Oct 4 1969

A despondent Diane Linkletter jumps out the kitchen window of her tenth-story apartment in West Hollywood, California. Even before an autopsy can be performed, television personality Art Linkletter blames his daughter's death on a bad LSD trip. Even though the toxicology report disputes Art's assertion, the LSD story persists.

Oct 4 1970

Janis Joplin accidentally overdoses on an unusually-pure dose of heroin at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Los Angeles.

Oct 4 1976

Earl Butz, President Ford's Secretary of Agriculture, is forced to resign after newspapers print a comment he made regarding race relations: "I'll tell you what the coloreds want. It's three things: first, a tight pussy; second, loose shoes; and third, a warm place to shit."

Oct 4 1978

Tammy Wynette is kidnapped at gunpoint in a Nashville shopping center. The masked gunman drives the country music star 80 miles away, releasing her only after inflicting a savage beating. The assailant is never caught.

Oct 4 1986

Network news anchorman Dan Rather is mugged in New York City. The attacker, one William Tager, shouts the question "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" during the beating. While the "frequency" refers to the wavelength of the transmissions that CBS was beaming into Tager's head, history is still unclear on exactly who "Kenneth" is or why R.E.M. would record a song about it.

Oct 4 1989

Secretariat, 1973 triple crown winner and one of the greatest athletes of all time, is euthanized in Paris, Kentucky. He was 19.