County Fair, Elaine Massacre, Babe Ruth: MySaline’s Daily History September 30

See the archive of MySaline’s Daily History issues at www.mysaline.com/history.

Saline County, Arkansas

1908 — The first Saline County Fair concludes in Benton. The county’s first annual fair was held September 29–30, 1908, at Riverside Park in Benton. The fair grew into a long-running Saline County tradition, featuring agricultural products, livestock and community activities.

See below for history from Arkansas, United States and the World.

Arkansas

1919 — The Elaine Massacre begins in Phillips County. On the night of September 30, approximately 100 Black sharecroppers and farmers gathered at a church near Hoop Spur to discuss organizing for better treatment and payment for their cotton. A shooting outside the church escalated into days of deadly racial violence. Historians have documented numerous deaths, although the exact number of African Americans killed remains disputed.

1919 — The events at Elaine become part of the national violence known as the Red Summer of 1919. The conflict continued into October, with Governor Charles Brough requesting federal troops. More than 500 soldiers from Camp Pike near Little Rock arrived in Elaine on October 2.

United States

1882 — The Vulcan Street hydroelectric plant begins operating in Appleton, Wisconsin. The small plant on the Fox River was an early demonstration of centrally generated hydroelectric power using Thomas Edison’s electrical system.

1927 — Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run of the season. Ruth hit the record-setting home run for the New York Yankees on September 30, establishing a single-season major-league record that remained intact until Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961.

1947 — The World Series is televised for the first time. Game 1 between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers was broadcast on television, bringing baseball’s championship series to a growing television audience. Jackie Robinson, who had broken Major League Baseball’s color barrier earlier that year, played for Brooklyn.

1955 — Actor James Dean dies in a car crash. Dean, 24, was killed when his Porsche collided with another vehicle near Cholame, California. Although he had completed only three major films, his death helped establish him as one of the enduring cultural icons of 1950s American cinema.

1962 — Rioting erupts over the desegregation of the University of Mississippi. African American student James Meredith was escorted onto the campus by U.S. Marshals, triggering deadly violence. Two people were killed before federal forces restored order, and Meredith enrolled the following day.

1972 — Roberto Clemente records his 3,000th career hit. The Pittsburgh Pirates star doubled against New York Mets pitcher Jon Matlack on September 30, becoming the 11th major-league player to reach 3,000 hits and the first Latin American player to reach the milestone. It was also his final regular-season hit.

World

1938 — The Munich Agreement is signed. Germany, Britain, France and Italy signed an agreement allowing Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was not included in the negotiations.

1949 — The Berlin Airlift officially ends. After more than a year of delivering food, fuel and other necessities to West Berlin, the massive Allied airlift officially ended on September 30, 1949. It had been organized after the Soviet Union blocked land and water access to West Berlin.

1975 — The Spanish Sahara conflict intensifies as Spain’s colonial rule approaches its end. During the final months of Spanish control of Western Sahara, neighboring Morocco and Mauritania increased their claims to the territory, setting the stage for Spain’s withdrawal and the subsequent Western Sahara conflict.

See the archive of MySaline’s Daily History issues at www.mysaline.com/history.