It's a happy day, with feasting and flag-waving in some isolated jungle villages in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, celebrating the birthday of my favorite itinerant greek sailor Philip Mountbatten (Prince Philippos of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.)
The Duke of Edinburgh is worshipped as a god there.
Today in History
June 10, 1692 -
Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts after having been convicted of "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries."
Bishop is just the first casualty of what will come to be known as the Salem Witch Trials.
June 10, 1935 -
It's the anniversary of the establishment of A(lcoholics) A(nonymous), in Akron, Ohio. It was founded by a stockbroker named Bill Wilson and a surgeon, Bob Smith, who found that the best way to keep from drinking was to spend time with other people who were trying to keep from drinking. Between the two of them, they developed the main traditions of AA: anonymity, confession, and mutual support.
Alcoholics Anonymous grew rapidly in the '40s and '50s, but Bill Wilson refused to appear on the cover of Time, wouldn't accept an honorary degree from Yale, because believed in anonymity, and he stuck with it to the end.
Jun 10 1973 -
The 17-year-old grandson of J. Paul Getty is abducted in Rome. When the kidnappers demand a $17 million ransom, the billionaire refuses. "I have 14 other grandchildren, and if I pay one penny now, then I will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren." After the grandson's severed ear arrives in the mail, Getty finally coughs up the money.
What a cheap bastard - even if he had to pay $17 million dollars for each of his grandchildren, it still would have left him well over $750 million dollars of his estimated $1 billion dollar fortune.
This is the kind of love you can only find in families.
June 10, 1953 -
Argueably, one of the worse films ever (save those of auteur Ed Wood), Robot Monster was released upon an unsuspecting public, on this date.
The film was reportedly shot in just four days, utilized no sets, and was entirely filmed outside. A long standing film industry rumors has been that director Phil Tucker attempted suicide after the release of "Robot Monster", due to the overwhelmingly negative critical reaction it received.
June 10, 2004
Ray Charles Robinson known by his stage name Ray Charles, American pianist and musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues, died on this date.
And so it goes.
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