On This Date in Minnesota History: January 24

January 24, 1972 – “Fierce blizzard in SW, MN with 72 mph winds at Worthington, up to 10 inches of snow, schools closed and buses stranded, many sought shelter in farm homes.”

http://climate.umn.edu/doc/historical/winter_storms.htm

http://www.lakesnwoods.com/Worthington.htm

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 23

January 23, 1972 — “Minnesota Gopher basketball players beat up Ohio State players, hospitalizing their center, Luke Witte. Gopher players Corky Taylor and Rob Behagen are suspended for the remainder of the season.”

http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2008/07/part-2-150-minnesota-moments-wed-just-soon-forget

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=images+of+MN+Gophers+basketball&hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1166&bih=554&tbm=isch&tbnid=FwX8j81I9FLTkM:&imgrefurl=http://kstp.com/article/12531/&docid=EEh93JNHbYuSWM&imgurl=http://kstp.com/kstpImages/gophers_basketball.jpg&w=655&h=488&ei=FIbvUOm7LdDRqAGr2YDYBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=126&dur=108&hovh=194&hovw=260&tx=139&ty=101&sig=115892970580508059865&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=222&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:81

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 22

January 22, 1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade abortion ruling was announced on this date. Chief Justice Warren Burger and Associate Justice Harry Blackmun, childhood friends from St. Paul, Minn., were keys figures in this decision, but not in the way most people expected. Burger and Blackmun were conservatives, and much to the surprise and delight of pro-choice advocates, they “joined in Roe’s 7-2 majority, agreeing that a right to privacy extended to a woman’s abortion choice. Blackmun wrote the majority opinion. Burger wrote a separate concurrence.”

http://mn70s.tumblr.com/post/16282092007/roe-v-wade-and-the-minnesota-twins

Chief Justice Warren Burger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Warren_e_burger_photo.jpeg

Associate Justice Harry Blackmun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Blackmun#mediaviewer/File:Justice_Blackmun_Official.jpg

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 21

January 21, 1918 - Henry Miller, a wealthy, retired farmer near Fairmont who was born in Germany, pleaded guilty to charges of disloyalty and was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail.

After refusing to buy Liberty bonds and to subscribe to the Red Cross, Miller is alleged to have said: “America is all wind and blow and it is a damned poor country. The Kaiser is all right.”

After being sentenced Miller asked to be allowed to pay a fine, saying he didn’t want to go to jail.

“You have money to pay a fine but none for Liberty bonds,” replied the judge. “You will go to jail.”

The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “Wealthy Farmer Said United States ‘All Wind’; 60 Days In County Jail”; Jan. 21, 1918; p. 1.

http://www.lakesnwoods.com/FairmontGallery.htm

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 20

January 20, 1916 - Ka-Be-Nah-Gnay-Yance, better known as Indian Chief John Smith, reported to be 124 years old, was found lying beside a railroad track, is reported to be much better and is resting comfortably at the Cass Lake Hospital.

When he was brought in to the hospital he refused to lie in bed, but took a blanket and slept on the floor. Yesterday, however, after another Indian had slept in the bed to show him that there were no evil spirits there, he consented to sleep in the bed.

This morning, after a good night’s rest, he sat up in bed and smoked his pipe.


The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “John Smith is Reported Better. Aged Indian Consents to Go to Bed; Smokes Pipe; Talks to Friends.”; Jan. 1916; p. 1.

Ka-Be-Nah-Gnay-Yance, better known as Indian Chief John Smith

from a postcard

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 19

January 19, 1920 – Early today five masked men broke into the Standard Medical Company’s plant and escaped with more than $500,000 worth of morphine, cocaine and heroin, according to the Minneapolis police department.

Alfred Hanson, night watchman, said they broke the glass in a door and covered him with revolvers about 4 a.m., binding his hands and feet and gagging him.

The robbers were in the plant about 20 minutes, said the watchman today, and left with four large gunny sacks filled with drugs.

Two hours later, he said, he freed himself and called the police. Heads of the police department declared the robbers entered the building about 2 a.m. and carried a lot of drug plunder away in an automobile.

A wide-spread search was begun immediately.

The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “$500,000 ‘Dope’ Loot Secured By Five Bandits in Minneapolis. Break Glass Door, Bind and Gag Watchman; Take Morphine, Cocaine, Heroin. Standard Medical Co. Sacked By Robbers. Overpower Watchman at Point of Revolvers; Make Their Escape by Automobile.”; January 19, 1920; p. 1.

On This Date in Minnesota History: January 18

January 18, 1988 – Jamie Nelson came from behind to be “the first woman winner of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.”¹ The 470-mile race runs from Duluth to Grand Portage and back.²  “Nelson won $7,200 for her first place finish.”<sup>1

1</sup>The Duluth News-Tribune; “Winning Beargrease makes Nelson’s Day”; January 19, 1988; pp.1A & 8A.

²The Duluth News-Tribune; “Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon”; January 16, 1988; p. 4A.