This Week in American History: 1945 – Desmond Doss Awarded Medal of Honor

Here is what happened this week in American History.

• Oct. 8. On this day in 1956, New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen is on the mound facing the Brooklyn Dodgers in game five of the 1956 World Series. The teams were tied at two games each. Larsen turned in a masterful performance, tossing a perfect no-hitter on 97 pitches and facing the minimum 27 batters. It remains the only perfect game in World Series play.

• Oct. 9. In 1936, hydro-electric generators begin producing electricity at Boulder Dam, transmitting it to Los Angeles. Located in Clark County, Nevada and Mohave County, Arizona, today the dam is known as Hoover Dam. It has been recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and designated as a National Historic Landmark.

• Oct. 10. Today in 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns from the office amid charges of income tax evasion. A former governor of Maryland, Agnew served under President Richard Nixon. Agnew was investigated for charges of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud involving his time as governor. He would eventually plead no contest to a single charge of tax evasion. He died in 1996 of acute leukemia.

• Oct. 11. On this day in 1776, the British score a victory in the Battle of Valcour Island. One of the first naval battles of the Revolutionary War, it took place on Lake Champlain in Valcour Bay between the New York mainland and Valcour Island. Under his command, American Gen. Benedict Arnold had just 15 small warships ships while the British had 35 warships, including 28 gunboats of which Arnold had none. The numbers do not tell the entire story as just two of the British ships, Inflexible and Thunderer, had more cannons that the entire American fleet combined. The fledging American Navy lost a schooner and gundalow along with 80 killed or wounded and 120 captured. The British lost a single gunboat with 40 killed or wounded. Under the cover of darkness, American naval units slipped away to make repairs and prepare for the next fight – coming in just a few days.

• Oct. 12. In 1945, Desmond Doss becomes the first conscientious objector to be awarded the US Medal of Honor. A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Doss grew up in a devout household. He was working in a Newport News shipyard when he was drafted. Doss could have gotten a deferment because of his work, but did not. However, he opposed killing another person and became a medic. Doss’s exploits serving in the Pacific Theater are incredible. He was awarded the Purple Heart three times and the Bronze Star twice. During the Battle of Okinawa, Doss was credited with saving the lives of 75 to 100 wounded infantrymen. He was wounded four times and suffered a fracture of his left arm from a sniper’s bullet. He kicked a hand grenade away from himself and fellow soldiers suffering 17 pieces of shrapnel embedding in his body. For his actions during the Battle of Okinawa, Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor.

• Oct. 13. Today in 1983, Ameritech Mobile Communications starts the first cellular network in the US.

• Oct. 14. On this day in 1968, Jim Hines, of Dumas, Arkansas, becomes the first sprinter to complete the 100-meter sprint in less than 10 seconds. He had a time of 9.95 seconds.