The Mirabal sisters, Heroes of the Dominican Republic Notes:

Header Image Source: Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Other Images:

1. Minerva Mirabal, María Teresa Mirabal and Patria Mirabal

2. Dedé Mirabal

"On November 25, 1960, three sisters—Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal—were reported killed in an “automobile accident.” Reports said a car they were riding in plunged over a cliff in the Dominican Republic.

At least, that was the story in El Caribe, a newspaper sanctioned by the government of Rafael Trujillo, the brutal dictator who had seized control of the island nation in a military coup 30 years earlier. In reality, the Mirabal sisters were active members of the growing underground resistance against Trujillo’s regime, and everyone knew their deaths were no accident.

Growing Up in Trujillo's Dictatorship

As middle-class women, wives and mothers, the Mirabal sisters didn’t seem like obvious revolutionaries. Patria, Minerva and María Teresa, along with their sister Dedé, grew up in the town of Ojo de Agua, Salcedo Province, where their parents owned and operated a successful farm, along with a coffee mill and general store.

After attending the Colegio Inmaculada Concepción, a Catholic boarding school in the city of La Vega, Minerva headed to college in Santo Domingo, the capital, to study law. By that time, she had become increasingly aware of the injustices that existed in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo era.

Known as “El Jefe” (“the Boss”) or “el Chivo” (“the Goat”), Trujillo was the commander in chief of the army before he seized power in 1930. The prosperity, modernization and stability his regime brought to the country came at a high price: Trujillo took over the country’s economy, including production of such goods as salt, meat, tobacco and rice, and channeled the profits to his own family and supporters. Civil and political liberties disappeared, and only one political party, the Dominican Party, was allowed to exist..."

Source: “How the Mirabal Sisters Helped Topple a Dictator” by Sarah Pruitt (History)

Cleveland's Infamous 1974 Ten Cent Beer Night Notes:

Other Images:

1. Cleveland Municipal Stadium (FAY 2018 / Alamy)

2. Members of the Texas Rangers running with bats to defend a teammate after fans rushed the field (Paul Tepley Collection / Getty)

"On June 4, 1974 the Cleveland [Gaurdians] held a promotion called Ten Cent Beer Night at Municipal Stadium during a game against the Texas Rangers. It was exactly what it sounds like: the [Gaurdians] gave unhappy people who rooted for a bad team unlimited quantities of nearly-free alcohol and it turned into utter chaos.

Ten Cent Beer Night has been much written about over the years so most of you probably know the broad details of it all. It’s pretty straightforward: the 1974 [Gaurdians] were a pretty miserable squad. They were actually an improvement, though, over the 1969-1973 clubs, but that wasn’t saying much. Either way, all of that losing and meant for tons of empty seats at the lakefront ballpark. As a result, the team’s front office was looking for any way it could to boost attendance.

Whenever people talk about the disaster that Ten Cent Beer Night became on that June 4 in Cleveland, they almost always add jokes such as “who could’ve seen that coming?” and “what could possibly go wrong?” The thing was, though, the riot that ensued in Cleveland was at least something of a surprise. The Rangers themselves had actually done a Ten Cent Beer Night in Texas recently and it went off just fine. So while, yeah, it was still probably ill-advised, it’s not like it was unprecedented. There was at least some reason to believe it’d work...."

Source: “Today in Baseball History: Indians Hold Infamous Ten Cent Beer Night” by Craig Calcaterra (NBC Sports) 2020