Troma W Rowan (1902 - 1992)

1902 - In the year that Troma W Rowan was born, the first Rose Bowl game was played in Pasadena, California. Called the "Tournament East–West football game" at the time, the Michigan Wolverines (East) played the Stanford Indians (West) - the Wolverines won 49 - 0. (The Stanford captain requested an end to the game with 8 minutes remaining.) The Tournament of Roses Parade began in 1890 and the football game began as a way to boost tourism in the area.

1929 - By the time this person was 27 years old, on October 29th (Black Tuesday), the stock market crashed in the United States. Billions of dollars were lost and some investors committed suicide as a result, having lost their fortunes. This ushered in the 12 year, worldwide Great Depression.

1936 - By the time this person was 34 years old, on November 2nd, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) debuted the world's first regular high-definition television service. The channel had a short schedule - Monday through Saturday, 3:00p to 4:00p and 9:00p to 10:00p. The first broadcast was "Opening of the BBC Television Service".

1979 - Troma was 77 years old when on November 4th, Iranian militant students seized the US embassy in Teheran and held 52 American citizens and diplomats hostage for 444 days. They were released at the end of the inauguration speech of the newly elected Ronald Reagan.

1992 - In the year of Troma W Rowan's passing, on April 29th, riots began in Los Angeles after the "Rodney King" verdict was issued. Four LAPD officers had been accused of using excessive force (assault) on African-American Rodney King, who had been stopped for drunk driving. The beating had been videotaped. Their acquittal sparked a 6 day riot in Los Angeles.