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:
1845 – The U.S. Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
1849 – English-born Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive medical degree. It was from the Medical Institution of Geneva, NY.
1855 – The first bridge over the Mississippi River opened in what is now Minneapolis, MN. The crossing was the Hennipin Avenue Bridge.
1860 – Fire destroyed the Porter & Sligh store on the southwest corner of Lyon and Monroe in Grand Rapids, MI, and the wooded post office building across the arcade from it. The Porter & Sligh building housed most of the county offices, and the loss included public records.
1907 – Charles Curtis, of Kansas, began serving in the United States Senate. He was the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator. He resigned in March of 1929 to become President Herbert Hoover’s Vice President.
1933 – The Shrine Circus made its first appearance in Grand Rapids the week of January 23, 1933. It was also three weeks to the day after the new Civic Auditorium first opened its doors to the public. The turnout was amazing, with all 4500 seats filled nearly every day throughout the week.
1948 – Arctic high pressure and deep snow cover kept lower Michigan in the deep freeze. Record low temperatures were set in Grand Rapids (-19°) and Muskegon (-13°).
1957 – Inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sold the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renamed it the “Frisbee”.
1964 – The 24th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections.
1971 – In Prospect Creek Camp, AK, the lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was reported as -80 degrees.
1973 – President Richard Nixon announced that a peace accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War.
1975 – The police station television sitcom “Barney Miller” made its debut on ABC.
1977 – ABC began televising the mini-series “Roots”, based on Alex Haley’s book. It was the most watched mini-series in history.
1978 – Sweden banned aerosol sprays because of damage to environment. They were the first country to do so.
1983 – The television show “The A-Team” debuted on TV.
1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its first induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, NY. In alphabetical order, the inaugural Class of 1986 consisted of Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, DJ Alan Freed, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley.
1997 – Madeleine Albright became the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
2002 – Reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan, and murdered.
2003 – A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 was detected for the final time, but no usable data could be extracted.
2004 – The final episode of the television show “Friends” was taped.
2018 – A 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Gulf of Alaska. It was tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States. There were no reports of significant damage or fatalities.
2020 – The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
2021 – A $1 billion Mega Millions ticket was sold at a Kroger in Novi, MI. It was the biggest lottery prize ever won in the state of Michigan at that time and the third largest ever sold in the United States. The lump-sum cash option was an estimated $739.6 million.
BIRTHDAYS:
Lou Antonio – 92 years old (1934) – Actor and director
Jerry Kramer – 90 years old (1936) – Football player and sportscaster
Gary Burton – 83 years old (1943) – Musician
Tom Carper – 79 years old (1947) – Captain and politician, 71st Governor of Delaware
Charlie Papazian – 77 years old (1949) – Nuclear engineer, brewer and author
Richard Dean Anderson – 76 years old (1950) – Actor, producer, and composer
Chesley Sullenberger – 75 years old (1951) – Airline pilot and safety expert
John Luther Adams – 73 years old (1953) – Composer
Antonio Villaraigosa – 73 years old (1953) – Politician, 41st Mayor of Los Angeles
Robin Zander – 73 years old (1953) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Peter Mackenzie – 65 years old (1961) – Actor
Boris McGiver – 64 years old (1962) – Actor
Gail O'Grady – 63 years old (1963) – Actress
Jonatha Brooke – 62 years old (1964) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Mariska Hargitay – 62 years old (1964) – Actress and producer
Louie Clemente – 61 years old (1965) – Drummer
Haywoode Workman – 60 years old (1966) – Basketball player and referee
Kevin Mawae – 55 years old (1971) – Football player and coach
Tiffani Thiessen – 52 years old (1974) – Actress
Phil Dawson – 51 years old (1975) – Football player
Tito Ortiz – 51 years old (1975) – Mixed martial artist
Brandon Duckworth – 50 years old (1976) – Baseball player and scout
Alex Shaffer – 50 years old (1976) – Skier
Larry Hughes – 47 years old (1979) – Basketball player
Julia Jones – 45 years old (1981) – Actress
Andrew Rock – 44 years old (1982) – Sprinter
Jeff Samardzija – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball and football player
Steve Birnbaum – 35 years old (1991) – Soccer player
Addison Russell – 32 years old (1994) – Baseball player
Keita Bates-Diop – 30 years old (1996) – Basketball player
TODAY IS:
No events found for this date.
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.
