October 20 Birthday
On October 20, 1973, President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refused and resigned. Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus also refused and was fired. Solicitor General Robert Bork, third in line, carried out the order. The event was called the Saturday Night Massacre. Nixon also abolished the special prosecutor's office. The public outcry was immediate — Congress received a million telegrams. Within two weeks, Nixon was forced to appoint a new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, who would eventually obtain the White House tapes. Mickey Mantle, born this day in 1931, was named after Mickey Cochrane. He could hit from both sides of the plate and ran the bases faster than any player of his era. He hit 536 home runs. He played in pain for most of his career — his knees were destroyed by a drainage hole in the 1951 World Series. He received a liver transplant in 1995 and died two months later. People born on October 20 fall under the zodiac sign of Libra. The birthstone is Opal and the birth flower is Marigold. Historical events on October 20 include 1973: Saturday Night Massacre — Nixon fires Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, 1947: House Un-American Activities Committee opens Hollywood hearings, 1818: US and Britain agree on 49th parallel as US-Canada border. Famous people born on October 20 include Mickey Mantle (1931), Bela Lugosi (1882), Viggo Mortensen (1958).