Jack Meyer (died 1975)

In 1811, on December 16th, the New Madrid earthquake - in the Mississippi Valley near the city of New Madrid, Missouri - temporarily reversed the course of the Mississippi River. The quake is estimated to have been 7.5 - 7.9. Other large earthquakes along the fault occurred on January 23rd and February 7th, 1812. These quakes were the largest ever recorded east of the Rockies.

In 1827, on February 28th, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad - the B&O - was incorporated. The B&O became the first railroad to carry both people and freight and was Maryland's answer to the Erie Canal. Construction began on July 4th, 1828.

In 1881, on October 26th, the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" happened in Tombstone, Arizona. The gunfight lasted only 30 seconds - the Earps and Doc Holliday on one side and the "Cowboys" on the other side. The McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton of the Cowboys were killed. Two of the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday were wounded.

In 1952, on July 2, Dr. Jonas E. Salk tested the first dead-virus polio vaccine on 43 children. The worst epidemic of polio had broken out that year - in the U.S. there were 58,000 cases reported. Of these, 3,145 people had died and 21,269 were left with mild to disabling paralysis.

In 1975, in the year of Jack Meyer's passing, on September 5th, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme tried to assassinate President Ford in Sacramento, California. She failed when her gun wouldn't fire. President Ford escaped a second assassination attempt 17 days later on September 22 when Sarah Jane Moore tried to shoot him in San Francisco. A bystander saw her raise her arm, grabbed it, and the shot went wild.