August 2

Scott Winters August 2, 2024 1 Comment

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:

1776 – Contrary to widespread misconceptions, the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign as a group and did not do so on July 4, 1776. John Hancock and Charles Thomson signed only draft copies that day, the official day the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress. The signing of the official declaration happened on August 2, 1776, when 50 men probably took part.

1790 – The first U.S. Census was conducted.

1791 – Samuel Briggs and his son, Samuel Briggs, Jr., received a patent for a nail-making machine. They were the first father/son pair to receive a patent.

1858 – The first mailboxes were installed along the street in Boston, MA and New York, NY.

1861 – The first Income Tax was passed by the United States Congress. The revenues were intended for the war effort against the South. The tax was never enacted.

1870 – The world’s first underground tube railway opened in London, England.

1873 – The Clay Street Hill Railroad began operating the first cable car in San Francisco, CA’s famous cable car system.

1887 – Rowell Hodge received a patent for barbed wire.

1892 – Charles A. Wheeler received a patent for the first escalator.

1921 – Eight White Sox players were acquitted of throwing the 1919 World Series.

1923 – Vice President Calvin Coolidge became the 30th President of the United States, after the death of Warren G. Harding.

1923 – The first Lake Michigan car ferry began operation to cross the Straits of Mackinaw between the upper and lower peninsula’s of Michigan.

1926 – John Barrymore and Mary Astor starred in the first showing of the Vitaphone System. The system combined the pictures and sound for the movies.

1937 – The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal.

1938 – In an experiment, bright yellow baseballs were used in a major league baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The hope was the balls would be easier to see.

1939 – Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt urging the U.S. to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon.

1939 – President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Hatch Act. The act prohibited civil service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns.

1943 – The U.S. Navy patrol torpedo boat, PT-109, sank after being attacked by a Japanese destroyer. Lt. John F. Kennedy, future President, saved all but two of his crew.

1964 – The Pentagon reported the first of two North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.

1965 – American’s first “Trimline” telephones were made available in Detroit, MI.

1982 – The Post Office issued a stamp honoring baseball great Jackie Robinson

1983 – U.S. House of Representatives approved a law that designated the third Monday of January be a federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The law was signed by President Ronald Reagan on November 2.

1984 – The Charles Schultz’ comic strip “Peanuts” was added to the Portsmouth Daily Times, making it the first comic strip to appear in 2,000 newspapers.

1985 – 137 people are killed when a Delta jumbo jet crashed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

1987 – “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was re-released for it’s 50th anniversary.

1989 – The movie “Parenthood”, directed by Ron Howard and starring Steve Martin, premiered in theaters.

1990 – Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and seized petroleum reserves. That aggression began the Persian Gulf War.

1995 – China ordered the expulsion of two U.S. Air Force officers. The two were said to have been caught spying on military sights.

2014 – The Detroit Tigers scored in every inning played for the first time since 1912. Detroit beat Colorado 11-5.

2021 – It was announced that 70 percent of American had had at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot.

2022 – The nearly complete film “Batgirl” — with a budget of more than $90 million — was shelved. The official reason was that it was not testing well enough with audiences to instill confidence at Warner Bros.

BIRTHDAYS:

Kathy Lennon – 81 years old (1943) – Singer (The Lennon Sisters)

Joanna Cassidy – 79 years old (1945) – Actress (“Blade Runner”, TV’s “Six Feet Under”, “Dallas”, “Boston Legal”, “Diagnosis Murder”, “Buffalo Bill”)

Lance Ito – 74 years old (1950) – Judge (Presided over the O.J. Simpson murder trial)

Butch Patrick – 71 years old (1953) – Actor (Played Eddie on TV’s “The Munsters”, “Lidsville”)

Victoria Jackson – 65 years old (1959) – Actress, comedian (“Casual Sex”, “UHF”, TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, “Romeo!”, “Strip Mall”)

Cynthia Stevenson – 62 years old (1962) – Actress (“The Player”, “Forget Paris”, “Home for the Holidays”, “Air Bud: Golden Receiver”, TV’s “Cheers”)

Mary-Louise Parker – 60 years old (1964) – Actress (“RED”, “RED 2”, “Fried Green Tomatoes”, “Boys on the Side”, TV’s “Weeds”, “The West Wing”)

Kevin Smith – 54 years old (1970) – Director, actor (“Clerks”, “Chasing Amy”, “Dogma”, “Jersey Girl”, “Mallrats”)

Sam Worthington – 48 years old (1976) – Actor (“Avatar”, “Terminator Salvation”, “Clash of the Titans”, “Wrath of the Titans”)

Edward Furlong – 47 years old (1977) – Actor (“Detroit Rock City”, “Pecker”, “American History X”, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”)