June 28: On this Day in History - Mike Tyson's Hunger for Ears, Corvettes & Earthquakes

On this day in history, a boxing icon makes a move that would change his career forever; Chevrolet introduced the Corvette; and two earthquakes ravaged California.

Mike Tyson Bites the Ear

In 1997, Mike Tyson fought Evander Holyfield in a rematch, after their first fight in 1996 when Holyfield beat Tyson in an 11^th round TKO and owne the WBA title.

Tyson had a rapid rise to stardom and became the youngest heavyweight champion in history after beating Trevor Berbick when he was 19 years old.

By 1986, Tyson began a downward spiral into sports infamy by being accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife. He also fired and sued his manager, and broke his hand in an early morning street brawl.

Tyson also lost his heavyweight title after being knocked out by 42-to-1 to underdog James “Buster” Douglas on Feb 1990.

Then, in 1992, he was convicted of rape and served three years and one month in a federal penitentiary.

Once released, Tyson regained his belts and planned his first fight with Holyfield, which he lost in 1996.

Holyfield agreed to a widely anticipated rematch on this day in 1997. He was stronger than he had been for the first fight. In the first round, Tyson was hit hard with body shots and head-butted in the right eye in the second round. The crowd chanted in favor of Holyfield.

“In the third round, Tyson lost what composure he had left,” said History.com. “He spit out his mouthpiece, bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s right ear and then spit it onto the canvas.”

Holyfield was in pain but came back and fought after a brief stoppage, and then Tyson bit Holyfield’s other ear.

Tyson was disqualified, and after the fight, he took a bad turn. He declared bankruptcy, did cocaine and more.

Presently, he claims he has changed for the better.

Workers Assemble First Corvette in Flint, Michigan

On this day in 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan assembled the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would eventually become an American icon.

The first completed car rolled off of the assembly line two days later, and this car was one of only 300 made that year.

The idea of the Corvette originated with General Motors’ designer Harley J. Earl. He was a pioneer, and came up with plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe’s MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris.

The idea of the Corvette was debuted the Corvette concept car at its Motorama auto show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

“It featured a fiberglass body and a six-cylinder engine, and, according to GM, was named for the 'trim, fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World War II,'” said History.com. “The Corvette was a big hit with the public at Motorama, and GM soon put the roadster into production.”

In 1954, the Corvette went into mass production at a Chevy plant in St. Louis, Missouri. The performance and appeal steadily improved and the Corvette earned the nickname “America’s sports car.” It became a major pop culture icon after being referenced in movies, television and music.

Two Big Quakes in California

On this day in 1992, California was hit by two of the strongest earthquakes ever. The earthquakes hit the desert area east of Los Angeles.

The State of California sits on the San Andreas Fault line, and it has seen relatively few major earthquakes in modern times. Two of the strongest, but not the deadliest, hit southern California in a single morning in 1992.

Just before 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, a 7.3-magnitude quake hit in Landers, 100 miles east of Los Angeles. The damage to Landers was minor because it is sparsely populated.

Residents experienced rolling and shaking for nearly a minute, and the tremors were felt in Arizona, Las Vegas, and as far as Boise, Idaho.

Three hours later, a second 6.3-magnitude tremor hit in Big Bear, not far from the original epicenter. This quake caused fires and took the lives of three people.

Between the two quakes, 400 people were injured and they caused $92 million in damages.

“The quakes triggered landslides that wiped out roads and opened a 44-mile-long rupture in the earth, the biggest in California since the 1906 San Francisco quake,” said History.com.