September 2 1821 St. Ferdinands Catholic church in Florissant was consecrated by Joseph Rosati, the first Bishop of St. Louis. St. Ferdinand is the oldest Catholic church between the Mississippi and the Rockies. The Old Cathedral was built 13 years later. 1850 Children’s poet Eugene Field was born. His most famous works are Wynken, Blynken, and Nod and Little Boy Blue. The Field home was originally one of a row of 12, called Walsh’s Row. Field may not have been born at 634 Broadway. When Mark Twain unveiled a plaque there in 1902, Field’s brother Roswell told Twain that Eugene was two when the family moved there. Twain remarked, “Officially and for the purpose of the future your brother was born here.” 1917 A civilian flying instructor made the first flight from Scott Field. The first class of 100 cadets would begin training on September 11, 1917. The base was named after Corporal Frank Scott, the first enlisted man to die in a plane crash. Scott is the only base named for an enlisted man. 1948 Los Angeles Rams running back Fred Gehrke hand painted Rams horns on the side of his helmet, the first time a team logo appeared on an NFL helmet. Gehrke was a former art student and a painter who thought the plain leather helmets were drab. Rams coach Bob Snyder gave him permission to paint a helmet and liked the results. Gehrke was paid $1 for each helmet he painted. Plastic helmets came out one year later. 1959 Jimmy Connors was born in Belleville, Illinois. He started playing tennis at age two and turned pro in 1972. Connors would become as famous for his clashes with judges, players, and tournament officials as much as for his aggressive play. Connors was ranked number one in the world from 1974 to 1978. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998. 1961 The talented chimpanzee, Mister Moke, returned to St. Louis. Zoo officials had kept up a diligent search since December of 1959, when Mister Moke was chimpnapped from his cage. His former owner had taken the chimp to perform in movies. Jerry Lewis agreed to delete a scene in The Bellboy featuring the chimp 1994 The Old Barn on Oakland Avenue closed its doors for good. A concert by Christian recording star, Carman Licciardello was the final event at the Arena. The Arena was built in 1929, as the home of the National Diary Show. The old barn hosted The Rolling Stones, Ronald Reagan, Blues Hockey, Spirits Basketball and Gypsy Caravans.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 10:10:00 +0000
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