31 Years and 3,000 miles removed from a life of crime...
Mrs. Shaw lives a tranquil life today in a lush Connecticut setting surrounded by daughters Gillian, Lydia and husband Bernard. She's a part-time actress with no burning desire to reach stardom - just content to find a role that fits. She'll have one this season in an episode of "Veronica Mars". Life was not so tranquil on this date in 1975 for the woman who bore the nickname of Tania...
Patty Hearst, granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst was captured on September 18th, 1975 in San Mateo (CA). At the age of 19 she claimed she had been kidnapped from the Berkeley apartment she shared with boyfriend Steven Weed (not former disc jockey Steve "Smokin" Weed of 99X fame). Her defense for helping the SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army) was "brainwashing" or the "Stockholm syndrome" in which captives become sympathetic with their captors. She also said she was coerced or intimidated into her part of a bank robbery, well documented around the world with that menacing photo of Hearst and the 7-headed SLA snake backdrop and an automatic M1 Carbine with sawed-off barrel in her hands. Hearst would later say that attorney F. Lee Bailey did a poor job in her defense in a trial that ended with a 7-year prison term handed down...
President Jimmy Carter would commute the 7 year sentence and Hearst would be released from prison in February of 1979, after serving 22-months of her sentence. She would be granted a full pardon in 2001 on the final day of Bill Clinton's presidency. On the day that Patricia Hearst was captured 31 years ago today, "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell was #1, the average price of a new home was $42,000 and a gallon of gas was a measly 57 cents. Skateboards, "Spiderman" and "mood" rings were hot and men were wearing double breasted gangster-banker suits, something Patty Hearst could have worn had the SLA been more fashion conscious...
Like all news stories, this one faded away, replaced by something else but the whole bizarre episode still remains a mystery. I always tended to give Patricia Hearst a free pass but there are those that believe that Hearst's acting career started in the 70's and as early as 1974...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- [1793] President George Washington lays the actual cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol (is this man the Father of our Country or not, folks ?)...
- [1851] The 1st issue of "The New York Times" is published (which means 155 years of black fingertips)...
- [1927] The Mother-Ship has landed. The Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System debuts with a network of 47 stations. The name of the company is later changed to (all bow down) CBS (thank you)...
- [1947] The U.S. Air Force is established as a separate military branch by the National Security Act...
- [1947] Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff perform at Carnegie Hall (it's the 1st country show at the venue and in New York City...
- [1955] The "Ed Sullivan Show" is the new name of "The Toast of the Town" on CBS-TV since 1948...
- [1960] Fidel Castro visits New York City. One of his stops is the Hotel Theresa in Harlem where he meets with Malcolm X...
- [1969] Tiny Tim announces his engagement to "Miss Vicki (Budinger)" to Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" (Johnny asks the pair to be married on the show which they will do in December)...
- [1977] "Courageous" captained by Ted Turner sweeps Australia in the 24th "America's Cup" at Newport (RI) (20 years later on this date, in 1997, Turner announces that over the next 10 years he will donate $1 billion to the U.N.)...
- [1994] The Ken Burns produced "Baseball" series of specials premieres on PBS (making a star of now 94 Buck O'Neill, a Negro League star)...
"Happy Trails": 1961] U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold who dies at 56 in a plane crash in Rhodesia (now Zambia)...1963] The New York Mets who play their last game at the Polo Grounds (which, of course they lost). Shea Stadium opens in 1964...1975] Jimi Hendrix of a drug overdose at 27...1994] Tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis dies at 40 of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning...
Released on this date: 1975] "More Than A Feeling" - Boston...
Premiered on this date: 1963] "The Patty Duke Show" (runs for 3 years)...1965] "I Dream of Jeannie" (and who didn't ?) starring Barbara Eden (runs for 5 years)...1965] "Get Smart" starring would you believe ? Don Adams and Barbara Feldon (runs for 5 years and forever in rerun)...
Wedding Bells: 2004] Britney Spears introduces us to Kevin Federline (we can't thank you enough, Britney) as the pair (of what ?) rock down the aisle...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
Commentary...
Okay so I was wrong about the Mets clinching over the weekend but they'll do it at home...
Timeline Countdown: 15 days until major league playoffs, 104 days left until 2007 and The Mets Magic Number is holding at: 1
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