9 th April

1105 Great Britain’s King Henry I was reprimanded for his long hair.

1865 Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. (See January 19th entry.)

1926 Hugh M. Hefner was born. (See February 29th entry.)

1965 The Houston Astrodome opened in Houston, Texas.

America’s great leaders are generally remembered for their hours of triumph. Today we remember one who achieved greatness even in the hour of his defeat. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate Army on this day in 1865. He handed over his sword at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia, to a fellow member of Manhattan’s Union Club, General Ulysses S. Grant. But after this low point in his career, Lee proved to be a great peacetime leader. His living memorial—Washington and Lee University—still stands today in Virginia.

When future historians try to figure out when the great American sports explosion really took off, they can start with an event that took place on this day. In 1965, the Houston Astrodome—a huge, enclosed sports stadium—opened in Texas. Spectator sports became impervious to inclement weather, making big-time sports an unassailable year-round institution.

History often repeats itself, and an event that occurred on this day proves it. In 1105, King Henry I of England and his entire court were verbally reprimanded in church by Bishop Serlo of Seiz during the Easter service. He complained that the assembled wore

Their hair like women. It was fashionable for men in the English court to grow waist - length, flowing tresses. After the service, the king begrudgingly allowed the bishop to shear his locks. Fashion trends have split generations and social groups for as long as we can remember.

Today is Hugh M. Hefner’s birthday. From the day he was born in 1926, Heftier exercised his imagination—inventing adventure games for his friends and drawing cartoons. We all know that he built the Playboy Magazine empire and a worldwide chain of private clubs. But did you know that Hef was also a champion of civil rights, equal opportunity employment, and numerous other causes that he contributed to through his Playboy Foundation? We often remember the more sensational stories about famous people rather than their finer points.