On this day: October 12
Christopher Columbus lands in the New World, Oktoberfest finds its roots, Sid is arrested for allegedly killing Nancy, and Matthew Shepard dies, all on this day.
1998: Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, dies at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., five days after he was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside of Laramie, Wy. Police arrested Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson shortly after the attack, finding the bloody gun and Shepard's shoes and wallet in their truck. The two would eventually each be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Shepard's murder brought national and international attention to the contention of hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels.
