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Home > Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson > Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson -- April 29
Podcast: Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson
Episode:

Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson -- April 29
Category: Education
Duration: 00:07:59
Publish Date: 2018-04-29 11:10:58
Description:

APRIL 29 1992-Three out of four white police officers for the LAPD …were acquitted for the beating of Rodney king. My goodness what a mess that was. On March 3, 1991, King was stopped by police after a high speed chase and was severely beaten. A local witness videotaped much of it from his balcony and sent the footage to a local station, and when the nation saw five police officers surrounding King, anger over racial tension were ignited.

The jury consisted of 10 whites, one Hispanic, and one Filipino, made their announcement on April 29th, and the South Central L.A. instantly lit up in flames. For three days the riots and arson ensued, finally requiring military force. The acquittal also led to the federal government’s obtaining grand jury indictments for violations of King’s civil rights, and two of the officers were found guilty and then I imprisoned.

For the remainder of his life, Rodney King continued to get in trouble with law enforcement for driving while intoxicated, hitting his wife with his car, and more violations of reckless driving and failing to stop for police officers.

In May 2008, King checked himself into rehab and was filmed as a cast member of TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and Sober House. He won a celebrity boxing match against a police officer in 2009, and eventually died in the bottom of his pool. The autopsy showed the cause of drowning may have been induced by alcohol, cocain, marijuana, and PCP found in his system.

1863 – Happy Birthday, The Chief. William Randolph Hearst, ...perfector of yellow journalism. His dad George was a wealthy miner in San Francisco. William went to private schools and toured Europe, and later went to Harvard where he was expelled for huge beer parties and sending pudding pots used as chamber pots to his professors, with their images depicted within the bowls.

He was inspired by The New York World newspaper and its publisher, Joseph Pulitzer. Through his wealthy father, William started running The San Francisco Examiner newspaper to promote his political career. He hired writers such as Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and Jack London. He filled his newspaper with half truths and sensationalism and it was a big hit. He purchased New York Journal, both Morning and Evening, and eventually took the New York newspaper market away from Pulitzer.

Hearst is well known for convincing America to go to war with Spain in the late 1890s. He got into politics but couldn’t get elected for anything higher than House of Representatives. These days, his giant California castle is a State Historical Monument and a National Historic Landmark, open for public tours. If you haven’t been already, I suggest you check it out.

1776-Nathanial Greene takes command of Long Island. And he held onto it for a few months until August when the British easily came in and took it back. Greene would later take command in the Southern Campoaign, where he forced British general Charles Cornwallis to abandon the Carolinas and head for Virginia. Greene. These days, America has cities, counties and parks named in honor of Nathanial Greene.
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