George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.  Missing: Otto Mandelstein.

On this day in 1933, Mount Rushmore is dedicated. The original four faces are that of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Otto Mandlestein, and Abraham Lincoln. Mandlestein's face will be replaced (see above) by Theodore Roosevelt after his check bounces.

On this day in 1933, King Kong premieres in New York City and, as part of the promotion, the owners of the Loew's State Theater hire a giant gorilla act to perform before the start of the movie, but the gorilla escapes, the premiere is cancelled, and the audience streams into the streets in panic as the giant gorilla hurls automobiles and subway cars in all directions. He is finally subdued at the top of the Empire State Building by a squadron of single-engine fighter planes which riddle the ape with bullets, causing him to tumble from the top of the world's tallest building, but not before letting go of a young blonde aspiring actress, whom he had snatched up during the escape. The entire incident is filmed, edited into a feature movie and premieres at the very same Loew's State Theater in New York City exactly one year later.

On this day in 1934, John Dillinger breaks out of jail using a wooden pistol and will go on to be declared "Public Enemy Number One" by none other than the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover who, ironically, is also Dillinger's lover.

On this day in 1991, motorist Rodney King is severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers, it's captured on video and goes on to win the Emmy for Best Police Beating of a Citizen, Special or Series.


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