Histortweet Week in Review - W/E October 24, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the week ending October 24, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Great Britain, October 19, 1989 – Guildford Four released as court reverses biggest miscarriage of justice in Britain: http://bit.ly/4fb2LC

The Back-Story: [SFX:Me and Julio; I Want to Break Free] Paul Hill, Gerry Conlon, Paddy Armstrong, and Carole Richardson were arrested and coerced into confessing various crimes related to IRA attacks. In spite of their later retractions and, in some cases, valid alibis, the four were convicted in October 1975, and given life sentences. In 1977, four IRA men confessed to the crimes for which the Guildford Four were serving sentences, but they the men were never charged. In 1989, a detective looking into the case unearthed evidence that the notes from the police interviews had been heavily manipulated. On the strength of this evidence, the four were granted an appeal, their convictions were ultimately reversed, and, after 15 years of imprisonment, the Guildford 4 were freed. In June, 2000, Prime Minister Tony Blair issued a formal apology to the four. [SFX: Freebird; Release Me]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Mexico City, October 20, 1968 – Fosbury flops to record height, Olympic gold, in Mexico City, revolutionizing sport: http://bit.ly/PiJQg (video)
The Back-Story: [SFX: Foppup; Jump; Jump Around] In the late 1950s, American colleges switched from sawdust on the landing side of the high-jump pit to large bundles of foam rubber. This change made possible a revolution in the sport. No longer limited by the need to land on his feet to avoid injury, Dick Fosbury devised an ingenious technique of running right up to the bar and arching his back over the bar as he jumped it backwards. He refined the technique, dubbed the “Fosbury Flop” by a local reporter, earning an NCAA title and, ultimately, an Olympic record and Gold Medal. His unorthodox (at the time) technique immediately gained popularity.[SFX:How I Got Over 7:35; It's a Living Thing]

[SFX: SOUND827]: Entertainment: DATELINE London, October 18, 1968 Yogi and Boo-Boo take down John and Yoko in drug bust: http://bit.ly/37emjY
The Back-Story: [SFX:Roses; Ashes to Ashes; Framed] Scotland Yard’s Detective Sergeant Norman Pilcher built his career targeting musicians for drug arrests. In 1968, he set his sights on John Lennon. John had been tipped to the impending raid three weeks prior, and had arranged to have his apartment meticulously cleaned, fearing that its previous tenant, Jimi Hendrix, may have left a trace of drugs behind. Pilcher came with his drug-sniffing dogs, Yogi and Boo Boo, and a huge contingent of police, expecting to find a large party in full swing. Although Lennon insisted that he was framed, and Pilcher was later jailed for corruption because of his deeds on the drug squad, the experience had huge repercussions on Lennon’s life, resulting in his deportation from the US, in 1971, and contributing to his and Yoko Ono’s loss of custody of Yoko’s daughter. [SFX: The No-No Song; Up in Smoke; Everybody must get Stoned]

[SFX: SOUND827] This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]

October 18: Jazz Great Wynton Marsalis
October 19: Pop Artist Peter Max
October 20: Composer Charles Ives
October 21: Israeli Statesman Benjamin Netanyahu
October 22: Composer Franz Liszt
October 23: Soccer Legend Pele
And October 24: Rock’n’Roll Pioneer The Big Bopper

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