Day Tripping: May 23

Riders, Renegades, and Rockers

Riding Tall

The Parliament of Canada established the North-West Mounted Police in 1873 to patrol the vast territories that were once the domain of the Hudson’s Bay Company. As the precursor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of today which was renamed in 1904, one hundred and fifty deputized officers patrolled an area that included all of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, parts of Northern Ontario, Alberta and today’s Northwest Territories.

This enormous undertaking was started at first to police the illegal whiskey trade running up from Montana. The iconic ‘mountie’ figure in a scarlet tunic and originally blue trousers, were called riders of the plains as they brought justice to an enormous territory including the Klondike Goldrush, and they quelled revolutionary uprisings.

Mowing Them Down

A posse of six men under the leadership of Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer, ambushed the infamous duo Bonnie and Clyde just outside of Sailes, Louisiana in 1934. Their stolen Ford V-8 sedan was pumped with about 130 bullets, killing both outlaws. Bystanders swarmed in as the smoke was still clearing to snatch ghoulish souvenirs from the notorious couple.

Altogether, Bonnie and Clyde were responsible for at least thirteen murders, nine of them policemen. The bullet-riddled car they died in is on display at Whiskey Pete’s Casino in Primm, Nevada.

Making A Stand

After MCA records bought out the small record company that produced Tom Petty’s first two albums, the two parties reach an impasse in negotiating further projects. Frustrated with a bevy of lawsuits and unwilling to transfer to MCA, Petty files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1979. Petty’s original contract stipulated the right to renegotiate if the smaller Shelter Records sold out.

The gambit works and Tom Petty who ‘won’t back down’ becomes a huge success with the resulting album, Damn The Torpedoes. His stand against corporate record giants also helped other acts to follow suit and as Petty put it, not be “bought and sold like a piece of meat”.

Musical Milestones

The first great rock opera in history, The Who’s Tommy was released in 1969. The musical story of a ‘deaf, dumb and blind boy’ spawned a movie and a Broadway theatre production.

Narratives

Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror, The Shining starring Jack Nicholson was released in 1980.

Remembrance

Before she was actor, director Ben’s mother, Anne Meara was one of a successful comic duo with her husband Jerry Stiller. Anne passed away in 2015.

Notable Births

1951 — Former World Champion chess player, Anatoly Karpov

1954 — Former World Champion Middleweight boxer, Marvelous Marvin Hagler

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 Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca

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