It was on this day in 1969 that four people died during a free concert at the Altamont Speedway in California. One man, Meredith Hunter, was stabbed by a member of the Hell’s Angels (who were providing security for the event) while The Rolling Stones played onstage. Two other people were killed from a hit&run accident and one drowned in a canal. Coincidentally, four babies were born during the festival. Other bands that also played include Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. The Grateful Dead were scheduled to play, but refused to go onstage after hearing about one of the members of Jefferson Airplane being knocked unconscious (while on-stage and performing) by the security team.
The earliest event that Wiki says happened on this day is “1060 – Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary” and the most recent is “2008 – The 2008 Greek riots break out upon the murder of a 15-year-old boy, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, by a police officer.”
A few other things that also occurred on this day are:
1768 – Encyclopedia Britannica is first published.
1849 – Harriet Tubman escapes from her slave owner.
1865 – Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, making slavery illegal.
1964 – “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” is first broadcast on TV.
Happy birthday to Steven Wright and Tom Hulce.