This Day in History for August 23 – Baseball Bans Pete Rose and More

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1926 – Silent film star Rudolph Valentino dies from a ruptured ulcer at the age of 31, sending tens of thousands of fans into a hysterical state of mass mourning (More info)

1939 – Germany and the Soviet Union shock the world by signing the Hitler-Stalin Pact (More info)

1970 – Organized by Mexican American union leader César Chávez, the largest farm worker strike in US history begins (More info)

1989 – As punishment for betting on baseball, Cincinnati Reds manager and baseball great Pete Rose receives a lifetime ban from the game, igniting a controversy that still rages to this day (More info)

1999 – New York City reports the first cases of the deadly West Nile virus in the United States (More info)