Scopes Trial 100 Years Later
🐒 100th anniversary of Scopes Monkey Trial · TN-7 race opens up · Tried bullets strike · New BNA terminal · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Today, we anticipate the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, consider the field as Mark Green steps down from his Congressional seat, share a couple of incidents of tired bullets hitting unwitting bystanders on the Fourth, and much more! First time reading? Sign up here.
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It was a strange thing that the eyes of the entire English-speaking world had descended upon such a small town in rural Tennessee during the summer of 1925, but a lot was on the line. John T. Scopes, a local high school teacher in the declining mining town of Dayton, was charged with violating the state’s new prohibition against teaching Darwinian Evolution in schools, and the whole world wanted to see what would happen to him in what would become known as the infamous “Scopes Monkey Trial.”
Now, for the 100th anniversary of the trial, from July 11th to the 19th, Dayton wants to tell the story on its own terms, free from a century of spin and misrepresentation.
Hundreds of journalists and tourists from across the United States and England came to report on what would become “the trial of the century”, even though it was only a misdemeanor trial with minimal consequences. The town of Dayton turned the event into a spectacular carnival, hoping to take advantage of the free publicity, but it would quickly spiral beyond their control.
The trial itself played out dramatically. ACLU-backed provocateur, self-avowed atheist, and infamous celebrity lawyer Clarence Darrow took up the defense, hoping to use it as an opportunity to snub fundamentalist Christians. Former U.S. Secretary of State and internationally renowned progressive thought leader William Jennings Bryan joined the prosecution, hoping to highlight the social evils of his time (Social Darwinism, eugenics, etc.). Renowned journalist and serial provocateur H.L. Mencken watched the proceedings and offered some of its most sardonic commentary, dismissing the friendly locals and their elected officials as “Homo boobiens”.
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🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🗳️ Green Officially Steps Down Representative Mark Green of Tennessee’s 7th District officially retired after casting his final vote in Congress Thursday. The news comes as no surprise, given Green announced his intention to step down following the passage of President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill a month ago. His office will be vacated on July 20, which will trigger a special election to fill his seat.
The timeline is going to unfold quickly. Governor Lee is required to call a special election within ten days of the official vacancy. According to procedure, this means the general election day will likely take place at the beginning of November. It’s also worth noting that whoever wins this election will have to run again in 2026 to maintain their seat. The demand of churning out back-to-back campaigns, which require both time and money, is an obstacle candidates will have to take into consideration.
So far, four Republicans have formally announced their run. Most recently, Tennessee Representative Jay Reedy was added to the list, which also includes three military veterans: former Tennessee General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps, self-proclaimed political outsider Jon Thorpe, and Jason Knight, who categorizes himself as a “staunch constitutionalist” who plans to “deliver Trump’s agenda.”
No Democrats have officially announced their campaigns, but according to Axios’ Nate Rau, Democratic state Representative Aftyn Behn of Nashville filed paperwork to run for Green’s seat.
☝️ What Goes Up… Three people were struck by stray bullets as a result of suspected celebratory gunfire during Nashville’s Let Freedom Sing Fourth of July celebration this weekend. The origin of the shots fired is unknown, and according to Fox 17, the injuries sustained were, thankfully, not fatal: a man was wounded in the foot, a woman was hit in the chest while waiting for a shuttle on Broadway, and another woman was struck in the face while waiting for a ride share on Demonbreun Street.
A study conducted and released by the National Library of Medicine in 2024 outlines how falling bullets “can attain high velocities during their descent.” The destruction of these “tired bullets” is notorious during New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, and other major celebrations across America.
Once a time-honored tradition, this activity continues to wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims. According to Ammo, stray bullet incidents are not categorically tracked in the United States. Instead, the distribution company has compiled statistics using news headlines. In reports collected from 2024, there were 46 deaths, 100 injuries, and 122 incidents involving stray bullets: “As much as 32 percent of celebratory gunfire injuries result in death.”
🛬 BNA Expansion Tomorrow, travelers will have access to the new Concourse D extension in the Nashville International Airport. The expansion incorporates five new gates, an outdoor terrace, and eight new restaurants and shops. This includes another nod to Music City with a feature called 3rd & Broadway that exemplifies “the heart of Nashville’s entertainment district.”
Concourse D is the first project to be completed under BNA’s expansion project, New Horizon. The total development budget is expected to cost $4.5 billion, and all phases are projected to be completed by 2029. As far as who’s paying for it, “BNA receives no local tax dollars,” reads the Fly Nashville website. “Consistent with all airport capital improvement projects, funding comes from bonds, federal and state aviation grants, Passenger Facility Charges (PFC), and other airport funds.”
DEVELOPMENT
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THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🪕 Kyle Tuttle's Bluegrass Monday @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🎸 Timbo & Lonesome Country @ Jane's Hideaway, 8p, Info
+ modern take on classic country, bluegrass & hillbilly Jazz
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).