August 8

Scott Winters, Realtor

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:

1876 – Thomas Edison received a patent for his mimeograph.

1899 – The refrigerator was patented by A.T. Marshall of Brockton, MA.

1908 – Wilbur Wright made his first flight at a racecourse at LeMans, France. It was the Wright Brothers’ first public flight.

1911 – The number of representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives was established at 435. There was one member of Congress for every 211,877 residents.

1911 – The one millionth patent was filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire.

1920 – The Detroit Tigers shut out the New York Yankees 1-0 in one hour and 13 minutes. It was the shortest nine inning game in American League History at the time.

1945 – The United Nations Charter was signed by President Harry S. Truman.

1949 – Grand Rapids, MI’s first television station went on the air. It was WLAV Channel 7. It would later become WOOD TV Channel 8.

1966 – Michael DeBakey became the first surgeon to install an artificial heart pump in a patient.

1974 – In the wake of Watergate, President Richard M. Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announced his resignation from the office of President of the United States effective at noon the next day.

1978 – The U.S. launched Pioneer Venus II, which carried scientific probes to study the atmosphere of Venus.

1988 – The lights were turned on at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, for the first time, making it the last major league stadium to have only day games.

1989 – The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-28) took off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on a secret five-day military mission.

1992 – The “Dream Team” clinched the gold medal at the Barcelona Summer Olympics. The U.S. basketball team beat Croatia 117-85.

1999 – Tish, the world’s oldest captive goldfish, died in Yorkshire, England, at the age of 43.

2008 – The 29th modern summer Olympic Games took place in Beijing, China until August 24.

2021 – The USA women’s basketball team won it’s seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal with 90-75 win over Japan in Tokyo.

2022 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at former president Donald Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, FL.

 

BIRTHDAYS:

Nita Talbot – 95 a old (1930) – Actress (Played Marya, the “White Russian” spy on TV’s “Hogan’s Heroes”, played Sheila Fine on “Soap”)

Dustin Hoffman – 88 a old (1937) – Actor (“Kramer vs. Kramer”, “Rain Man”, “Wag the Dog”, “Tootsie”, “Midnight Cowboy”, “The Graduate”)

Connie Stevens – 87 a old (1938) – Singer

Larry Wilcox – 78 a old (1947) – Actor (Played Officer Jonathan “Jon” Baker on TV’s “CHiPs”)

Keith Carradine – 76 a old (1949) – Actor, singer (“Nashville”, “Deadwood”, “Dexter”, “Madam Secretary”)

Robin Quivers – 73 a old (1952) – Radio Personality (“The Howard Stern Show”)

Donny Most – 72 a old (1953) – Actor (Played Ralph Malph on TV’s “Happy Days”)

Chris Foreman – 69 a old (1956) – Guitarist (Madness)

Deborah Norville – 67 a old (1958) – TV personality (TV’s “Inside Edition”, “Today”)

Rikki Rockett – 64 a old (1961) – Drummer (Poison)

The Edge (David Evans) – 64 a old (1961) – Lead guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist (U2)

Scott Stapp – 52 a old (1973) – Lead vocalist (Creed)

JC Chasez – 49 a old (1976) – Singer (‘N Sync)

Drew Lachey – 49 a old (1976) – Singer (98 Degrees)

Odie – 47 a old (1978) – from the “Garfield” comic

Countess Vaughn – 47 a old (1978) – Actress (“The Parkers”, “Moesha”)

Michael Urie – 45 a old (1980) – Actor (TV’s “Ugly Betty”)

 

TODAY IS:

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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.comwww.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.

I’ve always been the kind of person who notices the things other people overlook — strange roadside attractions, forgotten pieces of history, interesting places, odd trends, and the little things in everyday life that make you laugh and say, “Wait... when did that become normal?” This blog is where I share those discoveries. Some days you might learn something fascinating from history. Other days I’ll take you along on a road trip, share a weird story from Michigan’s past, or simply rant about something in modern life that makes absolutely no sense. No matter what, my goal is simple: keep things interesting!

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