1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,280 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, We're rerunning two episodes today, which means you 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: might hear two hosts. Enjoy the show. Welcome to this 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot com 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: and from the desk of Stuff you Missed in History Class. 5 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: It's the show where we explore the past, one day 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: at a time with a quick look at what happened 7 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: Tracy V. Wilson, and it's November. On this day in night. 9 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: San Francisco Mayor George Musconey and Supervisor Harvey Milk were 10 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: assassinated by former supervisor Dan White. White had resigned seventeen 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: days earlier, but he had tried to be reinstated as 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: a member of the Board of Supervisors. But while the 13 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: mayor had initially said that he would be able to 14 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: return to his job, when he made this request, the 15 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: mayor refused. Mayor Musconey had run on a platform of 16 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: social progress and inclusion, and while in office he had 17 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: appointed women and people of color and gape Bowl to 18 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: government positions. White, on the other hand, had campaign with 19 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: the slogan of unite and fight, and in one pamphlet 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: he had said quote I am not going to be 21 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: forced out of San Francisco by splinter groups of radicals, 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: social deviats, and incorrigibles. He had also voted against a 23 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: gay rights ordinance in San Francisco. The mayor had seen 24 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: an opportunity to replace White with somebody who was more 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: in line with his own goals. He had tried to 26 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: pass a number of reforms before White's resignation, and they 27 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: had consistently failed by one vote. So on the day 28 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: of the murders, Mayor Musconey was planning to announce White's replacement, 29 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: but on the morning of the seven, White entered the 30 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: building through a window to bypass metal detectors. He entered 31 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: Musconey's office and shot him four times, and then he 32 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: went into the office of Harvey Milk in the supervisor's 33 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: chambered down the hall and shot him five times before 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: leaving the building. Later on he said that there were 35 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: others he had planned to kill it City Hall as well. 36 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: Acting Mayor Diane Feinstein, who had been the person to 37 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: discover Harvey Milk's body, made this announcement quote as president 38 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: of the Board of Supervisors, it's my duty to make 39 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: this announcement. Both Mayor Musconey and Supervisor Harvey Milk have 40 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: been shot and killed. The assembled crowd was stunned and 41 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: very vocal, and once they were quieted, she continued quote, 42 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: the suspect is Supervisor Dan White. White's defense when this 43 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: came to trial was diminished capacity, and that has come 44 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 1: into common parlance as the twinkie defense. But that idea 45 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: is really a myth. There were some mentions of junk 46 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: foods in one psychiatrist testimony in this trial, but it 47 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: was really about being under a huge amount of stress 48 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: and prone to cycles of depression. So the testimony about 49 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: junk food wasn't that Dan White ate a bunch of 50 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: twinkies and this caused him to commit murder. It was 51 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,119 Speaker 1: that the junk food based diet was a symptom of 52 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: his struggling mental health, and that it also exacerbated the 53 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: existing underlying problems that he was having. The twinkie defense 54 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: nickname was spread through news coverage but doesn't actually describe 55 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: how junk food came up in the trial. Even though 56 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: he had confessed to the crime and he had reloaded 57 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 1: his gun before approaching Harvey Milk. Dan White was found 58 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: guilty of manslaughter rather than murder. He was sentenced to 59 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: seven years eight months in prison and would ultimately serve 60 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: a little more than five years. The verdict led to 61 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: a public outrage, including what came to be known as 62 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: the White Knight Riot and a candle light march from 63 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: San Francisco's Castro District to city Hall. California later abolished 64 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: the diminished capacity defense in part because of its successful 65 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: use in Dan White's trial. He took his own life 66 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: after getting out of prison. In in a lot of ways, 67 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: the assassination of Harvey Milk has overshadowed that of Mayor Muscony. 68 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials 69 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: in the United States, and he was a known public 70 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: figure and activist in San Francisco. How or whether homophobia 71 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: affected White's actions and the jury's verdict has been debated 72 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: in the years since all of this happened, and Milk 73 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: himself has become a lot more widely known in the 74 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: context of the gay rights movement. But the mayor was 75 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: Dan White's primary target, and in addition to Harvey Milk, 76 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: he had planned to target to other elected officials, and 77 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: according to reports, White blamed all four of them for 78 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: his loss of his position as supervisor. Thanks to Eves 79 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: Jeff Cope for her research work on today's podcast, and 80 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: thanks to Casey Pigraham and Chandler Mays for their audio 81 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: work on this show. You can subscribe to the Stay 82 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: in History Class on Apple Podcasts, Google podcast wherever real 83 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,479 Speaker 1: to get your podcasts, and you can tune tomorrow for 84 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: another story about pirates. Hey y'all, I'm Eves, and welcome 85 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: to this Day in History Class, where we uncover a 86 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: new layer of history every day. The day was November 87 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: eighteen ten. English writer Theodore Hook sent hundreds of service 88 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 1: providers and products to number fifty four Burner Street in 89 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: London as a prank. Fifty four Burner Street was located 90 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: in a wealthy part of London. It was the home 91 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: of a woman referred to as Miss Tottenham, who herself 92 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: was wealthy and lived near a bunch of influential people. 93 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,239 Speaker 1: At about five in the morning, a chimney sweep arrived 94 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,119 Speaker 1: at number fifty four, saying that he had been called 95 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 1: to the address. The maid who answered the door told 96 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: the chimney sweep that no chimney swe was needed there 97 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: and turned him away. But soon after another Jimmy Sweep, 98 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: showed up at the house saying that he had also 99 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 1: been called there. She sent him away too, But people 100 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: kept showing up at Miss Tottenham's doorstep, claiming their services 101 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: had been ordered, and they came with all kinds of goods. 102 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: There were cakemakers carrying wedding cakes, doctors, apothecaries, surgeons, lawyers 103 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: and vicars, and priests who had been told that someone 104 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,239 Speaker 1: inside the house was dying. Six men delivered an organ, 105 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: butchers came with legs of mutton. Fishmongers, bootmakers and hat 106 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: makers showed up. Pianos and coal wagons were delivered to 107 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 1: the house. The Lord Mayor of London even showed up 108 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: at number fifty four with a couple of his servants, 109 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: saying that Mrs Tottenham had written saying she was sick 110 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: and would appreciate his visit. Other big names showed up 111 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: to enjoy the spectacle, like the Governor of the Bank 112 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,080 Speaker 1: of England, the chairman of the East India Company, me 113 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: and the Duke of Gloucester, and more random trades people 114 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: were making an appearance at the house. There were artists, auctioneers, grocers, 115 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: barbers with wigs, and an undertaker with a coffin. A 116 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: crowd gathered in the area to watch all the commotion. 117 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: The police blocked off the street, but it took a 118 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: while for the crowd to thin out. Many newspapers reported 119 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: on the incident. The Morning Post even included some of 120 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: the letters sent in the name of Miss Tottenham. One 121 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: red Miss Tottenham requests Mr Blank will call upon her 122 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: at two tomorrow as she wishes to consult him about 123 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: the sale of an estate fifty four Burner Street Monday. 124 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: At that point, the perpetrator of the hoax was a mystery, 125 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: and the police offered a reward for finding them. But 126 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: within a couple of years, Theodora Hook, known for his jokes, 127 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,679 Speaker 1: had emerged as a suspect. Later accounts of the debacle 128 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: said that Hook and a couple of his friends has 129 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: spent weeks writing anywhere between a thousand and four thousand 130 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: letters to people asking them to show up at number 131 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: fifty four on that day. It's not completely clear why 132 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: Hook singled out Miss Tottenham. Some said it was a 133 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: bet between him and a friend, perhaps the architect Samuel Beasley, 134 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: to make the house the most famous one in London. 135 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: It could have been just for fun, as other hoaxers 136 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: have pulled similar stunts before. Either way, no criminal charges 137 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 1: were brought against Hook, and the story of the hoax 138 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: lived on in popular culture. I'm Eves Jeff Coote and 139 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 140 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If there's something I missed in the 141 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: show today, you can let us know at p D 142 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: i h C Podcast on Twitter, Facebook, for Instagram. You 143 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,839 Speaker 1: can also email us at this day at I heart 144 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thank you for listening to today's episode. 145 00:08:56,040 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: We'll see you again tomorrow with another one.