John Christopher Ryan (died 1943)

In 1823, on February 20th, British explorer James Weddell's expedition to Antarctica traveled 532 miles south of the Antarctic Circle - the southernmost position any ship had reached before. It would be more than 80 years before anyone sailed farther. The region of the Southern Ocean that he explored was later named the Weddell Sea.

In 1853, in October, the Crimean War began. Allies the Ottoman Empire, France, Britain and Sardinia fought the Russian Empire in a war that began as a religious conflict but ended up being an effort to curb the expansion of the Russian Empire. The war ended in 1856.

In 1888, on January 12th, the 'Schoolhouse Blizzard' blanketed Dakota Territory. Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas were hit, leaving 235 dead. Many of those who perished were children on their way home from school. The day was relatively warm when it began and the blizzard hit unexpectedly, catching most by surprise.

In 1926, on October 31st, Harry Houdini died in Michigan. Houdini was the most famed magician of his time and perhaps of all time, especially for his acts involving escapes - from handcuffs, straitjackets, chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, and more. He was president of the Society of American Magicians and stringently upheld professional ethics. He died of complications from a ruptured appendix. Although he had received a blow to the area a couple of days previously, the connection between the blow and his appendicitis is disputed.

In 1943, in the year of John Christopher Ryan's passing, on June 20th through June 22nd, the Detroit Race Riot erupted at Belle Isle Park. The rioting spread throughout the city (made worse by false rumors of attacks on blacks and whites) and resulted in the deployment of 6,000 Federal troops. 34 people were killed, (25 of them black) - mostly by white police or National Guardsmen, 433 were wounded (75 percent of them black) and an estimated $2 million of property was destroyed. The same summer, there were riots in Beaumont, Texas and Harlem, New York.