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Walter Payton was born.
Walter Jerry Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. He was one of three children born to Edward and Alyne Payton. His father worked as a factory worker but also played semi-professional baseball. His mother was a standard housemom. He also had an older brother named Eddie, who would also play football at the same college as Walter would. -
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Lifetime of Walter Payton
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The Vietnam War 1955-1975
On November 1, 1955, the Vietnam War begun. The Vietnam War was a military conflict during the Cold War that occured in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This War followed the First Indochina War. The war was faught between North Vietnam, who wanted communism, and the government of South Vietnam, which was helped by the U.S., and did not want communism. The Vietnam War ended when Saigon, the leader of South Vietnam, fell on April 30, 1975. -
Rosa Parks was arrested for not moving when the bus driver told her to.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not moving on a bus when the bus driver told her to. When the bus was stopping to pick up people, the bus driver noticed that three white people were standing. Because of that, the bus driver ordered four blacks, including Rosa Parks, to go and stand up at the rear of the bus. The other three people went, but Rosa Parks just stayed seated. The bus driver said that if she didn't move, he would have to call the police. She said, "You may do that." -
Nelson Mandela and 156 others are arrested for political activities in South Africa.
On December 6, 1956, Nelson Mandela and 156 other people are arrested for political activities in South Africa. This arrest was known as the "Treason Trial." This took place when there was apartheid in South Africa. There were 105 africans, 23 whites, 21 indians, and 7 colored leaders in the group that was arrested. The trial lasted 5 years. Nobody was found guilty of treason. However, some of the suspects, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested and put in prison during the Rivonia Trial. -
President Eisenhower signes the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
On May 6, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signes the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was a United States federal law that introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to regester to vote or to vote. It extended the life of the Civil Rights Commission, previously limited to two years, to oversee registration and voting practices. -
Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I have a dream" speech.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech at Washington, DC. His "I have a dream" speech is a 17-minute public speech in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination. The speech was rated the top American speech of the 20th century by a poll in 1999. In the speech, King refers to a lot of passages from the Bible. The speech is copyrighted until 2038. -
John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
On November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m., John F. Kennedy was assassinated at Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas. He was traveling in a car when he was assassinated. After he was assassinated, the FBI held an investigation that lasted 11 months to see who had killed. The FBI found out that Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone had assassinated. However, most people believe that there was a plot or a cover-up. Oswald used a Carcano rifle to kill the president. -
Malcom X was assassinated.
On February 21, 1965, Malcom X was assassinated in Manhattan New York. The site of the assassination was Audubon Ballroom. He was giving a speech there. Suddenly, a man yelled, "Get your hand outta my pocket!" and shot Malcom X square in the chest. After that, two other men shot him multiple times in around the same area. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 in the afternoon, shortly after he arrived at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. -
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act stated that there would be no more literary tests or poll taxes required to vote used since Reconstruction to prevent blacks from voting. This made people who were illiterate, immigrants, blacks, or from a foreign country be able to vote without having to do tests in a language they don't understand. The act was renewed five times. It is currently renewed until August 6, 2033. -
Martin Luther King was shot and killed.
On April 4,1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at Lorraine Motel, in Memphis, Tenessee. At approximately 6:01 p.m., a shot rang out in the air and the next second, King was lying on the ground. The bullet went through his left cheek, traveled down his spinal cord, and rested at his left shoulder. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital but he was pronounced dead at 7:05 pm. The person who killed King was James Earl Ray. -
Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man ever on the moon. The mission he was on was Apollo 11, which also included Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 2 1/2 hours exploring the moon while Collins stayed in orbit in the Command Module. After Armstrong took the first step on the moon, he said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Then he stuck an american flag on the moon. -
Walter Payton was selected for the all-american team in college.
In 1973, Walter Payton was selected to the All-American Team. The All-American Team is an honorary football team that consits of players that stand out at their position. The All-American Team is chosen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and a few other organizations. Walter Payton led his team to a decent record that year. The fallowing year, Walter Payton was selected as the Black College Player of the Year. -
Walter payton was drafted.
Walter Payton was drafted as the fourth overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1975 NFL Draft. Steve Bartkowski, hall of fame defensive tackle Randy White, and Ken Huff were taken before him. Not many people knew who Walter Payton was before that draft. His Jackson state teammate, Robert Brazile, was selected by the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) two picks after him. Although he didn't know it, he was going to be a Chicago Bear until he retired after the 1987 season. -
Walter Payton got married.
On July 7, 1976, Walter Payton married Connie Norwood. They had two children, Jarrett Payton and Brittany Payton. Soon after they got married, they moved to South Barrington, Illinois, and stayed there until Walter Payton died. South Barrington was where both of their children were born and raised. The couple also lived for some time on the north side of Arlington Heights, Illinois. -
Walter Payton sets the single game rushing record.
On November 20, 1977, Walter Payton rushed for 275 yards in a regular season game, which broke O.J. Simpson's old record of 273 yards in 1976. It was a great achievment considering that Walter had a 101-degree fever and an intense flu during the game. He played through his illness. The Bears were facing the Minnesota Vikings that game. His longest run that game was for 58 yards. Unfortunatly, his record was broken in the 2000 NFL season by Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals. -
There was a nuclear accident at Three Mile Island.
On March 28, 1979, a nuclear accident occured at Three Mile Island in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The accident started at 4 o'clock in the morning. It was the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history, and the accident resulted in the release of moderate amounts of radioactive gasses and radioactive iodine into the environment. It was a signifigant turning point in the global development of nuclear power. -
Jarrett Payton was born.
On December 26, 1980, Walter Payton's son, Jarrett Payton, was born. He was the first of Walter Payton's two children. Jarrett's mother, Connie Payton, would take him to see the Bears' home games whenever Walter Payton played. When Walter Payton was told he was going to be in the Hall of Fame, he needed an inductee. Therefore, he asked Jarret if he would like to do it. Jarrett said yes. When Jarrett finished his speech, his father cried and hugged him. -
Walter Payton broke the all-time rushing record.
On October 7, 1984, Walter Payton broke Jim Brown's all-time rushing record. The record was broken on a 6-yard run off left tackle. When he broke the record, his teammates cheered, lifted him up, and praised him constantly. He even got a phone call from President Ronald Regan from the White House. Regan was a huge sports fan. After the game reporters interviewed Walter. He simply said, "I didn't break it. Jim Brown made it in fewer years than I did. He deserves the record." -
Brittany Payton was born.
On December 26, 1985, Brittany Payton was born. She was the last of Walter Payton's two children. When Brittany was exactly 1 month old, the Bears won the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, when she was 13, her dad Walter Payton died. That was a very sad moment for her and her brother, Jarrett. She now presents the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award with Jarrett to each year's winner of the award. -
The Bears win Super Bowl XX
The Bears win Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots. The score was 46-10. The game was played in New Orleans, Louisiana, home of the New Orleans Saints, a football team in the NFC. The game was a blowout from the strart. The Bears constantly pressured Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan and came away with multiple sacks. Jim McMahon rushed for two touchdows and William "the refridgerator" Perry rushed for one. Perry's run was the highlight of Super Bowl XX. Sadly, Walter didn't score. -
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.
On January 28, 1986, Challenger, a space shuttle, exploded in midair over the Atlantic Ocean near Florida. The crew that was on the ship were Greg Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Dick Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith Resnik, and Ellison Onizoka. It was 31 degrees outside, the minimum temperature able to launch. That concerned the engineers who designed the shuttle. About thirty seconds after the Challenger launched, it exploded. -
Walter Payton and some other Bears made the music video "Super Bowl Shuffle."
In February of 1986, Walter Payton and few others made a music video called the "Super Bowl Shuffle". The stars were Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, Mike Singletary, Willie Gault, Steve Fuller, Mike Richardson, Richard Dent, Gary Fencik, Otis Wilson, and William Perry. There was also a band in the video that included Maury Buford, Mike Tomczak, Calvin Thomas, Stefan Humphries, Tyrone Keys, and Dennis Gentry. The lyrics were written by Richard E. Meyer. The video was nominated for a Grammy Award. -
Walter Payton retired.
Walter Payton retired on January 10, 1988, after playing 13 years fror the Bears in the NFL. Walter Payton's last play was on fouth-and-8 at the Bears' 36-yard line. Jim McMahon throws a short pass to Walter, who kept fighting and fighting until he got pushed out of bounds at the 43, one yard short of a first down. Walter Payton retired with NFL records in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and seasons with 1,000 or more rushing yards, all that have been broken by Emmitt Smith. -
The Persian Gulf War 1990-1991
On August, 2, 1990, the Persian Gulf War began. The Persian Gulf War was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition from 34 nations led by the U.S., against Iraq in response to Iraq invasion of Kuwait. This was is also called the Gulf War or Gulf War 1. The war was codenamed "Operation Desert Storm." The war ended on February 28, 1991, when a ground assult occured. When the war ended, the Americans were given medals of service by the president, George Bush. -
Walter Payton was inshired into the Hall of Fame.
In July of 1993, Walter Payton was inshired into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was chosen to be in the Hall of Fame in January of 1993. Sometime before his inshirement, the Bears retired his number, 34, so nobody could play on the Bears with that number. When he was asked to pick who his inductee was, he chose his 12 year old son, Jarret Payton. Jarret was truly afraid. But when he got on stage, that all changed. The first words he said on the stage were "My dad was a great man." -
Terrorists bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
On April 19, 1995, terrorists bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The bombing happened at approximately 9:02 a.m. Central Standard Time. 168 to 169 people were killed and over 680 were injured. The bombing also destroyed 86 cars. The bombers were trying to target the U.S. government. The bombers were Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, Michael Fortier, and Lori Fortier. It was the most destructive act of terrorism in America until the 9/11 attacks. -
Walter Payton was diagnosed with liver cancer.
In February of 1999, Walter Payton announced that he had a rare autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis. The disease might have led up to his cholangiocarcinoma, otherwise known as bile duct cancer. He had no hope for an organ transplant now. In April, he made his final public appearance at a Chicago Cubs game with Mike Ditka, where he threw the game's first ceremonial pitch. He eventually died from the effects of cholangiocarcinoma in November later that year. -
Walter Payton died.
Walter Payton died in his home on November 1, 1999, in South Barrington, Illinois, when he was 45 years old. He died because of a rare liver disease called cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the liver that drains bile from the liver into the small intestine. In honor of him, the NFL held ceremonies in each game that week and the Chicago Bears wore special #34 patches on their jersys that week. His body was cremated after his death.
