Cahokia was an ancient city built by the Mississippians, native Americans from the years 800-1600 AD. This period is known as the Mississippian Period in the southeastern and midwestern US. Cahokia is in present day Illinois, close to St. Louis MO. The peoples’ way of life began to develop in the Mississippi River Valley, and they are thus named Mississippians.
Louis IX of France was canonized as St. Louis only 27 years after his death by Pope Boniface VIII.
St Ignatius of Loyola was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. He is venerated as the patron saint of Catholic Soldiers. St Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1541, becoming its first Superior General (aka, “Black Pope”).
There are four Loyola Universities in the U.S.:
- Loyola University Chicago
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Loyola University Maryland (located in Baltimore)
- Loyola Marymount University (located in Los Angeles)
The first three are administered by the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order); Loyola Marymount is jointly run by the Jesuits, along with The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.
The 1989-1990 Loyola Marymount Lions basketball team led the NCAA in scoring for the third year in a row, averaging a still-record 122.4 points per game. They were led by second-team All-Americans Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers. Kimble led the nation in scoring with an average of 35.3 points per game.
On March 4, 1990, during a game against Portland in the conference tournament, Gathers collapsed and died. Playing in his memory, the team made a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, defeating defending champ Michigan 149-115 in the second round. They lost to eventual champion UNLV in the regional finals by the score of 131-111.
To honor his friend Hank Gathers after his death, Bo Kimble shot his first free throw in the next game left-handed.
He made it.
Wow, I remember that. Hard to believe that was over 34 years ago.
Erik Spoelstra, the head coach for the NBA’s Miami Heat (and he’s part Filipino!), has been the head coach for 16 years ever since Pat Riley decided to step down. Spoelstra was Riley’s hand-picked successor. Spoelstra played college ball for the Portland Pilots in Portland Oregon.
Spoelstra was on the floor and about 5 feet away from Hank Gathers when he collapsed. Gathers attempted to get up, telling the athletic trainers, “I don’t want to lay down!” Shortly after, he stopped breathing. Gathers was pronounced dead at nearby Marina Del Rey Hospital by 7PM that evening. Hank Gathers was 23 years old when he died.
Jon Spoelstra, Erik’s father, was general manager for the Portland Trailblazers from 1979 to 1989. He was hired by the Denver Nuggets, but returned to Portland three months later after being fired by Nuggets management. He taught sports marketing at University of Portland, while Erik played for the Pilots. In 1991 Jon joined the New Jersey Nets, becoming team president in 1993.
Coach George Karl coached the Seattle SuperSonics during the 1994 NBA Playoffs. They were the first #1 seed to lose to a #8 seed when they lost to the Denver Nuggets.
Jon Ryan was the first Saskatchewanian to be on a Super Bowl winning team, with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.
Joe Kapp was the first quarterback to start in a Rose Bowl, a Grey Cup, and a Super Bowl. To date he is the only quarterback to have started for a team in those three games.
In Super Bowl LII, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton, becoming the first player to both throw and catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.
As noted, Nick Foles was the winning quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. Drew Brees was the winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. Both Folks and Brees are alumni of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
Robert Ray Akins was 19 years old when he landed on Okinawa in April 1945 with the 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. “I was hoping I would live to be 20,” Akins said about his experience.
Robert Ray Akins was the grandfather of Drew Brees.
Following the assassination of Rev Martin Luther King Jr, James Earl Ray fled to Toronto where he obtained a false passport under the name Ramon Sneyd. He flew to London, then on to Lisbon, Portugal, before returning to London. When he attempted to fly to Brussels, Belgium, he was arrested and returned to the US in the custody of FBI agents. Ray confessed to killing MLK and sentenced to 99 years in prison before recanting his confession, claiming he made it under duress.
In 1998 Attorney General Janet Reno ordered a new investigation into King’s murder. The committee rejected Ray’s claim of conspiracy. One of the factors was Ray’s explanation of his fingerprints on the weapon and rounds: Ray stated he purposefully left those at the scene of the crime because he wanted to become a famous criminal, and he expected George Wallace to win the 1968 presidential election and eventually pardon him.
Luis Filipe was King of Portugal for 20 minutes. His father Carlo I was assassinated on 1 February 1908 while traveling with his family in a carriage. He was shot in the neck and died immediately making the Prince Royal Luis Filipe king. He spent his reign slumped in the carriage mortally wounded.
Infante D. Manuel, younger brother of Luis Filipe and second son of Carlos I, ascended to the throne of Portugal following the assassinations of his father and elder brother. He took the title of Manuel II at the age of 19. His reign ended with the fall of the monarchy during the revolution in October of 1910, and he lived the remainder of his life in exile in England. He died in 1932 at the age of 42.
Rajiv Gandhi was the 6th Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989 when he was defeated in an election. Soon after, in 1991, he was assassinated at the age of 46. When he was 40, his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
India ink (or Indian ink) was invented in China in the third millennia. It’s English name derives from being imported from India in the mid-17th century.
The national election in India is currently underway. Because of the sheer numbers of its citizens, the diversity of its population, and the physical size of the country, the election runs from April 19 until June 1. An estimated 969 million people are eligible to vote.