This Day…

1989 – Reverend Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000 for his conviction on 24 counts of fraud. In 1991, his sentence was reduced to eighteen years and he was released on parole after a total five years in prison.

1836 – Sam Houston becomes the first President of Texas.

1921-12-23 Gangster Carlo Gambino enters the United States as an illegal immigrant on the SS Vincenzo Florio.

On September 30, 1982, 6 unsuspecting people took Tylenol brand acetaminophen capsules that had been filled with potassium cyanide, killing those unfortunates nearly instantly. A seventh person later died by the same unknown perpetrator and copy-cat crimes killed a few more. The murders were never solved.

2000 – In Denver, CO, the U.S. District Court denied Timothy McVeigh’s request for a new trial.

1973 – U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned after being charged with federal income tax evasion.

1920 – Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted in what was called the “Black Sox” scandal. They were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

On this day in 1931 Crime boss Salvatore Maranzano is shot and stabbed to death in New York City by four men working for Charles “Lucky” Luciano, one of the flashiest figures in organized crime. At one time, Luciano was living at the Waldorf Astoria and taking in over a million dollars a year, while declaring only a small income. He was always seen with a Broadway showgirl on his arm, although he reportedly had a fondness for prostitutes in private.

1873 – Calamity Jane claims to have given birth to Wild Bill Hickok’s daughter, Jeney.