Photos: Ten weirdest events in Denver history on History.orb

As we all know, there are facts, and then there are Internet facts -- like a list of "Historical Events" that took place in Denver as assembled on History.orb. For the most part, the items, which appear to have been mined from various Wikipedia pages, aren't the kind of thing...

By Michael Roberts

April 17, 2013

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As we all know, there are facts, and then there are Internet facts -- like a list of "Historical Events" that took place in Denver as assembled on History.orb. For the most part, the items, which appear to have been mined from various Wikipedia pages, aren't the kind of thing you're likely to have studied in school. But that's why they like them! After all, any opportunity to link the Mile High City to David Bowie, seen here, is fine by us -- especially if the connection is strange.

We've assembled and photo-illustrated our ten favorites. Count them down below.

Number 10: April 13, 1992: Crystal Pepsi begins test marketing in Providence, Denver & Dallas And a beverage revolution was born! Or maybe it was just a case of nausea.... Number 9: September 4, 1966: Houston Oilers hold Denver Broncos to no 1st downs, winning 45-7 No first downs, and yet they still managed to score a touchdown. That's beating the odds! Continue for more of the ten weirdest events in Denver history on History.orb. Number 8: December 2, 1952: 1st human birth televised to the public (KOA-TV Denver, Colo) Maybe that explains why your grandparents are still so freaked out about sex.... Number 7: January 10, 1983: NY Supreme Court issues a preliminary injunction barring NY Yankees from playing season-opening series against Tigers in Denver Here's hoping the Supreme Court doesn't rule that the Rockies can't play here anymore, either. Continue for more of the ten weirdest events in Denver history on History.orb. Number 6: September 24, 1955: President Eisenhower suffers a heart attack on vacation in Denver Thank goodness he survived, or Denver might have been charged with assassination. Number 5: November 30, 1983: Denver Nuggets coach Doug Moe, hopelessly behind, advises his team to let Blazers break their scoring record That's called hospitality, Rocky Mountains style. Or else just sucking. Continue for more of the ten weirdest events in Denver history on History.orb. Number 4: November 12, 1965: Mad Dog Vachon beats Crusher in Denver to become NWA champ The Crusher had trouble beating Bugs Bunny, too. Then again, if Mad Dog Vachon became NWA champ, what did that make Ice Cube? Number 3: December 22, 1989: -18°F in Denver, -23°F in KC Mo, -42°F in Scottsbluff, Nebraska -47°F in Hardin, Mont & -60°F in Black Hills, South Dakota By comparison, Denver was downright balmy. Suck it, Nebraska, Missouri, Montana and South Dakota! Continue for more of the ten weirdest events in Denver history on History.orb. Number 2: July 19, 1980: David Bowie appears in role of "Elephant Man" in Denver Granted, Bowie appeared as the Elephant Man in plenty of other cities, too -- but Denver's the only one we care about. Number 1: July 12, 1966: US Treasury announces it will buy mutilated silver coins at silver bullion price at Philadelphia & Denver mints At last, mutilation pays off.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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