100 Years Ago A Cop Was Kicked in the Balls So Hard He Died

A profound moment in history, remembered.

Mark Gail/The The Washington Post via Getty Image

NOTE: This blog was originally scheduled to run this past Friday, June 24th, on the exact 100th anniversary of a New York City cop getting kicked in the balls to death. For obvious reasons, we decided to hold off on our funny little blog about historical ball-kicking, even if it meant missing the actual centennial date. Still, what’s a day or two in the grand scheme of things, right? So here it is. Please enjoy this important commemoration of one exceptional stitch in the rich tapestry of American law enforcement history. We hope it brings just a little levity during these grim times.

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There are moments in the annals of human history that stand out, incandescent, like fireflies against a moonless sky: the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215; the publication of Newton’s Principia in 1687; the Russian revolutions of 1917; and so on.

These are events known far and wide as pivotal fulcrums in our short time on this Earth, and it is with humility and respect that I submit the following as an addition to their illustrious ranks: June 24, 1922, 100 years ago, when New York City Police Department Patrolman William Deans was kicked in the balls so hard he died.

I assure you this is very real. Read on and you’ll see.