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On This Day: August 6
1911 - Madison Infant Kidnapped From Home
On this date 7-year-old Annie Lemberger was kidnapped from her bedroom. Despite an instensive search by police and volunteers, she was not recovered. Three days later, cement worker George Younger found her body floating in Lake Monona. Police arrested Lemberger neighbor John A. "Dogskin" Johnson for the crime. Johnson confessed to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Johnson later claimed he was coerced into confession and continually proclaimed his innocence. Members of the Lemberger family were also accused of the crime. Johnson was eventually freed based on additional evidence offered during a pardon hearing. The story was sensationalized in local media for years. [Source: Bishops to Bootleggers: A Biographical Guide to Resurrection Cemetery by Resurrection Cemetery Committee of Historic Madison, Inc., p. 178]
1945 - Richard I. Bong Dies
On this date WWII fighter pilot Richard I. Bong died, the same day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Known as the Ace of Aces, Bong was a skillful and daring pilot. He was hand-picked to fly one of fifty P-38s. Between 1942 and 1944, he shot down 40 enemy aircraft and became the leading U.S. air ace of all time. Bong was killed when his P-80 Shooting Star crashed on the take-off roll. Richard I. Bong was distinguished with the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, and many other medals and citiations of honor. Bong is buried in Poplar Grove Cemetery in Poplar, Wisconsin.
1948 - Sohl Claims Bronze at 1948 Olympics
On this date Montreal, Wisconsin native and swimmer at the University of Michigan, Bob Sohl, won the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Olympic Games in London. [Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
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