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:
1636 – The United States National Guard was created when militia regiments were organized by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians.
1809 – The first abdominal surgical procedure was performed in Danville, KY, on Jane Todd Crawford. The operation was performed without an anesthetic.
1884 – Percy Everitt received a patent for the first coin-operated scale.
1903 – The ice cream cone was patented.
1913 – The Sunday New York World printed a puzzle called a “Word cross,” created by Liverpulian Arthur Wynne. The puzzle was a success and became a weekly feature. The name eventually evolved into “crossword.”
1913 – It was announced by authorities in Florence, Italy, that the “Mona Lisa” had been recovered. The work was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911.
1913 – The Federal Reserve System was established as the first U.S. federal bank.
1918 – President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first chief executive to visit a European country while holding office.
1962 – NASA launched Relay 1, the first active repeater communications satellite in orbit.
1964 – In El Paso, TX, President Lyndon Johnson and Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz set off an explosion which diverted the Rio Grande River, reshaping the U.S./Mexican border, ending a century-old dispute.
1966 – The television rights to the first four Super Bowls were sold to CBS and NBC for a total of $9.5 million.
1972 – Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt began the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or “Moonwwalk” of Apollo 17. To date they are the last humans to set food on the Moon.
1978 – The Philadelphia Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony dollar. The coin went into circulation the following July.
1982 – The Sentry Armored Car Company in New York, NY, discovered that $11 million had been stolen from its headquarters overnight. It was the biggest cash theft in U.S. history.
1985 – The movie adaptation of the board game “Clue” premiered in theaters.
1985 – Phil Collins made his American television acting debut. He played a drug dealer on “Miami Vice”.
1988 – A bankruptcy judge in Columbia, SC, ordered the assets of the troubled PTL television ministry sold to a Toronto real estate developer for $65 million.
1989 – The movie “Driving Miss Daisy”, starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, was released in theaters.
1993 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people must receive a hearing before property linked to illegal drug sales can be seized.
1996 – The movie “Mars Attacks”, produced and directed by Tim Burton, premiered in theaters.
2000 – Vice President Al Gore conceded the 2000 Presidential election to Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The Florida electoral votes were won by only 537 votes, which decided the election. The election had been contested up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which said that the Florida recount (supported by the Florida Supreme Court) was unconstitutional.
2001 – The U.S. government released a video tape that showed Osama bin Laden and others discussing their knowledge of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
2001 – NBC-TV announced that it would begin running hard liquor commercials. NBC issued a 19-point policy that outlined the conditions for accepting liquor ads.
2002 – The movie “A Beautiful Mind” premiered in theaters.
2003 – Saddam Hussein was captured when American troops found the former dictator of Iraq hiding in a hole on a farm near Tikrit. He surrendered without a fight, but refused to cooperate with interrogators.
2020 – The Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine began shipping.
BIRTHDAYS:
Dick Van Dyke – 98 years old (1925) – Actor, comedian (TV’s “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, “The New Dick Van Dyke Show”, “Diagnosis Murder”, movies “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Mary Poppins”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “Divorce American Style”, “The Comic”, “Cold Turkey”, “Night at the Museum”)
John Davidson – 82 years old (1941) – Singer, actor, game show host (TV’s “That’s Incredible,” “Hollywood Squares”)
Jeff Baxter – 75 years old (1948) – Guitarist (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan)
Ted Nugent – 75 years old (1948) – Musician. Born in Redford, MI.
Randy Owen – 74 years old (1949) – Singer (Alabama)
Wendie Malick – 73 years old (1950) – Actress (TV’s “Dream On”, “Just Shoot Me!”, “Hot in Cleveland”, “Frasier”, movies “Scrooged”, “The American President”, “Racing Stripes”, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”)
John Anderson – 69 years old (1954) – Country singer (“Swingin'”)
Steve Buscemi – 66 years old (1957) – Actor (TV’s “Boardwalk Empire”, movies “Spy Kids” 2 & 3, “Ghost World”, “The Big Lebowski”, “Escape from LA”, “Fargo”, “Reservoir Dogs”, “Parting Glances”)
Johnny Whitaker – 64 years old (1959) – Actor (Played Jody on TV’s “Family Affair”, “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters”, movie “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”)
Jamie Foxx – 56 years old (1967) – Actor, comedian (“Ray”, “Collateral”, “The Amazing Spider Man 2”, “Django Unchained”, “The Soloist”, “The Kingdom”, “Dreamgirls”, “Miami Vice”, “Jarhead”, “Stealth”, “Breakin’ All the Rules”, TV’s “The Jamie Foxx Show”, “In Living Color”)
NeNe Leakes – 56 years old (1967) – Reality star, actress (TV’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta”, Glee”, “The New Normal”, “Celebrity Apprentice”, “To Tell the Truth”)
Taylor Swift – 34 years old (1989) – Singer
TODAY IS:
International Universal Health Coverage 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.
