This Week in American History

Here is what happened this week in American History.

• July 30. On this day in 1916, it is about 2 am when a massive explosion takes place on Black Tom Island in New Jersey. The explosion came after several small fires were discovered along the island’s pier. Stored on the island were about 2 million pounds of small arms ammunition and artillery ammunition along with about 100,000 pounds of TNT. After the initial explosion there was a second, smaller explosion. At least seven people were killed with hundreds wounded. Black Tom Island had been used as a major ammunition depot with much of the material being used to supply the Allies during World War I. The explosions destroyed warehouses and sent debris over a mile away. Windows were broken as far away as Philadelphia. It would be determined the explosions had been caused by German agents Kurt Jahnke and Lothar Witzke. Jahnke escaped, making his way back to Germany. He would be executed by Soviet agents in 1950. Witzke was arrested in Arizona near the Mexican border. He was imprisoned and later released, then deported back to Germany. A third person, Michael Kristoff, was arrested but later released due to lack of evidence.

• July 31. In 1874, Patrick Francis Healy is inaugurated as president of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Born in a log cabin in Macon, GA, Healy was a Catholic Priest and Jesuit. Healy considered himself to be white even though his mother was 1/8 black. By the laws of the time, Healy was considered black which means he was the first black American to earn a PhD and the first black president of Georgetown University — a predominately white institution.

• Aug. 1. Today in 1620, the sailing ships Speedwell and Mayflower are headed to America with Pilgrims on board both ships. Speedwell begins taking on water and is forced to return to London for repairs, but not before some of the passengers board Mayflower and continue toward America. Mayflower will be remembered in the pages of history while Speedwell is forgotten. Speedwell will reach America, arriving in 1635. After that voyage she returns to England, is refitted and sold. Whatever happened to her after that is unknown.

• Aug. 2. On this day in 1953, actor and musician Patrick Alan Lilley is born in Inglewood, CA. A talent scout noticed Lilley when he was just seven and he appeared in a variety of commercials and guest appearances. Then known as Butch Patrick he lands the role of a child werewolf in the popular television series “The Munsters” and later in “Munster Go Home”. Patrick will serve as a character actor in a wide variety of roles. Now 72, Patrick remains active.

• Aug. 3. In 2019, in El Paso, TX, Patrick Crusius enters a Walmart about 9 am. He spends about 30 minutes walking around the store before returning to his car. A few minutes later he enters the store again, this time purchasing an orange which he eats while inside the store and then goes back to his car. The El Paso girls soccer team is holding a fundraiser outside the store and shortly after 10:30 am, Crusius exits his car, goes to the trunk and retrieves a rifle. He begins shooting people in the parking lot, then enters the store and begins shooting people. At 10:41 he leaves the store again, shoots more people in the parking lot, then gets into his car and drives away. Crusius only drives a short distance before stopping and surrendering to Texas Rangers with an El Paso Police Department motorcycle officer. Among the 90 charges, he would be charged with 22 counts of committing a hate crime resulting in death, and 22 counts of using a firearm to commit murder. He would be sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences without parole and is currently held in jail in Palestine, TX.

• Aug. 4. Today in 1971, race car driver Jerr Gordon is born in Vallejo, CA. At the age of five, Gordon began racing quarter-midgets going on to become a major NASCAR star. Now 54, Gordon has retired from racing full-time and serves as Vice President of Hendrick Motorsports.

• Aug. 5. On this day in 1962, actress and model Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA. She was just 36 years old and had led a very troubled life including time living in an orphanage. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, she was known as one of the “Blonde Bombshell” characters and sex symbols popular in the 1950s into the early 1960s. There were reports of a relationship between Monroe and then President John F. Kennedy.

ADDENDUM – The Revolutionary War continues with both sides casting eyes toward New York. Loyalist David Mathews has been appointed Mayor of New York, which both sides recognized as strategically important. The result is the buildup of a large British military presence in New York. A few months earlier the North Carolina militia had defeated Loyalist Highlander Scots in the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge. And in March, the Continental Navy had conducted its first amphibious assault during which British military supplies were taken and the British Governor taken prisoner. Despite these actions, the British had little respect for the Continental Army and Navy, and even less for the militias.

The Korean War continues with Chinese and North Korean guerillas slipping through South Korean, UN and US lines to cause havoc, then slipping back on their side of the uneasy border.