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:
1752 – The Pennsylvania Hospital opened as the very first hospital in America.
1808 – Judge Jesse Fell tried burning anthracite coal to heat his home. He successfully showed how clean the coal burned and how cheaply it could be used as a heating fuel.
1827 – A meteor exploded in a fireball over the Grand River, in Grand Rapids, MI. Trader Louis Campau told the Indians it was a sign announcing the coming of the Europeans.
1937 – A sit-down strike ended when General Motors recognized the United Automobile Workers Union.
1941 – The first gold record was presented for the song “The Chattanooga Choo Choo” by the Glen Miller Orchestra and Dorothy Dandridge.
1957 – The National Hockey League Players Association was formed in New York, NY.
1958 – Ruth Carol Taylor became the first black woman to become a stewardess.
1960 – Jack Paar walked off the “Tonight Show” with four minutes of the live show remaining as a protest against censors deleting a four minute joke from the show the night before.
1964 – The Beatles played their first U.S. concert at the Coliseum in Washington, DC.
1968 – The new 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden officially opened in New York, NY. This was the fourth Garden.
1979 – The TV movie “Elvis,” with Kurt Russell, aired on ABC.
1982 – ABC’s presentation of television series “The Winds of War” concluded. The 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most-watched television program in history at the time.
1984 – The tenth Space Shuttle mission returned to Earth safely.
1986 – The single “Superbowl Shuffle” by the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew was certified gold.
1989 – Rev. Barbara C. Harris became the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church.
1990 – Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.
1990 – In Tokyo, Japan, James “Buster” Douglas (a 42-1 underdog) knocked out Mike Tyson in the tenth round to win the undisputed Heavyweight boxing title.
1993 – Janet Reno was appointed to the position of attorney general by President Bill Clinton. She was the first female to hold the position.
1997 – The Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
2000 – The Space Shuttle Endeavor took off on a mission to gather information for the most detailed map of the Earth ever made.
2002 – The six stars on NBC’s television show “Friends” signed a deal for $24 million each for the series ninth and final season.
2006 – In Texas, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a quail hunt.
2013 – Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy, the first pontiff to resign in more than half a millennium.
2020 – The World Health Organization officially named the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19, with the virus being designated SARS-CoV-2.
BIRTHDAYS:
Tina Louise – 92 years old (1934) – Actress and singer
Joy Williams – 82 years old (1944) – Novelist, short story writer, and essayist
James Silas – 77 years old (1949) – Basketball player
Mike Leavitt – 75 years old (1951) – Politician, 14th Governor of Utah
Philip Anglim – 73 years old (1953) – Actor
Jeb Bush – 73 years old (1953) – Banker and politician, 43rd Governor of Florida
Wesley Strick – 72 years old (1954) – Director and screenwriter
Catherine Hickland – 70 years old (1956) – Actress
Richard Mastracchio – 66 years old (1960) – Engineer and astronaut
Carey Lowell – 65 years old (1961) – Actress
Tammy Baldwin – 64 years old (1962) – Lawyer and politician
Diane Franklin – 64 years old (1962) – Actress
Sheryl Crow – 64 years old (1962) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Sarah Palin – 62 years old (1964) – Politician, 9th Governor of Alaska
Ken Shamrock – 62 years old (1964) – Martial artist and wrestler
Mo Willems – 58 years old (1968) – Author and illustrator
Jennifer Aniston – 57 years old (1969) – Actress and producer
Kelly Slater – 54 years old (1972) – Surfer
Alex Jones – 52 years old (1974) – Radio show host and conspiracy theorist
Isaiah Mustafa – 52 years old (1974) – Actor and football player
Andy Lally – 51 years old (1975) – Race car driver
Jacque Vaughn – 51 years old (1975) – Basketball player and coach
Tony Battie – 50 years old (1976) – Basketball player and sportscaster
Mike Shinoda – 49 years old (1977) – Musician and artist
Roc Marciano – 48 years old (1978) – Rapper and record producer
Brandy Norwood – 47 years old (1979) – Singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Matthew Lawrence – 46 years old (1980) – Actor and singer
Kelly Rowland – 45 years old (1981) – Singer and actress
Daryn Colledge – 44 years old (1982) – Football player
Aubrey O'Day – 42 years old (1984) – Singer and reality television personality
Alando Tucker – 42 years old (1984) – Basketball player and coach
Q'orianka Kilcher – 36 years old (1990) – German-American actress
Taylor Lautner – 34 years old (1992) – Actor
Jake Matthews – 34 years old (1992) – Football player
Ben McLemore – 33 years old (1993) – Basketball player
Dansby Swanson – 32 years old (1994) – Baseball player
Damien Harris – 29 years old (1997) – Football player
Mike Hughes – 29 years old (1997) – Football player
Zavier Simpson – 29 years old (1997) – Basketball player
Trent Frederic – 28 years old (1998) – Ice hockey player
Josh Jacobs – 28 years old (1998) – Football player
Khalid – 28 years old (1998) – Singer and songwriter
Nassir Little – 26 years old (2000) – Basketball player
TODAY IS:
Today's special observances are temporarily unavailable. Please check back soon.
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.
