A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1782 – The U.S. Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States.
1793 – Eli Whitney applied for a cotton gin patent. He received the patent on March 14. The cotton gin initiated the American mass-production concept.
1840 – Samuel Morse received a patent for the telegraph.
1863 – West Virginia became the 35th state to join the U.S.
1863 – The National Bank of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, became the first bank to receive a charter from Congress.
1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installed the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
1893 – Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother.
1941 – The U.S. Army Air Forces was established, replacing the Army Air Corps. The Army Air Forces were abolished with the creation of the United States Air Force in 1947.
1943 – Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit, MI. Federal troops were sent in two days later to end the violence that left more than 30 dead.
1947 – Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot to death through the window of his girlfriend’s Beverly Hills, CA, home at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of his project, the Flamingo resort in Las Vegas, NV.
1948 – The television show “Toast of the Town” debuted on CBS. The show was hosted by Ed Sullivan. The name of the show was later changed to “The Ed Sullivan Show”.
1950 – Willie Mays graduated from high school and immediately signed to play professional baseball with the New York Giants.
1955 – The AFL and CIO agreed to combine names and a merge into a single group.
1963 – The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hot line communication link between the two countries.
1966 – The U.S. Open golf tournament was broadcast in color for the first time.
1967 – Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston, TX of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted.
1972 – An 18-1/2 minute gap appeared in the tape recording of the conversations between President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.
1975 – The movie “Jaws” premiered in theaters. It became the highest-grossing film of that time and started the trend of films known as “summer blockbusters”.
1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline began operation.
1979 – President Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House.
1983 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers must treat male and female workers equally in providing health benefits for their spouses.
1989 – The song, “Love Shack”, by the B-52’s was released.
1994 – O.J. Simpson pleaded not guilty to the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
1995 – Epic released Michael Jackson’s 30-track double CD “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Part 1”.
1997 – The tobacco industry agreed to a massive settlement in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and legal bills.
1997 – The film “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, starring Julia Roberts, was released.
2001 – Barry Bonds, of the San Francisco Giants, hit his 38th home run of the season. The home run broke the major league baseball record for homers before the midseason All-Star break.
2001 – A Houston, TX woman, Andrea Yates, was arrested for drowning her five children in a bathtub. She claimed she was saving her children from Satan.
2002 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel. The vote was 6 in favor and 3 against.
2003 – The movie, “From Justin to Kelly”, starring American Idol first season winner Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini, debuted in theaters. This film is often regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.
2006 – After 44 years at “CBS News”, Dan Rather received his walking papers.
BIRTHDAYS:
James Tolkan – 93 years old (1931) – Actor (“Serpico”, “Top Gun”, “Back to the Future” movies). Born in Calumet, MI.
Brett Halsey – 91 years old (1933) – Actor (TV’s “The Young and the Restless”)
Jerry Keller – 87 years old (1937) – Singer, songwriter (“Here Comes Summer”)
Stephen Frears – 83 years old (1941) – Film director (“My Beautiful Laundrette”, “Dangerous Liaisons”, “High Fidelity”, “The Queen”, “Philomena”, “Florence Foster Jenkins”, “The Grifters”, “The Queen”)
Brian Wilson – 82 years old (1942) – Singer (Beach Boys)
John McCook – 80 years old (1944) – Actor (TV’s “The Bold and the Beautiful”, “The Young and the Restless”)
Anne Murray – 79 years old (1945) – Singer (“Snowbird”)
Bob Vila – 78 years old (1946) – Television host (TV’s “This Old House”, “Bob Vila’s Home Again”, “Bob Vila”)
André Watts – 78 years old (1946) – Classical pianist
Candy Clark – 77 years old (1947) – Actress (“American Graffiti”, “More American Graffiti”)
Tina Sinatra – 76 years old (1948) – Producer, actress
Lionel Richie – 75 years old (1949) – Singer, musician
John Goodman – 72 years old (1952) – Actor (TV’s “Roseanne”, movies “Argo”, “Trouble With the Curve”, “The Artist”, “Speed Racer”, “O Brother Where Art Thou”, “The Big Lebowski”, “The Flintstones”, “The Babe”, “Barton Fink”, “King Ralph”)
Michael Anthony – 70 years old (1954) – Bass guitarist (Van Halen)
John Taylor – 64 years old (1960) – Bass guitarist (Duran Duran)
Michael Landon Jr. – 60 years old (1964) – Actor, writer, producer (TV’s “Bonanza: The Next Generation”, “Back to Bonanza”, “Bonanza: The Return”, “Bonanza: Under Attack”)
Nicole Kidman – 57 years old (1967) – Actress (“The Hours”, “Rabbit Hole”, “Moulin Rouge”, “Lion”, “Stoker”, “The Paperboy”, “The Golden Compass”, “Cold Mountain”, “The Human Stain”, “Bewitched”)
Robert Rodriguez – 56 years old (1968) – Movie director (“From Dusk Till Dawn”, “Sin City”, “Spy Kids”, “Grindhouse”, “El Mariachi”, “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”)
Josh Lucas – 53 years old (1971) – Actor (“Poseidon”, “Glory Road”, “Hulk”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, “American Psycho”)
Christopher Mintz-Plass – 35 years old (1989) – Actor (“Superbad”)
TODAY IS:
National Vanilla Milkshake Day
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
