On this day: October 12
POSTED: 10:50 AM PDT Oct 11, 2012
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PDT Oct 11, 2012
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.
Library of Congress
1999: Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant players in NBA history, dies of congestive heart failure at the age of 63 in Bel Air, Calif. Chamberlain holds numerous NBA all-time records in scoring, rebounding and durability categories and is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage and 11 rebounding titles and won two NBA titles and four regular season MVP awards in his career.
