In a This Day in History video, learn that on July 23, 1984, Miss American pageant winner Vanessa Williams was forced to turn in her tiara. Williams had made history by being the first African American woman to receive the Miss America title, but when Pent House magazine published racy photos that had been taken two years earlier, Williams was asked to abdicate. Williams stated that she regretted the photos, but that she planned to focus on her future and her career; and she did.
When conventional tactics fail, governments have been known to test the boundaries of reality. During the darkest days of World War II, Britain turned to an astrologer who claimed he could alter the course of the war using the power of the stars.