Hello California, goodbye Virginia

Wed., Sept. 7, 2005

The History Channel King Features Syndicate

• On Sept. 9, 1850, California becomes the 31st state in the union after Mexican diplomats cede the territory. They might have had regrets had they known that gold had been discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, Calif., nine days prior to signing.

• On Sept. 11, 1921, San Francisco police arrest actor and director Fatty Arbuckle on suspicion of manslaughter. Starlet Virginia Rappe had died of a ruptured bladder several days after an alleged sexual assault by the 350-pound Arbuckle. After two hung juries, Arbuckle was acquitted in 1922, but his films were banned.

• On Sept. 7, 1936, rock pioneer Buddy Holly is born in Lubbock, Texas. Holly popularized the standard rock band format of two guitars, a bass and drums. His blockbuster hits included “Peggy Sue,” “Oh, Boy!” and “Maybe Baby.”

• On Sept. 5, 1957, Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” one of the first novels of the Beat movement, is published. Kerouac wrote in fits of inspiration, fueled by amphetamine binges and lack of sleep. The entire book was written on a 120-foot scroll of paper and took only 20 days.

• On Sept. 8, 1960, Aguri Suzuki, one of Japan’s most successful race-car drivers, is born. Suzuki began his winning career in the Japanese Kart Championship, and eventually moved on to Formula 1 racing.

• On Sept. 6, 1976, a Soviet air force pilot lands his MiG fighter jet in Japan and asks for asylum in the United States. After a thorough analysis of the MiG-25, American experts concluded that the plane was quite fast, but also unwieldy and almost incapable of close-quarters combat.

• On Sept. 10, 1981, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s monumental anti-war mural Guernica is received by Spain after four decades of refugee existence. In 1939, Picasso gave the painting to New York’s Museum of Modern Art on an extended loan and decreed that it not be returned to Spain until democratic liberties were restored in the country.

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