St. Louis People 365

Lots of baseball in past Mays in St. Louis

In May, 1966, the last baseball game at a former Busch Stadium was played. Also, famed catcher Yogi Berra was born in St. Louis in 1925 while Stan Musial got his 3,000th hit in 1958.

But, there were other non-baseball anniversaries in past Mays in St. Louis. The Gateway Arch was dedicated in 1968 and jazz musician Miles Davis was born in 1926.

And, in May, 1888, live eels and minnows were discovered in St. Louis' drinking water.

These are a few of the local historical trivia items for May in St. Louis author Joe Sonderman's book, St. Louis People 365.

(Young Saint Louis.com has received permission from Sonderman to quote selected items from his book. If you'd like to purchase a copy of the book, check local book stores or go to www.booksonstlouis.com.)

Here are 10 of the 125 items in the May chapter of the book:

May 1, 1922: Doctor Herbert Robarts died of radiation poisoning. Regarded by some as the most famous resident of Belleville, Ill., he studied radium with Madame Curie and wrote a book called, "Practical Radium." A set of public health ordinances he wrote was adopted all over the world.

May 2, 1880: Eberhard Anheuser died at the age of 74. He was a successful soap and candle manufacturer who loaned money to George Schneider's foundering Bavarian Brewery in 1852. He took over when the brewery failed in 1860 and re-named it E. Anheuser and Company. A brewing supply salesman named Adolphus Busch married Anheuser's daughter Lily in 1861 and became a partner in the brewery in 1865.

May 4, 1872: Harold Bell Wright was born in Rome, New York. Wright wrote 18 books, but his most famous was "Shepherd of the Hills," released in 1907. The popularity of the books about the struggles of Ozark settlers is credited with introducing large-scale tourism to the Branson region. Four movie versions of the book have been made, including a 1941 version starring John Wayne.

May 6, 1888: St. Louisans were advised not to drink the water in the dark. An eel was found in a sink in a downtown office building. The city water commissioner said eels and minnows often passed through the filtration systems while young and grew in the settling basins. He said far from being harmful, the fish life actually improved the water.

May 8, 1966: A crowd of 17,803 fans watched the Cardinals lose to the Giants, 10-5. Alex Johnson grounded into a double play to end the last game at old Busch Stadium. August Busch Jr. presented the deed to Richard Amberg, president of the Herbert Hoover Boys Club. Retired Sportsman's Park groundskeeper Bill Stocksick struggled to dig up home plate. Stocksick had installed the original plate in 1906. The plate was whisked to a waiting helicopter and flown to the new Busch Stadium.

May 12, 1925: Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra was born in St. Louis. He grew up on Elizabeth Street on "The Hill." Berra tried out for the Cardinals in 1942 but was upset when Branch Rickey offered him $250 to sign. That was half as much as Rickey offered Yogi's childhood friend, Joe Garagiola. Berra would go on to play on 10 world championship clubs (with the New York Yankees.) He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

May 13, 1958: In the sixth inning of a game against the Cubs in Wrigley Field, Stan Musial lined a double to left field for the 3,000th hit of his career. The Cardinals originally planned to keep Stan on the bench for the final game of the Cubs series so the hometown crowd could see the historic moment. But, with the Cards trailing in the game, skipper Fred Hutchinson called on Musial to hit for pitcher Sam Jones. The Cardinals went on to win the game and Musial became the only player whose 3,000th hit was a pinch-hit.

May 23, 1929: Dwight F. Davis left St. Louis to take over as Governor-General of the Philippines. As St. Louis Parks Commissioner, he laid out ball diamonds and the public tennis court in Forest Park. In 1900, he donated the "Davis Cup," to be awarded to the international team tennis champions.

May 25, 1968: Vice President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Morris Udall presided over a rain-soaked ceremony marking formal dedication of the Gateway Arch. Officials moved the ceremony indoors under the Arch. Water poured down the entryways and across the floor. The public was not admitted. Phillip Russell of ACTION, a civil rights group, briefly interrupted Udall's remarks. Russell loudly accused Mayor Cervantes of racism.

May 26, 1926: Miles Davis was born in Alton. He moved to East St. Louis and took up the trumpet at age 13. He played in the jazz band and toured locally with Bill Eckstine while attending Lincoln High School. He moved to New York in 1944 to play with his idol, Charlie Parker. He later formed his own bop group and invented a style know as "cool jazz." In 1970, his "Bitch's Brew" album combined rock with jazz and became the biggest selling jazz album of all time.