9 Insane Things That Happened In Arizona You Won’t Find In History Books
Arizona can be a pretty strange place and our history is no exception. Check out these crazy things that happened in our state that you might be hard pressed to find in your average history book:
1. In 1964, a 15-year-old was taken into police custody in Gila County after a neighbor complained of receiving a lewd call from the teen. His family received no notice about his arrest, his jail stay, or his court hearing. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision on the case that juveniles should be given the same due process rights as adults.
2. In 1956, two airplanes collided over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 people aboard the planes. It was the first major commercial airline crash to occur and led to the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration that now regulates air traffic.
While the origin wasn't technically in Arizona, it rattled as far north as Phoenix and caused a hefty amount of damage at the time. It wreaked havoc on buildings, triggered a few fires, led to a few dozen deaths, and, of course, caused a great deal of panic among the population. In 1987, the Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mining Technology wrote up an interesting piece about the earthquake.
4. In 2015, a cat was found alive after being trapped in a boat that sank to the bottom of Lake Havasu for approximately one hour.
It's suspected the cat was trapped in a compartment that may have developed an air pocket that lasted just long enough for the cat to survive before being rescued.
5. This one didn't quite happen on Earth but it's still interesting and Arizona-related! Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who officially discovered Pluto in 1930, flew by the planet on July 14, 2015.
How? One ounce of his ashes were placed aboard the New Horizons space probe which was designed to study Pluto and portions of the Kuiper Belt.
6. In 2006 the Arizona Voter Reward Act was introduced that would award $1 million to a random voter each election cycle in order to increase voter turnout. It was defeated sincce only 33.4% of Arizonans voted for the proposition.
7. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was inspired by two Arizona DPS officers who helped a young boy become an honorary police officer before he died of leukemia in 1980.
When flying back from the funeral held in the boy's home state of Illinois, the officers decided to create the foundation to help other terminally ill children attain a life dream.
8. In 1917, Germany sent a coded telegram to their ambassador in Mexico that not only proposed an alliance between the two countries but also suggested returning some old territories to Mexico.
The telegram was intercepted and decoded by British Intelligence. Mexico declined the offer and opted to remain neutral in World War I.
9. Mike the Headless Chicken managed to survive a beheading in 1945 in Colorado and survived for two years. He became a sideshow act but died in 1947 in a Phoenix motel.
Monica is a Diné (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. Born in Gallup and raised in Phoenix, she is Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water People) and Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com.
