On this day in 1945, shortly after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb to be used in combat to the United States air base at Tinian in the North Marianas Islands in the Pacific, the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining crew faced exposure, dehydration and shark attacks as they waited for assistance while floating with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy learned of the sinking when survivors were spotted four days later by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Only 316 sailors survived. It was the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy. Indianapolis earned 10 battle stars for World War II service.
The Final Footprint– The USS Indianapolis National Memorial was dedicated on 2 August 1995. It is located on the Canal Walk in Indianapolis. The heavy cruiser is recreated in limestone and granite and sits adjacent to the downtown canal. The crewmembers’ names are listed on the monument, with special notations for those who lost their lives. References to the Indianapolis sinking and aftermath have been adapted to film, stage, television, and popular culture. The incident itself was the subject of 1991 made-for-television movie Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, with Stacey Keach portraying Captain Charles Butler McVay III. My favorite fictional reference to the event occurs in the Steven Spielberg film Jaws (1975) in a monologue by actor Robert Shaw, whose character Sam Quint is depicted as a survivor of the Indianapolis sinking.
On this day in 1975, labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. And on this day in 1982, he was declared dead in absentia. Born James Riddle Hoffa on 14 February 1913 in Brazil, Indiana. Hoffa was involved with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1932 to 1975, first as an organizer, then as the president from 1958 to 1971. He had ties to organized crime, and he went to jail in 1967 on a 13-year sentence for jury tampering, attempted bribery, and fraud. He did not resign his Teamsters presidency, though, until he made a deal with President Nixon in 1971. Nixon commuted his sentence, in exchange for Hoffa’s agreement to stay away from union activities until 1980. Not surprisingly, the Teamsters Union supported Nixon in his 1972 re-election campaign. Hoffa was not happy with the arrangement, but he had lost the support of the Teamsters and the Mafia, and Nixon’s restrictions were probably due to a request by senior union officials. Hoffa told friends he was going to meet with two Mafia leaders at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township. When he didn’t return by late that evening, his wife called the police, who found his car in the parking lot, but no sign of Hoffa.
The Final Footprint – His final resting place could be in the foundation of Giants Stadium or in the foundation of the Renaissance Center in Detroit.
On this day in 1989, professional bull rider and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) member, Lane Frost died in the arena at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo as a result of injuries sustained riding the bull Takin’ Care of Business, at the age of 25. Born Lane Clyde Frost on 12 October 1963 in La Junta, Colorado. He was the 1987 World Champion of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and a 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. He was the only rider to score qualified rides from the 1987 World Champion and 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull Red Rock. 
The Final Footprint – Frost is buried next to his hero and mentor Warren Granger “Freckles” Brown at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma. After Lane’s death, Cody Lambert, one of his traveling partners, and a founder of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), created the protective vest that all professional cowboys now must wear when riding bulls. In 1994, the biopic movie based on Frost’s life, 8 Seconds, was released. Luke Perry portrayed Frost in the movie. Lane’s best friend Tuff Hedeman was played by Stephen Baldwin. Lane’s memory has been honored in many ways. The medical team for the PBR league is named after Frost, as is the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award, given for the highest scoring ride at the PBR World Finals. The Lane Frost Health and Rehabilitation Center in Hugo, Oklahoma is dedicated to his memory. Garth Brooks paid tribute to Frost in his music video for the hit single “The Dance”, as did Randy Schmutz in the song “A Smile Like That.” Also, Texas country music artist Aaron Watson recorded the song “July in Cheyenne” as a tribute to Frost. In addition, the song “Red Rock” by The Smokin’ Armadillos is about Lane, and he is also mentioned at the end of Korn’s “Hold On” music video. Frost was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado in August 1990 and the PBR Ring of Honor in 1999, as well as the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, and the Oklahoma Sports Museum.
#RIP #OTD in 1996 (It Happened One Night, Cleopatra, The Palm Beach Story) Claudette Colbert died in Speightstown, Barbados, aged 92. Cremated remains Godings Bay Church Cemetery, Speightstown
On this day in 2003, businessman, record executive, record producer, DJ, label owner, and talent scout throughout the 1940s and 1950s, founder of Sun Studios and Sun Records in Memphis, Sam Phillips died in Memphis at the age of 80. Born Samuel Cornelius Phillips on 5 January 1923 in Florence, Alabama. Through Sun, Phillips discovered such recording talent as Howlin’ Wolf, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. The height of his success culminated in his launching of Elvis’ career in 1954.
The Final Footprint – Phillips is entombed in the mausoleum Garden of Trees in Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis. Another notable final footprints at Memorial Park include; Bobby Blue Bland, Isaac Hayes, Charlie Rich, and Bob Welch.
#RIP #OTD 2007 film director (The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage, Autumn Sonata), screenwriter, producer, playwright Ingmar Bergman died in his sleep at his home on the island of Fårö, Sweden, aged 89. Fårö Church
On this day in 2015 singer Lynn Anderson died at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville from a heart attack at the age of 67. Born Lynn Rene Anderson on September 26, 1947 in . Perhaps best known for a string of hits from the late 1960s to the 1980s, most notably “Rose Garden” (1970 written by Joe South). Anderson’s crossover appeal and regular exposure on national television helped her become one of country music’s first female superstars in the early 1970s; taking the genre to venues around the world that previously had not been receptive. In 1970, she became the first female country star to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Anderson was among the most highly awarded female country recording artists of her era.
Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hit singles. In addition to being named “Top Female Vocalist” by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the Country Music Association (CMA), she also won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People’s Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). Record World, one of three major industry trade magazines at the time (Billboard and Cashbox the other two), named Lynn Anderson ‘Artist of the Decade’ for 1970-80. Additionally, Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year. She continued to record and remained a popular concert draw until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers, and theaters.
Anderson was married to Grammy Award-winning songwriter Glenn Sutton from 1968 to 1977. In 1978, she married Louisiana oil tycoon Harold “Spook” Stream III. At the time of her death she had been in a relationship for 26 years with songwriter and producer Mentor Williams.
The Final Footprint
She is entombed at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville near her mother and father. In 2018, Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, often referred to as “Cemetery of Country Stars,” created “The Lynn Anderson Rose Garden,” consisting of 200 Lynn Anderson Hybrid Rose Bushes (named for the singer by the National Rose Society of America), as a place of reflection and meditation, in honor of Anderson’s signature song. Other notable final footprints at Woodlawn include; Eddy Arnold, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, Red Foley, Dobie Gray, George Jones, Johnny Paycheck, Webb Pierce, Marty Robbins, Jerry Reed, Dan Seals, Red Sovine, Porter Wagoner, and Tammy Wynette.
#RIP #OTD in 2022 actress, singer, dancer, Uhura in Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols died of heart failure in Silver City, New Mexico, at the age of 89. Cremated remains launched into space
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