Scott Joplin - 1896: In 1896, William George Crush, an agent of the
Missouri-Kansas-Texas line (the Katy), noted how many spectators showed up at train
wrecks. He convinced the line to stage a collision with him as the promoter. After months of
hype on posters spread throughout northern Texas, the event came to pass on September
15, 1896. There were about 40,000 paid spectators who came by Katy excursion trains for
a nice picnic lunch. It took hired law enforcement several hours to push the onlookers back
far enough from the planned point of collision. The trains, painted red and green and towing
cars filled with railroad ties, touched noses. Then each backed up a mile or so, and the
crew jumped out after setting the trains at full throttle. The 60 mph......
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