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🇺🇸This Week In History - Reagan's Failed Assassination

🇺🇸This Week In History - Reagan's Failed Assassination

The week of March. 30 - April. 5 throughout history.

April 01, 2025

Welcome back History Nerds,

We hope you’ve had a good start to your week, and if not, maybe we can make it better with some fun topics that happened this week in history. Anyone else remember hearing about those dance marathons from the ‘20s? Well they kicked off this week almost 100 years ago. There was also a plane that got overtaken by a bunch of lab monkeys, but I’m sure you’ve never heard of that one. Make sure you respond to this email if we missed anything from this week, and be sure to enjoy.

Did You Know? On April 3, 1973, a Motorola engineer made the first mobile phone call—while walking down a New York City sidewalk. He called a rival at Bell Labs just to rub it in. The phone? 10 inches tall and weighed 2.5 pounds. No selfie cam, but plenty of bragging rights.

During Your History Lesson You’ll Learn About:

27 Hour Dance Marathon
The Day Reagan Took a Bullet
When Monkeys Took Over a Plane
The Grunge Icon Who Burned Bright and Fast

The Roaring Twenties’ Dance Marathons

On March 31, 1923, in the sweaty, jazz-soaked heart of New York City, Alma Cummings laced up her shoes and danced her way into history—27 hours straight, six partners, one bizarre idea that sparked a craze nobody saw coming. This wasn’t just dancing; it was a brutal gut-check, born in a time when Prohibition had shut down the booze joints and folks were climbing walls for something to do. The Roaring Twenties were already a circus—people sitting on flagpoles for weeks, racers biking across states like maniacs, it was out of control. But Alma, a 32-year-old dance teacher fed up with normal, took over the Audubon Ballroom—a grand venue known for its beautiful chandeliers and performances—and drew in large crowds eager to see human endurance stretched to its breaking point.

It kicked off innocently enough with Alma hitting the floor the floor first. The rules were simple: keep moving, no matter what. By hour 27, her legs were jelly, her partners were wrecks, and the crowd was hooked. Word spread fast—soon, dance marathons popped up nationwide, a mix of desperation and delirium fueled by the era’s obsession with pushing limits. People didn’t just dance; they collapsed, tied themselves to half-asleep partners, or shuffled on like zombies, all while onlookers cheered and bet on who’d crash first. It’s still really hard to believe this was an actual thing.

By the ‘30s, these marathons were everywhere, drawing broke souls chasing prize money and thrill-seekers chasing a story. Towns banned them when the injuries piled up—broken ankles, fainting spells, one guy even danced himself into a heart attack. Newspapers ate it up, calling it a “dance of doom,” while promoters raked in cash from ticket sales. Alma’s stunt didn’t change the world, but it left a mark—a weird, sweaty footnote in a decade that couldn’t sit still.

The Day Reagan Took a Bullet—and Kept the Jokes Coming

On March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his presidency, Ronald Reagan was shot outside a Washington, D.C. hotel in a failed assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. Hinckley wasn’t after political change—he was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster (yes, really). He fired six shots, hitting a police officer, a Secret Service agent, Reagan’s press secretary James Brady, and Reagan himself, who was struck in the chest by a bullet that ricocheted off the presidential limo.

Despite being seriously wounded, Reagan kept his cool—and his sense of humor. On the way into surgery, he famously told doctors, “I hope you’re all Republicans.” He spent nearly two weeks recovering in the hospital, while the nation held its breath. James Brady, who suffered a severe head injury, would go on to become a leading voice for gun control legislation. And Hinckley? He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent decades in a psychiatric facility.

Reagan bounced back quickly, becoming the first U.S. president to survive being shot while in office. His recovery helped boost his popularity and cemented his image as a tough, unshakable leader. The attempt may have failed, but it gave America one of its wildest “wait, did that just happen?” moments in modern political history—and proved that even after taking a bullet, Reagan could still deliver a punchline.

Trivia Time

In every issue of LOL History, we take a break from sharing historical events to bring you a quirky trivia section. Get ready to challenge your brain and impress your friends with some seriously weird knowledge

What did people use before toilet paper was invented?

The Great Monkey Escape

On April 4, 1968, a BOAC jet flew from London to New York when the cargo hold gave way, and dozens of rhesus monkeys broke free. These lab-bound troublemakers turned the cabin into a zoo mid-flight, swung from racks, snatched hats, and chucked snacks like it was a bar fight. Passengers sat stunned, the crew scrambled, and by the time the plane hit JFK, chaos reigned—monkeys ruled the roost at 30,000 feet.

When the doors swung wide, the monkeys bolted onto the tarmac, dodging nets and climbing baggage carts. Ground staff chased them for hours, rounding up most, while passengers shared wild stories of their furry co-pilots. Newspapers went nuts—headlines shouted “Monkeys Took Flight!” and dubbed it “The Great Monkey Migration,” a name that stuck because it was just that crazy. A few monkeys even slipped away, hiding out at JFK for days.

It was a classic ‘60s mess. BOAC apologized, animal groups complained about the crates, and the whole thing sparked debates about shipping live cargo. The monkeys eventually reached the lab, but for one wild day, they turned a routine flight into a zoo—and gave history a story nobody could forget.

Kurt Cobain: The Grunge Icon Who Burned Bright and Fast

On April 5, 1994, the world lost Kurt Cobain, frontman of the legendary grunge band Nirvana, to suicide at his home in Seattle. He was just 27 years old, joining the infamous “27 Club” of musicians gone too soon. Cobain wasn’t your typical rock star—he hated fame, distrusted the music industry, and preferred raw emotion over polished perfection. But that’s exactly what made Nirvana so powerful. With songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are,” the band exploded into the mainstream and accidentally turned Cobain into the voice of a generation.

Though he never wanted the spotlight, Cobain’s impact on music and culture was massive. He opened the door for alternative rock, gave a voice to the misunderstood, and made flannel shirts cool forever. His lyrics were messy, emotional, and painfully real—just like life. Decades later, fans still connect with his music, proving that while Kurt Cobain may be gone, his legacy will never fade.

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