most criticized for playing too much golf were Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald Ford, and both sources put them in the middle of the pack.)

On October 9, Wilson became the 1st incumbent President to attend a World Series game. He and Edith Galt went to Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, and saw Boston Red Sox pitcher George "Rube" Foster limit the Philadelphia Phillies to just 3 hits, and single home the winning run himself in the bottom of the 9th, to win Game 2 of the Series, 2-1.

It's not clear what team Wilson usually rooted for, although he did teach at Bryn Mawr University, near Philly, and attended Princeton University, taught there, and was its President, before becoming Governor of New Jersey. From 1887 onward, when the predecessor ground to Baker Bowl opened, the Phillies were the closest team to Princeton, 7 blocks closer than the Athletics.

It wasn't all a good day for the future Mr. and Mrs. Wilson: The Washington Post printed an article about a trip to a Washington theater the night before. It was, the article said, "their first appearance in public as an engaged couple."

All editions after the first said, suggesting that the play wasn't especially interesting, "The President gave himself up for the time being to entertaining his fiancee." The first edition, however, said, "The President gave himself up for the time being to entering his fiancee." Whoops... (No, I'm not making that up. This was in 1915. And it was almost certainly a mistake, not a purposeful attempt to embarrass Wilson.)

This was just 50 years after Abraham Lincoln took his wife Mary to Ford's Theatre. Moral of the story: If you're the President of the United States, don't go to a theater in Washington with the woman you love.

Two months later, on December 18, at Edith's home in Washington, the couple were married. As with his 1st marriage, the wedding had each family's pastor presiding: For Woodrow, the Rev. Dr. James H. Taylor; for Edith, the Rev. Dr. Herbert S. Smith.

Wilson thus became the 3rd President to marry while in office, following then-widower John Tyler in 1844 and then-bachelor Grover Cleveland in 1886. (There has not been a 4th.) The President was only 3 years older than his 1st wife, but 16 years older than his 2nd. That said, she was no kid: She was 43.

As First Lady during World War I, Edith Bolling Wilson observed gasless Sundays, meatless Mondays, and wheatless Wednesdays to set an example for the federal rationing effort. Similarly, she set sheep to graze on the White House lawn rather than use manpower to mow it, and had their wool auctioned off for the benefit of the American Red Cross.

She became the first First Lady to travel to Europe during her term, with her husband in 1918-19, to visit troops and to sign the Treaty of Versailles. (That is, he was among the signers, she wasn't.) During this time, her presence amongst the female royalty of Europe helped to cement America's status as a world power and propelled the position of First Lady to an equivalent standing in international politics.

She also accompanied him on his train trip around the country in the Summer of 1919, trying to lobby people to contact their State's U.S. Senators, and have them approve the Treaty of Versailles, allowing America into the League of Nations, thus making America part of the effort to preserve peace following the recently-won World War.

But he had run himself ragged, and his wife Edith saw he wasn't well, and on September 26, she ordered their return to Washington. It wasn't soon enough, and he suffered a massive stroke on October 2. He was paralyzed on his left side, and nearly blinded.

His inner circle concealed the extent of his impairment, and Edith and his private secretary, Joseph Tumulty, controlled who could see him and with what he would be presented in terms of official business. For this reason, Edith Wilson has been called "the 1st female President of the United States." It would be much fairer to say that she was the 1st female White House Chief of Staff. In real life, through October 2, 2022, neither of those positions has ever been held by a woman.

The 28th 1/2 President of the United States?

Wilson's stroke left him both physically and politically paralyzed. But he refused to resign and let Vice President Thomas R. Marshall take the job, due to an intense personal dislike for him that both he and Edith had developed. With no law in place to cover a living but incapacitated President at the time -- the 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967 -- for all intents and purposes, for nearly a year and a half, at a time when the nation really could have used some leadership, it had no functioning President.

Wilson recovered somewhat between the stroke and leaving office on March 4, 1921. He became the only former President to establish a permanent residence in Washington, D.C. after leaving the White House. He died in 1924.

Edith maintained her house in Washington, attending President Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech asking for a Declaration of War against Japan in 1941, and President John F. Kennedy's Inauguration in 1961. She was scheduled to be the guest of honor that year, on December 28, the anniversary of her husband's birth, for the dedication of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, carrying Interstate 95 across the Potomac River at the southern corner of the District of Columbia. But she died that morning, at the age of 89.

Having outlived her husband by nearly 38 years, she was buried next to him at the National Cathedral in Washington, the only President and First Lady laid to rest in the capital city.

*

December 18, 1915 was a Friday. Baseball was out of season. Football season was over, except for the upcoming Rose Bowl, won by Washington State over Brown University, 14-0 at Tournament Park in Pasadena, California. Professional basketball existed only on a minor-league level.

The season of the National Hockey Association, predecessor to the National Hockey League, opened that night. The Montreal Canadiens, the one team from the NHA still playing today, beat the Toronto Blueshirts (not the Blue Jays, and not the forerunners of the Maple Leafs), 2-1 at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto.

November 27, 2007: The Death of Sean Taylor

November 27, 2007: Sean Taylor is shot and killed in his home in Miami. He was only 24 years old.

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was born on April 1, 1983 in Florida City, Florida, about 30 miles southwest of Miami. He grew up in the bigger city, and played football, basketball and track in high school. He played free safety as a sophomore on the University of Miami's 2001 National Championship team, and was a sprinter on their track team. As a senior in 2003, he led the country with 10 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown against Rutgers.

The Washington Redskins made him the 5th pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, the 1st defensive player taken, behind Eli Manning, Robert Gallery, Larry Fitzgerald and Philip Rivers; and ahead of such players as Kellen Winslow II, Roy Williams, DeAngelo Hall, Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Vilma, Steven Jackson and Chris Snee.

He made an immediate impact, and was named to the Professional Football Writers Association's All-Rookie Team. He wore Number 36 that season, and, when Number 21, which he'd worn in high school became a available, he switched to it. (He had worn Number 26 in college.) In 2005, he helped the Redskins reach the Playoffs.

In 2006, his 3rd season, he had 111 combined tackles, 86 solo tackles, 6 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and an interception, and was named to the Pro Bowl. Gregg Williams, the Redskins' defensive coordinator, called him the best athlete he had ever coached. This says something: Williams had been defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise in the 1990s, and head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Prior to the start of the 2007 season, Sports Illustrated named him the hardest-hitting player in the NFL.

In 2007, the Redskins were 5-6, but Taylor, despite missing the last 2 games with a knee injury, was tied for the most interceptions in the NFC. He was having another season that would see him elected to the Pro Bowl.

On November 26, a day after the Redskins lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, and 2 days before Thanksgiving, Taylor was at home in Miami, with his fiancée, Jackie García, and their 18-month-old daughter, Jackie. He heard noises in the house and, while investigating the cause, he was shot in the upper leg by an intruder. His femoral artery was severed, causing extensive blood loss, and he died the next day.

On November 30, 4 men were charged with felony first-degree murder, armed burglary, and home invasion robbery with a firearm. Confessions were given. The actual gunman was only 17 years old, so the death penalty was not sought. A 5th man was later charged. All were convicted. As of November 27, 2022, all 5 are still alive and in prison in Florida.

The NFL placed Number 21 decals on the backs of all players' helmets during the next week's games. A moment of silence was held before each game that week. Players on other teams were given the option to continue wearing the decals in subsequent weeks. (There had been controversy about that in the past.)

The Redskins had the Number 21 painted on the field, and wore it on shoulder patches. They began their next game with 10 men, with the free safety spot unoccupied, much as the New York Yankees left the catcher's position empty when they took the field in their 1st game after Thurman Munson's death in a plane crash in 1979. Now named the Washington Commanders, the team retired his number, and named one of the access roads into FedEx Field Sean Taylor Road.

Taylor became the 1st player posthumously voted to the Pro Bowl. The NFC team also opened the game with the free safety spot unmanned. His Washington teammates named to that team, Chris Cooley, Chris Samuels and Ethan Albright all wore Number 21 in the game. The jerseys were auctioned off, and the proceeds were donated to a trust fund that the Redskins had set up for daughter Jackie Taylor.

*

November 27, 2007 was a Tuesday. Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were 7 games played in the NBA:

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-103 at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands. Vince Carter scored 32 points in defeat.

* The Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Hornets, 110-90 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics, 109-104 in overtime at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland. LeBron James scored 38 points.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks, 90-78 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 114-99 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Denver Nuggets, 112-110 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 106-99 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant scored 35 points.

And there were 3 games played in the NHL:

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Montreal Canadiens beat their arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3 in a shootout at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Calgary Flames, 5-3 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-0 at General Motors Place (now the Rogers Arena) in Vancouver.

November 18, 1903: America Gains the Rights to the Panama Canal

Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla

November 18, 1903: The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., giving America the right to build the Panama Canal.

President Theodore Roosevelt knew a canal would be of great benefit to American military might, and also to American business. And the rest of the world would benefit, too, and America could make money off of that.

In 1903, an agreement was reached between American and Colombian diplomats for America to take over the building of the canal. But the Senate of Colombia rejected the treaty. So Roosevelt provided aid to the Panamanian rebels, and they gained their independence from Colombia. A new agreement was reached, and TR was soon telling people, "I took Panama."

Article I of the treaty was America's recognition of the independence of the Republic of Panama. Articles II through XXVI (2 through 26) gave America what became known as the Panama Canal Zone, and explained America's rights within that Zone, including the right to build the Canal.

Signing for America was the Secretary of State, John Hay. As a young man, he was an aide to President Abraham Lincoln, providing a direct link between Honest Abe and TR. He died 2 years later.

John Hay

Signing for Panama was Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, the country's French diplomatic representative, an indispensable provider for the Panamanian rebels, and previously the chief engineer of France's since-abandoned effort at building a Panama Canal.

Construction began on May 4, 1904. On November 14, 1906, TR visited the construction zone, becoming the 1st incumbent President of the United States to visit another country. He became identified with the canal to the point where a palindrome -- a word or saying that reads the same forward and backward -- was coined: "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"

Unlike Hay, Bunau-Varilla lived long enough to attend the Canal's opening. But he could not do so: By the time it opened on August 15, 1914, World War I had broken out. Though already 55 years old, he returned to France to aid in its war effort. He was supervising engineering works at the Battle of Verdun in 1916, when an exploding shell cost him a leg.

He survived that war, but died on May 18, 1940, mere days before the Nazis rolled into Paris. Nevertheless, the Panama Canal enabled American ships to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean much quicker than before, which would have required going all the way around South America. The Canal proved vital in the Allied victories in both World Wars.

In 1977, a new treaty was signed, giving control over the Canal Zone back to Panama, effective in 1999.

*

November 18, 1903 was a Wednesday. Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. Basketball barely existed, and hockey had only begun to be professional. So there were no games on this historic day.

November 7, 1948: The Reconstruction of the White House Begins

Extreme Makeover: White House Edition

November 7, 1948: The Reconstruction of the White House begins. Just 5 days earlier, President Harry Truman, having called the building "the Great White Jail," and "the crown jewel of the federal penal system," was elected to what amounted to a 2nd term. As it turns out, he, First Lady Elizabeth "Bess" Truman, and their only child, Margaret Truman, then 24 years old, would have to spend most of that term across Pennsylvania Avenue, at Blair House.

The White House was completed in 1800. It had been largely reconstructed after the British Army burned it in 1814, as part of the War of 1812. While there had been additions, such as parts of what is now called the West Wing from 1902 to 1934, and the East Wing from 1902 to 1942, the original building hadn't had a significant renovation since James Monroe moved in shortly after his 1817 Inauguration.

In June 1948, a leg of Margaret's piano crashed through the floor in her second floor sitting room and through the ceiling of the Family Dining Room below. Investigators found the floor boards had rotted, the main floor beam was split completely through, and the ceiling below had dropped 18 inches. The investigators determined that the west end of the second floor was sinking.

The First Family was relocated from the west to the east end of the floor. Steel bracing was added to support the second floor and ceilings throughout the residence. The investigation concluded that the problem was a collapsing building, not just a floor, and "heroic remedies" would be required.

But 1948 was an election year, and the President feared that news of the collapsing White House would serve as an unflattering metaphor for his Administration. On September 30, 1948, the White House Architect announced that the White House's "structural nerves" had been damaged, the second floor would need to be rebuilt, but that overall the building was in "good shape."

The on-site forensic investigations continued while the first family was away campaigning. In October, the ceiling of the East Room began to collapse and required wood supports. The structure under the Grand Staircase was found to be crumbling. The President's bathtub had begun sinking into the floor. The investigators discovered that the foundations of the interior walls supporting the upper floors and roof were all but non-existent.

As they sank into the ground, the interior walls and floors were pulling away from the exterior walls leaving large gaps. They determined that the interior of the house was sinking and in danger of collapsing inward; the entire mansion was unsafe, except for the new Truman Balcony.

Upon returning to the White House on November 3, the day after winning the election, the President was informed by the Federal Works Agency that he would need to vacate the White House so critical repairs could be made. On November 7, the news was made public. The Trumans departed town, and, within 2 weeks, the White House was vacated. Furniture, staff, and the first family moved into Blair House, the President's guest house, across Pennsylvania Avenue.

The exterior walls were left standing, but the interior was completely gutted, including the expanding of the third floor. As a result, the floor plan was noticeably changed. The second floor room known as the Lincoln Bedroom became a bedroom, but it was an office in Abraham Lincoln's time: Ol' Abe never slept in the "Lincoln Bedroom." Unless he fell asleep at his desk, something more likely to have been done by Calvin Coolidge, Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump.

The original schedule called for the work to be finished in late 1951. By the end of 1950, the contractor estimated it would take until 1952. The First Family returned to the White House on the evening of March 27, 1952. It was ready for its residents, but the work was not complete. Deficiencies included the main kitchen not being operable in time for a state visit; some rooms without electrical outlets; drafty fireplaces rendering rooms unfit to sleep in; and kitchen sinks found to be too small for the dinner service.

On May 3, 1952, Truman led a tour of the restored White House, broadcast on all 3 TV networks, with each network having sent a correspondent.

For some people, the work still wasn't enough. In spite of her French background, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy disliked the European decor, and wanted the White House redecorated with American items, including as much furniture used by former Presidents as could be found. Some historical sites relating to Presidents were willing to donate, and on February 14, 1962, she was ready to lead a nationally-televised tour of the White House. While praising President Truman for the restoration and the donors for their efforts, she deflected whatever credit she and President John F. Kennedy, who joined the tour at the end, might have deserved.

Since 1952, the White House has needed regular maintenance, but no additional major renovations have been necessary.

UPDATE: In 2025, Donald Trump had the East Wing demolished to make way for a ballroom that only he seemed to think was necessary.

*

November 7, 1948 was a Sunday. John Albert "Buck" Martinez, catcher, manager, and broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays, was born. And, unlike most people with the surname, he pronounces it "MAR-tin-ez," instead of the usual "Mar-TEE-nez."

Baseball was out of season. These games were played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 35-14 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Washington Redskins beat the Boston Yanks, 23-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. Yes, "Boston Yanks." Yes, playing home games at Fenway, though when there was a scheduling conflict with the Red Sox, they moved a mile away to Braves Field.

The team was owned by Ted Collins, manager of singer Kate Smith. To be fair, the term "Yankee" was applied to New Englanders before New Yorkers, and Collins named the team the Yanks because he wanted to put them in Yankee Stadium, but Dan Topping owned the rights to a football team named the New York Yankees (which had been used before, and put such a team in the All-America Football Conference. The team played from 1944 to 1948.

In 1949, Collins did move them to New York, but called them the New York Bulldogs. In 1951, with Topping having bought into the baseball Yankees, Collins renamed his team the New York Yanks, but they failed. He moved them again in 1952, and they became the Dallas Texans. They failed, and he sold the team -- and the rights to the Dayton Triangles, who had long ago left the NFL and gone semi-pro before Collins bought them -- and the new owners moved them, making them the Baltimore Colts. So today's NFL Indianapolis Colts have roots in New York, Boston, Baltimore and Dayton.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers, 38-7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The Chicago Cardinals beat the Detroit Lions, 56-20 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Cards were the defending NFL Champions, and they were even better this year, though the Eagles reversed the result of the 1947 Championship Game and beat the Cards in it.

* And the Chicago Bears beat the Los Angeles Rams, 21-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In the aforementioned AAFC:

* The aforementioned New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dons, 38-6 at Yankee Stadium.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers (yes, there was a football team by that name, too) lost to the Buffalo Bills (not the later AFL and current NFL team by that name), 26-21 at Ebbets Field.

* The Cleveland Browns beat the Baltimore Colts (the original version), 28-7 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* And the San Francisco 49ers beat the Chicago Rockets, 44-21 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

There was one game in college football, and it was an upset: Santa Clara University beat Number 11 Nevada, 14-0 on neutral ground at Charles C. Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. In 1973, Santa Clara, named for its base city outside San Jose, were downgraded to NCAA Division II, and have remained there ever since.

There were 2 games in the Basketball Association of America, the league that became the NBA the next season. The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia Warriors, 85-77 at the Boston Arena (now the Matthews Arena). And the Baltimore Bullets beat the Fort Wayne Pistons, 78-77 at the gymnasium of North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That's right: The early NBA was so small-time, one of its teams played in a high school gym.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The New York Rangers lost to the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2 at the Chicago Stadium. And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 7-3 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs were not scheduled. 

November 1, 1950: The Attempted Assassination of President Harry Truman

November 1, 1950: President Harry Truman faces an assassination attempt. The Truman family is staying at Blair House, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, while the White House is being renovated. Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, Puerto Rican independence activists, approached Blair House with guns, hoping that killing Truman would help their cause.

Blair House

Collazo shot D.C. police officer Donald Birdzell. He survived, and lived until 1991. Secret Service Agent Vincent Mroz heard this, came outside, and shot Collazo in the chest. He survived. Torresola shot White House Police Officer Leslie Coffelt. He then shot Officer Joseph Downs, but Downs was able to get up and secure a door into the house. He survived, and lived until 1978.

Torresola was reloading when Truman, having heard the shots, made a potentially terrible mistake, and looked outside his 2nd floor window, exposing him to the shooters. Secret Service Agents shouted at him to get away. He did.

Coffelt managed to return fire, hitting Torresola in the head and killing him instantly. But Coffelt was mortally wounded, and died 4 hours later. He was the 1st person ever to, as the Secret Service's saying goes, "take a bullet for the President."

Officer Leslie Coffelt

Had the attempt succeeded, Vice President Alben Barkley would have become President. Next in line would have been the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn of Texas.

Collazo was convicted and sentenced to death. Truman, a World War I veteran who said he wasn't scared, because had already "been shot at by professionals," commuted Collazo's sentence to life imprisonment. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter further commuted his sentence to time served, which turned out to be 29 years. He returned to Puerto Rico, continued to support its independence, and died in 1994.

Truman served out his term until January 20, 1953, did not run for another, and retired to his home in Independence, Missouri, outside Kansas City. He died on December 26, 1972. Agent Mroz, who had played football at the University of Michigan, was the last survivor of the incident, living until 2008.

*

November 1, 1950 was a Wednesday. There were 3 NBA games played on the day:

* The Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Boston Celtics, 107-84 at the gymnasium of North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That's right: A high school gym. The NBA was still trying to gain its footing as a "major league." It would be 2 more years before the Pistons moved into a real arena, and another 5 before they moved to Detroit.

Chuck Cooper, the 1st black player drafted by an NBA team, made his NBA debut, the night after Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols became the 1st black player to appear in an NBA game. Cooper scored 9 points for the Celtics, and Bob Cousy scored 16, but they got clobbered. Larry Foust of the Pistons led all scorers with 19.

* The Baltimore Bullets beat the Minneapolis Lakers, 81-71 at the Baltimore Coliseum. This version of the Bullets, who won the NBA Championship in 1948, folded in 1954, and bore no connection besides name to the Baltimore Bullets who began play in 1963, and are now the Washington Wizards. George Mikan, the dominant player of the pre-24-second shot clock era (1946-54), scored 34, but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

* And the Washington Capitols beat the Indianapolis Olympians, 100-84 at the Uline Arena, later renamed the Washington Coliseum. Although it hasn't been used for sporting events since 1971, this building still stands. The aforementioned Earl Lloyd scored 8 points. Despite having reached the NBA Finals in 1949, the Capitols only lasted until the end of this season.

The Olympians lost players Alex Groza and Ralph Beard, when the NBA banned them for life due to their role in the college basketball point-shaving scandal while they were at the University of Kentucky. Their former Kentucky, now Indianapolis, teammates Cliff Barker and Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones were not implicated, but each only lasted 1 more season in the NBA, and the Olympians lasted only 1 more after that.

And there was 1 NHL game played on this day, the League's biggest rivalry: The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens, 5-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens. Maurice Richard of the Canadiens and Max Bentley of the Leafs -- nicknamed "the Rocket" and "the Dipsy Doodle Dandy from Delisle" (his hometown in Saskatchewan), respectively -- each scored 2 goals. There were 5 goals in the 3rd period, 3 by Toronto and both of Richard's goals.

November 1, 1897: The Library of Congress Opens

The Thomas Jefferson Building

November 1, 1897: The current Library of Congress building opens in Washington, D.C., across First Street from the U.S. Capitol Building. There is a dispute as to whether it or the British Library is the largest in the world, based on total number of volumes contained therein. Both have over 170 million volumes.

Once the national capital moved to Washington in 1800, the Library of Congress was housed in the Capitol. Much of its original collection was burned by the British troops in the War of 1812, along with the rest of the Capitol, and the White House, on August 24, 1814. That remains the worst attack on the Capitol. During the Trump Insurrection of January 6, 2021, the Library of Congress was safe: Most of those people wouldn't intentionally go anywhere near a library.

After the fire, Congress purchased former President Thomas Jefferson's entire personal collection of 6,487 books, to restore its own collection -- and also to help him pay off his debts. Over the next few years, its collection slowly grew. But on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1851, another fire broke out in the Capitol chambers. This destroyed a large amount of the collection, including many of Jefferson's books.

After the American Civil War, the importance of the Library of Congress for legislative research increased, and there was a campaign to purchase replacement copies for volumes for its lost books. The library received the right of transference of all copyrighted works, and deposit of two copies of books, maps, illustrations, and diagrams printed in the United States. The Library also built its collections through acquisitions and donations.

Between 1888 and 1894, Congress constructed and moved the collection to a large adjacent library building, across the street from the Capitol. On April 13, 1976, on the anniversary of Jefferson's birth, and in connection with the nation's Bicentennial, the main Library was renamed the Thomas Jefferson Building, 

Two more adjacent library buildings, the John Adams Building, opening in 1939, and the James Madison Memorial Building, opening in 1980, hold expanded parts of the collection and provide space for additional library services.

The Jefferson Building's Main Reading Room

The library's primary mission is to research inquiries made by members of Congress, which is carried out through the Congressional Research Service. It also houses and oversees the United States Copyright Office. The library is open to the public for research, although only high-ranking government officials and library employees may borrow -- i.e., temporarily take custody of -- books and materials.

*

November 1, 1897 was a Monday. There were no games on this historic day: Baseball season was over, football was in midweek, and basketball and hockey were both still all-amateur.

October 30, 2019: The Washington Nationals Win the World Series

October 30, 2019: Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston is the site of the 1st Game 7 of the World Series in which both starting pitchers had previously won the Cy Young Award: Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals and Zack Greinke of the Houston Astros.

Yuli Gurriel's home run in the bottom of the 2nd and Carlos Correa's single in the bottom of the 5th gave the Astros a 2-0 lead. Greinke cruised into the 7th, but then gave up a home run to Anthony Rendon. He then walked Juan Soto, and was replaced by Will Harris, who gave up a home run to Howie Kendrick.

The Nationals ended up winning 6-2, marking the 1st World Championship for the franchise that had once been the Montreal Expos, in 51 seasons; the 1st World Series win for a Washington baseball team in 95 years, since the 1924 Senators; the 6th straight year that the World Series was clinched by the visiting team, including 4 Game 7s (2014, '16, '17 and '19); and the 1st time in the history of major league sports that the visiting team won all 7 games of a postseason series.

Stephen Strasburg, the injury-prone pitcher whom the Nationals infamously benched for the 2012 postseason to save his arm, resulting in an embarrassing NLDS loss, was named the Series' MVP. He had beaten Justin Verlander in both Game 2 and Game 6. Verlander, 8-1 in Division Series games and 7-4 in League Championship Series games, fell to 0-6 in World Series games.

The Nats' win got more amazing when it was revealed that the Astros were cheating, especially at home, and yet the Nats won all 4 games in Houston. They will always have my thanks for that. Their fans will always have my respect for booing Donald Trump in Game 5 at Nationals Park.

Essentially, the Nats traded a chance at the 2012 title without Strasburg for future chances at a title with him. It worked. But in 2019, they traded a chance at the title with him for the risk of his career. That worked, too, but at a price. Strasburg led led the NL with 209 innings pitched in the 2019 regular season, plus another 36 1/3rd in the postseason. In the 2020, '21 and '22 seasons combined, he pitched just 31 1/3rd innings in the major leagues, plus another 18 in minor-league rehab assignments.

(UPDATE: Strasburg did not pitch at all in 2023. On April 7, 2024, he announced his retirement. He had thrown his last professional pitch at the age of 34. He was 113-62, with 1,723 strikeouts. He should have had twice as many in each of those stats. He finished with a 3.24 ERA, and a 1.096 WHIP.)

As Strasburg has gone, so have gone the Nats: First, mere existence; then, frustration at coming close but falling short; ultimately, the crowning glory; and then pain, physical and emotional. But what achievements he did have were more than most players get.

UPDATE: Scherzer's 161 wins during the 2010s made him the winningest pitcher of the decade. Through the 2024 season, he has won 216 regular-season games, Verlander 262, and Greinke retired after the 2023 season with 225. Verlander finally won a World Series game, when the Astros won in 2022.

*

October 30, 2019 was a Wednesday. Football was in midweek. There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks, 112-97 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets, 109-106 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-91 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. That's right: Within 1 year, all 3 of these arenas saw their naming rights deals expire, and the rights bought by someone else.

And there were 6 games in the NHL: 

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-6 at the Prudential Center. Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal with 3:44 left in overtime.

* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild, 2-1 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3, at the Pepsi Center, a few hours after the Nuggets game there. Jonathan Huberdeau scored the winning goal, 29 seconds into overtime.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Arizona Coyotes, 4-1 at the Gila River Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, California.

* And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-3 at the Staples Center, a few hours after the Lakers game there.

October 27, 2019: Trump Booed at the World Series On His Best Day as President

October 27, 2019: Donald Trump has his best day as President of the United States, with the news of U.S. Special Forces having killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," or ISIL (often incorrectly called "The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria," or ISIS) in Barisha, Syria.

Born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai in Samarra, Iraq, al-Baghdadi deserved it. He was a mass murderer, a serial rapist and pedophile, and had waged war against America. He had led ISIL since June 29, 2014. He was 48 years old. 

Of course, as Trump does with everything, he screwed it up. He staged a photograph with generals in the White House Situation Room, with a time-stamp about 2 hours after it happened. When it actually happened, he was engaging in his favorite pastime: Playing golf. And he may not even have been told about it before it happened, so he didn't even get to make the order himself.

Unlike Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. Naturally, Trump's 50-minute speech on the matter made it sound like al-Baghdadi was a bigger kill than bin Laden. Trump had this desperate need to be seen as bigger and better than Obama. Mainly because, the day before bin Laden was killed, Obama both released his birth certificate and humiliated Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

bin Laden killed a hell of a lot more Americans than al-Baghdadi did. What's more, Trump said that nobody knew who bin Laden was before 9/11. This is a lie. There were news reports about his terrorist activities as early as 1996. In 1998, when al-Qaeda bombed 2 U.S. Embassies in Africa, it was known and publicized that bin Laden ordered it.

In contrast, I never heard of al-Baghdadi until the night he was killed. I literally never knew he was alive until I knew he was dead. ISIL/ISIS, sure, everyone's heard of them. And nearly every American had no problem with our military killing their leader. But ask any American to name their leader before October 27, 2019, and they would draw a blank. Come to think of it, most Americans would have trouble naming their leader after that date.

That would be Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. On February 3, 2022, a U.S. raid on Atme, Syria sealed his fate. Unlike al-Baghdadi, he refused to be taken alive: He set off a bomb, killing himself and 12 others, including members of his family. There were no U.S. casualties. He was 45. He was succeeded by his brother, Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.  

(UPDATE: He lasted 8 months. On November 30, 2022, after this posting, ISIL announced that, like Abu Ibrahim, Abu al-Hasan blew himself up to avoid a sure capture by U.S. forces. His age is not known to the U.S. He was succeeded by Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, apparently another brother. On April 29, 2023, Turkish intelligence tracked him down and killed him. His age was also unknown. He was succeeded by yet another brother, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.)

Back to October 27, 2019: That night, Trump went to Game 5 of the World Series, at Nationals Park, 2 miles from the White House. The host Washington Nationals had never asked him to throw out the ceremonial first ball before a game, and this game was no exception. The team's choice was Washington-based celebrity chef José Andrés, an immigrant from Spain whom Obama had once awarded a National Humanities Medal for his charity work.

Trump took Melania to the game. He did not take Barron, his 13-year-old son who is a known sports fan.

The World Series was 2 miles from his house, and he had tickets, and he didn't take his 13-year-old son.

Yeah, sure, it's a school night. I think a note from the President of the United States would carry some weight.

Well, it would, if it were any other President.

When a group of veterans was shown on the scoreboard, the sellout crowd of 43,910 cheered them. When the image shifted to Trump, it was about 60-40 boos, and the boos were louder than the cheers. Fans chanted, "Lock him up!" The scoreboard operator had to switch back to the camera on the veterans, and the crowd went back to cheering.

Nobody booed Franklin Roosevelt on D-Day. Nobody booed John F. Kennedy after he solved the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nobody booed Obama after he ordered the bin Laden raid. Even George W. Bush didn't start getting booed until well after that dumb "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" stunt.

This was Trump's best day as President, and he got the hell booed out of him, anyway.

The truth hurts, doesn't it, Donald? In fact, on this day, the Number 1 song in America was "Truth Hurts," by Melissa Viviane Jefferson, a.k.a. Lizzo. A strong, outspoken black woman. He's not a fan.

The Nationals, Champions of the National League, lost the game, 7-1, to the American League Champions, the Houston Astros. But the Nationals went on to win the Series in Game 7, in Houston, 3 nights later.

And their fans booed Trump on his best day as President. Washington Nationals fans, you have my thanks forever.

Thirteen days later, in college football, Louisiana State University played the University of Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. LSU was ranked Number 2 in the country, 'Bama was Number 3. With his never-ending need for praise, Trump figured, surely, at a football game, in the South, he would get cheered by the fans. So he went. And he was cheered.

Alabama hadn't lost at home in 4 years. They lost, 46-41, but still went on to win the Southeastern Conference and National Championships.

*

October 27, 2019 was a Sunday. Obviously, that was the only baseball game played that day. These were the day's NFL games: 

* The New York Jets lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 29-15 at TIAA Bank Field (now EverBank Stadium) in Jacksonvillle.

* The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-10 at Wembley Stadium in London.

* The New England Patriots beat the Cleveland Browns, 27-13 at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, Massachusetts.

* The Seattle Seahawks beat the Atlanta Falcons, 27-20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

* The Tennessee Titans beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-23 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

* The New Orleans Saints beat the Arizona Cardinals, 31-9 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

* The Houston Texans beat the Oakland Raiders, 27-24 at NRG Stadium (as Reliant Stadium was then known) in Houston.

* The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills, 31-13 at New Era Field (formerly Rich Stadium and Ralph Wilson Stadium) in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, New York.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins, 27-14 at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) in Pittsburgh.

* The Indianapolis Colts beat the Denver Broncos, 15-13 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

* The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Chicago Bears, 17-16 at the new Soldier Field in Chicago.

* The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-24 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

* And the San Francisco 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers, 51-13 at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco suburb of Santa Clara, California.

(The next day, on ESPN Monday Night Football, the Detroit Lions beat the New York Giants, 31-26 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The preceding Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Washington Redskins, 19-9 at FedEx Field -- now Northwest Stadium -- in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. And the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys had a bye.)

There were 5 games played in the NBA that day: 

* The Brooklyn Nets lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 134-133 in overtime at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. (The New York Knicks were not scheduled.)

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Miami Heat, 116-109 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

* The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors, 120-92 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 121-119 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Charlotte Hornets, 120-101 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

And there were 7 games played in the NHL:

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins, 7-4 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New York Islanders beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Ottawa Senators beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-2 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. David Perron scored the winning goal, 1:28 into overtime.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-1 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Anaheim Ducks, 5-2 at the T-Mobile Arena in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada.

* And the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers, 6-2 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

October 27, 1907: Union Station Opens In Washington

October 27, 1907: Union Station opens in Washington, D.C., 6 blocks north of the U.S. Capitol, replacing 2 earlier stations. It hosts service for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (a.k.a. the B&O).

The New Jersey Avenue Station opened in 1851, 2 blocks north of the U.S. Capitol Building. It was the city's terminal for the B&O. The Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station opened in 1872, 5 blocks west of the Capitol. It was the city's terminal for the railroad of the same name, and also for the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was there that President James Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881.

Both stations were phased out when Union Station opened. The Senate Fountain now stands on the site of New Jersey Avenue Station, and the National Gallery of Art, a unit of the Smithsonian Institution, is on the site of the Baltimore and Potomac Station.

In 1971, in the wake of the bankruptcies of most of America's passenger railroads, it becomes the headquarters of Amtrak. In 1976, Washington's subway system, the Metro, opened, with Union Station being a stop on its Red Line. In 1988, a hall was converted into the District of Columbia's premier upscale shopping center.

In 1984, MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) began operating there, providing service to Baltimore, and to western Maryland, all the way to Martinsburg, West Virginia. In 1992, VRE (Virginia Railway Express) began service to Manassas and Fredericksburg, both sites of Civil War battles. In 2012, Greyhound moved its intercity bus service to a station in the Station's parking deck.

*

October 27, 1907 was a Sunday. Baseball season was over. Pro football and hockey records from this era were sketchy. Pro basketball did not exist. So there were no scores on this historic day.

October 24, 2002: The Beltway Snipers Are Arrested

John Allen Muhammad (left) and Lee Malvo

October 24, 2002: The "Beltway Snipers," who killed 7 people in the Washington, D.C. area, are arrested.

John Allen Muhammad was 41 years old, and a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He joined the Nation of Islam, dropping his birth name of John Allen Williams. In 1999, he kidnapped his children and took them to the Caribbean island nation of Antigua, apparently engaging in credit card and immigration document fraud.

It was during this time that he became close with Lee Boyd Malvo, who was living on Antigua with his mother. Then 17 and a native of Jamaica, he fell into a Svengali relationship with Muhammad, being converted to Islam and moved to Bellingham, Washington. There, he shoplifted a Bushmaster XM-15, an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle.

At first, Muhammad was making Malvo shoot people connected with his ex-wife, Mildred Williams. On February 16, 2002, 21-year-old Keenya Nicole Cook was shot and killed by Malvo at the front door of her aunt's home in Tacoma, Washington. The aunt, Isa Nichols, had been good friends with John Allen Muhammad's ex-wife Mildred and had encouraged her to seek a divorce. This was the 1st of 9 shootings that the FBI later classified as "preliminary attacks": 3 in Maryland, 2 in Louisiana, and 1 each in Washington State, Arizona, Atlanta and Alabama.

Then came the series of shootings that became known as the Beltway Sniper attacks. A hole was cut at the rear of a blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice driven by Muhammad and Malvo, as a firing port to be used during their attacks. This allowed them to remain hidden and escape the scene following their attacks.

On October 2, a shot was fired in Aspen Hill, Maryland, but it didn't hit anybody, and it was originally presumed to be random, before it was later compared to the other shootings. Just an hour later, in a supermarket parking lot in Wheaton, Maryland, James Martin was shot and killed.

The next morning, all within a span of 2 hours and 17 minutes, 4 people were killed in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, all in open areas where they were easy targets: A man at a car dealership in Rockville; a man at a gas station in Aspen Hill; a woman at in a shopping center parking lot in Norbeck; and a woman at a gas station in Kensington. That night, a man was killed outside a Target in the Shepherd Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The next day, October 4, the pair of killers crossed the Potomac River into Virginia, and shot a woman in a mall parking lot in Spotsylvania. She survived. There were no shootings for 2 days, but on October 7, a 13-year-old boy was shot outside his school in Bowie, Maryland. He survived. On October 9, a man was shot and killed at a gas station in Manassas, Virginia. On October 11, a man was shot and killed at a gas station in Spotsylvania.

Charles Moose, Chief of the Montgomery County Department of Police, headed the investigation. Since more than one State was involved, he worked closely with the FBI even before one of their employees became a victim. On October 14, with the killers probably not realizing they were now messing with the wrong people, they shot a woman who was an FBI intelligence analyst in a shopping center parking lot in Falls Church, Virginia.

Just as a belief that the serial killer known as the Son of Sam was killing women with long blonde hair in New York in 1977, and women started tying their hair up or dying it, gas stations responded to these shootings by putting tarps up to conceal their customers, and some people crouched over while pumping their own gas.

It would take 5 more days before the shootings resumed. On October 19, a man was killed in a restaurant parking lot in Ashland, Virginia. At 90 miles, this was the furthest yet from downtown Washington. On October 22, a man was shot on his house steps in Aspen Hill.

Just after midnight on October 24, 2002, refrigerator mechanic Whitney Donahue called 911 at a rest stop off Interstate 70 near Myersville, Maryland. He said he saw a dark blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with New Jersey license plates, which matched the description that law enforcement had said they were looking for. At 3:19 AM, Muhammad and Malvo were found sleeping in their car, and were arrested on federal weapons charges.

The stolen Bushmaster rifle was found, and ballistics tests later conclusively linked it to 11 of the 14 shootings, including one in which no one was hurt. The Caprice was later discovered to have formerly been used as an undercover police car in Bordentown, New Jersey.

In total, Muhammad and Malvo were responsible for 27 people being shot, 17 of them fatally. There were 12 attacks in Maryland, 5 in Virginia, 2 in Louisiana, and 1 each in the District of Columbia, Washington State, Arizona, Georgia and Alabama.

In 2003, both defendants were convicted. Muhammad was sentenced to death, and was executed by lethal injection at Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia on November 10, 2009. As Malvo was legally a juvenile at the time of the shootings, he received 6 life sentences in Maryland and 3 in Virginia.

Charles Moose died in 2021. As of October 24, 2022, Mildred Muhammad, John Allen's ex-wife, is a motivational speaker and counselor, counseling people affected by crime, including the victims and the families of the perpetrators. Lee Malvo is serving multiple life sentences at Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Virginia. He is unlikely ever to be released alive. 

*

October 24, 2002 was a Thursday. This was also the day that Gary Lineker, former star soccer player for Leciester City Football Club, led a consortium to buy the team and save it from bankruptcy. the I have a separate entry for that event.

Game 5 of the World Series was played. The San Francisco Giants beat the team then known as the Anaheim Angels, 16-4. Jeff Kent hit 2 home runs. The most well-known moment in this game occurred in the bottom of the 7th inning, when Giants 1st baseman J.T. Snow scored off a Kenny Lofton triple. Three-year-old batboy Darren Baker, son of Giants manager Dusty Baker, ran to home plate to collect Lofton's bat before the play was completed, and was quickly lifted by the jacket by Snow with one hand as he crossed the plate, with David Bell close on his heels. Had Snow not acted quickly, Darren could have been seriously injured in a play at home plate.

The Giants were now 1 win away from winning the World Series for the 1st time in 1954, when they were still in New York. They would have to wait. Darren Baker was later drafted by the Washington Nationals as a 2nd baseman.

(UPDATE: In 2024, he played 9 games for the Nationals. These were his only major league games through the 2025 season.)

The NFL was in midweek. Two games were played in college football. Number 12 North Carolina State beat Clemson, 38-6 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. And Colorado State beat Brigham Young University, 37-10 at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The NBA season started 5 days later. There were 9 games in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders beat the Florida Panthers, 5-3 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators played to a tie, 2-2 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 6-2 at the First Union Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The San Jose Sharks beat the Nashville Predators, 2-1 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center (now the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2 at the American West Arena (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

* The Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames played to a tie, 3-3 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1 at the Skyreach Center (as the Northlands Coliseum was then known) in Edmonton.

* And the Vancouver Canucks and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim played to a tie, 2-2 at General Motors Place (now the Rogers Arena) in Vancouver.)