[goofywife]

1947: Babe Ruth Day is celebrated

Babe Ruth was honored today at baseball parks across the United States. Ruth appeared at a special ceremony held at Yankee Stadium, "the house that Ruth built." Fans from all over the world heard Ruth's speech over their own stadium's loudspeakers, as his words were piped into other major and minor league parks.

"Walking slowly up the steps of the New York Yankee dugout Sunday afternoon in full view of the 58,339 'Babe Ruth day' fans, the 52-year-old Bambino was greeted by a thunderous roar. The greatest home run hitter the game ever produced stood a few feet away from the batters' box from which he used to bombard the bleachers surrounded by dignitaries," reported the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune on April 28, 1947. "It was still the same old Babe, putting in a plug for 'the kids,' his ever-faithful public, and boosting baseball as 'the only real game in the world.'"

NOTE: When Ruth spoke before his fans, he was still recovering from a serious neck operation to remove a cancerous tumor. He died from his battle with cancer on August 16, 1948, at the age of 53.

1974: Thousands march to impeach Nixon

"Thousands of persons, accompanied by rock music, streakers and the fragrance of marijuana, marched on the Capitol Saturday seeking speedy removal of Richard Nixon as President," explained The Times Standard on April 28, 1974. "The impeachment march was the first major protest in Washington since Nixon's second inauguration in January 1973. Chants of 'Throw the Bum Out' and 'No More Years' bounced against the walls of the Capitol. Signs read 'Pick out your drapes, Mrs. Ford' and 'Jail to the Chief.'" NOTE: Expecting to be impeached, Nixon announced his resignation on August 8, 1974.

1965: Edward R. Murrow dies

American journalist and CBS news anchor Edward R. Murrow died today of lung cancer. "Murrow gained fame during World War II when his broadcasts from London described in vivid detail the courage and tenacity of the British people under the Nazi blitz," informed The Sheboygan Press on April 27, 1965. "The war made him one of radio's legends. His vivid pictures of Londoners under fire, prefaced by his, 'This is London,' carried what Winston Churchill later called 'their finest hour' into millions of American homes and hearts."

1941: Nazis take Athens

Nazi forces marched on Athens, Greece today. "The citizens of Athens waited silently this morning, behind locked doors and shuttered windows, for the first sounds of German troops moving into the capital of Greece," reported The Port Arthur News just hours before the Nazis arrived. "No longer are there gay British soldiers in Athens. No more does one see the friendly uniforms of Greece's allies. As the Athenians walked to their homes Saturday night, driven indoors by the early curfew, they saw only a few British soldiers."

1897: Grant's Tomb is dedicated

Today, on the 75th anniversary of the birth of General Ulysses S. Grant, almost one million people gathered in New York City for the dedication of Grant's tomb. "It was an occasion more of triumphant eulogy and national pride than of funeral rite, for in these 12 years since first the nation mourned for Grant the keenness of grief has worn away and in its place there lives in the hearts of men that hero-worship which found such tumultuous vent yesterday. The greatest of our citizens, our soldiers and our sailors stood side by side with men of fame from almost every nation of the earth and paid without regard to race, or creed, or party prejudice, the last and long delayed honor of the living to the dead," explained The Fort Wayne News on April 28, 1897. NOTE: The answer to the famous Groucho Marx riddle “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” is nobody, as both Grant and his wife are entombed and not buried there.