September 3, 1925
Caldwell, Ohio
The USS Shenandoah ZR-1 crashes in a field
The Shenandoah had been on its 57th flight when it ran into turbulent winds and was torn apart. Fourteen crew members were killed while 29 survived the crash.
The wreckage soon attracted souvenir-seekers who took pieces of the dirigible, and an entrepreneurial farmer who owned the land part of the wreckage landed upon began charging visitors $1 (roughly $14 in 2017) to drive their vehicles to the site, $0.25 ($3.50) for pedestrians, and $0.10 ($1.40) for drinks of water.
Horrific history from today:
1878: Reverend murders his mistress (2017)
1902: Farmers’ reception drives off President’s son (2017)
1998: Mother strangles 6 children before attempting suicide (2017)
1927: Man depressed over his unemployment kills 8, is wounded in shootout with police (2018)
Horror-related anniversaries:
Today in Horror History: September 3