on this day… October 12th

1933 – The U.S. Department of Justice acquired Alcatraz Island from the U.S. Army.

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1937 – “Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons” debuted on radio.

1938 – Production began on “The Wizard of Oz.”

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1942 – During World War II, Attorney General Francis Biddle announced that Italian nationals in the United States would no longer be considered enemy aliens.