Day Tripping: April 18

Funerals, Fires, and Farewells

Burial Presumed

Missionary and explorer during the Victorian age, Dr David Livingstone was given a near-state funeral in 1874. His remains which were at this point nearly a year old were interred at Westminster Abbey in England. Livingstone had actually died the previous April in a village of today’s Zambia while continuing his search for the mouth of the Nile River.

His body had been preserved by African tribesmen until retrieved by the British Navy. A legend of his time, Livingstone spent much of his life in Africa, living and helping the local people.

Destructive Tremor

A little after 5:00 am in 1906, an earthquake registering 7.9 in magnitude shook the city of San Francisco. The resulting fire that swept through and destroyed 75% of the city, also claimed nearly 4,000 lives. Of the remaining population of around four hundred thousand, an estimated two-thirds or more people were left homeless.

The flow of the Salinas River was completely diverted from the tremors, and surrounding cities of San Jose and Santa Rosa also saw their downtown areas obliterated. The San Francisco earthquake remains the largest loss of life in US history from natural causes.

Hanging Them Up

A capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York watches Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game after seasons in 1999. The highest scoring professional hockey player in history added one more point for an unreachable career total of 2,857 points.

The Great One played most of his professional career in Edmonton and Los Angeles, and he still owns more than 60 league scoring records. Many will likely remain unbroken.

Musical Milestones

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin returns to the top of American charts for a duet with George Michael called I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) in 1987. The collaboration represents the first time Franklin topped the charts since her smash hit Respect in 1967, a record thirty years.

Narratives

Alice Walker is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple in 1983. The book was later adapted into an award-winning film directed by Steven Spielberg.

Remembrance

Before he was America’s favourite New Year’s Eve host, Dick Clark was a mentor for various new music acts with his show American Bandstand. Clark died of a heart attack in 2012 at age 82.

Notable Births

1947 — Sometimes poker player, actor, and Mensa member James Woods.

1953—Canadian funnyman and film star Rick Moranis

1963 — Redhead string bean talk show host and comedian Conan O’Brien.

K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora

The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present

A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping