Histortweet Week in Review - W/E October 17, 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 17, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE France, October 13, 1894–Nabbed for Esterhazy’s crime, defamed Dreyfus does decade on Devil’s Isle before exoneration, reinstatement: http://bit.ly/1KGnlQ
The Back-Story: [SFX:Whodunit; Lies lies lies] The Dreyfus affair became a symbol of anti-Semitism in late 19th Century France. Alfred Dreyfus, an immgrant from Germany and an officer in the French army, was convicted of treason for passing documents to the Germans and sent to Devil's Island. Some 10 years later, when evidence surfaced that pointed to Walsin Esterhazy, Dreyfus had a retrial, but prosecutors suppressed the new information[SFX: Keep It Dark]. Prominent writer, Emile Zola, wrote his famous "J'accuse" (I accuse) [SFX: J’Accuse] treatise, damning the legal shennanigans, and Dreyfus was eventually exonerated. He went on to continue a success career as an army officer. [SFX: An Innocent Man]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Edmonton, Canada, October 15, 1989 – The Great One cruises past Mr. Hockey on points: http://bit.ly/duJeR (video)
The Back-Story: [SFX: Hit Me with Your Best Shot] Wayne Gretzky entered the game against his former team, on their home ice, one point behind his idol, Gordy Howe's, all-time record of 1850. He scored early in the game to tie the record, and there it stood after two periods. Gretzky's body was so battered that he almost sat out the third period, but he soldiered on and scored a goal to tie the game and claim the record. [SFX:You're on Top of the World]

[SFX: SOUND827]: In other news: DATELINE Earth, October 12, 1999 : Somewhere in the world, 6 billionth human arrives. Birthday party as though it’s 1999: http://bit.ly/20EwJB:
The Back-Story: [SFX:1999; Saginaw; Just Enough for the City; Born in the USA; Born in East LA] The United Nations Population fund designated October 12, 1999, as The Day of 6 Billion. According to their calculations, on that date, somewhere in the world, [SFX: All Around the World] the 6 billionth human was born. While the date itself is disputed, with many researchers believing that #6 billion arrived months earlier, it serves as a symbolic line in the sand which, now crossed, mandates attention from the nations. [SFX: What's going on?; Too many people]

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

October 11: US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
October 12: Civil Rights Activist Dick Gregory
October 13: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
October 14: Colonialist William Penn
October 15: Duchess Sarah Ferguson
October 16:I Playwright Eugene O’Neill
And October 17: Playwright Arthur Miller

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