August 10
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1977: The night the Son of Sam was arrested
Just after 10 pm on this day in 1977, police arrested a 24-year-old postal worker who called himself the Son of Sam. One of New York City’s largest—and most frustrating—manhunts was finally over. For more than a year David Berkowitz had terrorized New York, murdering six people and injuring seven more in a series of eight shootings while taunting investigators and journalists with cryptic letters. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 365 years in prison.
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As the French Revolution (1787–99) continued, the country’s monarchy was effectively overthrown on this day in 1792 when King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie-Antoinette, were imprisoned (they were eventually guillotined). [How much do you know about French history?]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Mrs. William Stanley North in memory of William Stanley North, reference no. 1911.28 (CC0)
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida—a Spanish painter whose style was a variant of Impressionism and whose best works, painted in the open air, vividly portray the sunny seacoast of Valencia—died this day in 1923.
Famous Birthdays
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John White—DOCUMERICA/National Archives, Washington, D.C.
2008
American singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes—a pioneering figure in soul music whose recordings influenced the development of such musical genres as disco, rap, and urban-contemporary—died at age 65. [Take our music quiz.]
Collection, The Supreme Court of the United States, courtesy of the Supreme Court Historical Society
1993
American jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the second woman to serve on the court. [Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?]
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
1970
American musician Jim Morrison, lead singer of the Doors, went on trial in Florida, charged with various crimes after allegedly exposing himself during a Miami concert in 1969; he was later found guilty. [Test your knowledge of musical groups.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1950
Sunset Boulevard, considered one of Hollywood’s greatest films, had its world premiere; the film noir is especially noted for Gloria Swanson’s portrayal of a fading movie star. [Take our quiz about women in classic cinema.]
© Michael Mattox/Shutterstock.com
1793
The Louvre opened in Paris, and it later became the most-visited museum in the world. [Take our quiz about museums of the Western world.]
John R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.
1729
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, commander in chief of the British Army in North America (1776–78) who failed to destroy the Continental Army and stem the American Revolution, was born. [How much do you know about the American Revolution?]