1970: Jim Morrison on Trial in Miami for Indecent Exposure

Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, stood trial in Miami, Florida on 10 August 1970, facing charges stemming from an incident at a concert on 1 March 1969. Prosecutors alleged he had exposed himself on stage at the Dinner Key Auditorium, using profane language before a crowd of thousands.

Morrison was acquitted of lewd and lascivious behaviour but convicted of indecent exposure and open profanity. He was sentenced to six months hard labour and fined $500, but remained free on bond while the conviction was under appeal. He never served the sentence. Morrison died in Paris on 3 July 1971, before the appeal could be heard.

Jim Morrison photos in cafe. Le Pere Lachaise cafe interior in Paris. Singer Jim Morrison used to visit this cafe. | ID 63547008 © Darius Strazdas | Dreamstime.com
ID 63547008 © Darius Strazdas | Dreamstime.com

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1974: Nixon Resigns: The President Who Fell on the Watergate Scandal

On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon became the first United States president to resign from office, undone by a scandal that began with a bungled burglary. On June 17, 1972, operatives linked to his re-election campaign were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Washington D.C.'s Watergate complex, planting listening devices and stealing documents. Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, guided by the anonymous source 'Deep Throat', exposed a vast White House political espionage program illegally funded by campaign donations.

Nixon's administration destroyed evidence, obstructed investigators, and paid hush money to the burglars. The release of the 'Smoking Gun' tape proved Nixon had ordered the CIA to block the FBI's investigation. Facing near-certain impeachment for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress, Nixon resigned rather than face removal. He was later pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford. In total, 69 people were charged over Watergate; most pleaded guilty or were convicted.

Ontario, Canada - December 22 2017: Vintage Open Reel-to-Reel Ta. Vintage Open Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck Stereo Recorder with VU meters and knobs | ID 113751494 © Viktorus | Dreamstime.com
ID 113751494 © Viktorus | Dreamstime.com

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1991: Sir Terence Lewis, Queensland Police Commissioner, Convicted of Corruption

Sir Terence Lewis, Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service from 1976 to 1987, was found guilty on 5 August 1991 of 15 counts of corruption and one of forgery, following the explosive Fitzgerald Inquiry into police misconduct. A District Court jury determined that Lewis had accepted bribes totalling $700,000 to protect brothels, SP bookmakers, illegal casinos, and gaming machine operators. He had been handpicked for the commissioner's role in 1976 by Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, bypassing 122 more senior officers.

Judge Healy sentenced Lewis to the maximum term available: 14 years for corruption and 10 years for forgery, to be served concurrently. Lewis was stripped of his knighthood and two other awards. He continued to protest his innocence and pursued appeals until the last one failed in August 2005.

Terence Murray Lewis, Queensland Police Commissioner. © State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service); original photographer unknown. Retouched by Georgfotoart. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Terence Murray Lewis, Queensland Police Commissioner. © State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service); original photographer unknown. Retouched by Georgfotoart. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

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1265: The Murder of Evesham: Simon de Montfort Crushed at the Height of His Power

On 4 August 1265, the Battle of Evesham ended the Second Barons' War in one of medieval England's most decisive and brutal engagements. Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, had dominated royal government since his victory at Lewes the previous year, holding King Henry III and Prince Edward in captivity. But the defection of key allies and the escape of Prince Edward unravelled his position. Trapped in a loop of the River Avon near Evesham, Worcestershire, outnumbered two to one and deceived by captured banners flown to disguise the approaching royalist army, de Montfort knew his fate. His reported final words: 'Our bodies are theirs, our souls are God's.'

The battle was short and merciless. De Montfort was killed and his body mutilated. The contemporary chronicler Robert of Gloucester called it 'the murder of Evesham, for battle it was none.' Royal authority was restored, though pockets of resistance persisted until the Dictum of Kenilworth in 1267.

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, dies in the Battle of Evesham.
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, dies in the Battle of Evesham.

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