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:
1767 – The Mason-Dixon Line, the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, was established.
1842 – Samuel Finley Breese Morse laid his first telegraph cable.
1851 – Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” was first published as “The Whale” by Richard Bentley of London.
1867 – The U.S. took formal possession of Alaska from Russia. The land was purchased of a total of $7.2 million dollars (2 cents per acre).
1870 – The sand-blasting machine was patented.
1892 – The first long-distance telephone line between Chicago, IL, and New York, NY, was opened when Chicago Mayor Hempstead Washburne greeted New York Mayor Hugh J. Grant.
1898 – The United States took possession of Puerto Rico from Spain.
1943 – The first broadcast of “Perry Mason” was presented on CBS Radio. The show went to TV in 1957.
1954 – Texas Instruments announced the first transistor radio.
1956 – NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallowed the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.
1961 – Henri Matisse’s “Le Bateau” goes on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. It is discovered 46 days later that the painting was hung upside down.
1967 – Walt Disney’s animated movie “Jungle Book” was released. It was the 19th Disney animated feature film and the last one to be produced by Walt Disney himself.
1967 – The American League granted permission for the A’s to move to Oakland. New franchises were also awarded to Kansas City and Seattle.
1969 – The F.D.A. banned artificial sweeteners, known as cyclamates, due to evidence they cause cancer in laboratory rats.
1971 – After 34 years, the final issue of “Look” magazine was published.
1975 – Simon and Garfunkel reunited on TV’s “Saturday Night Live.”
1977 – Reggie Jackson tied Babe Ruth’s record for hitting three homeruns in a single World Series game. Jackson was only the second player to achieve this.
1979 – The Federal Communications Commission began allowing people to have home satellite systems without a federal government license.
1983 – General Motors agreed to hire more women and minorities for five years as part of a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
1985 – Mario and Luigi made their debut in North America when Super Mario Bros and the NES gaming system was released.
1989 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched on a mission that included the deployment of the Galileo Space Probe.
1991 – After a lengthy confirmation hearing, Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas swore to uphold the Constitution during an oath-taking ceremony at the White House.
1997 – A monument honoring U.S. servicewomen, past and present, was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.
2001 – An assistant to CBS News anchor Dan Rather tested positive for anthrax.
2002 – The horror movie “The Ring” debuted in theaters.
2006 – Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7.0.
2019 – NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch took part in the first all-female spacewalk when they ventured out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller.
BIRTHDAYS:
Irwin M. Jacobs – 92 years old (1933) – Electrical engineer, businessman, and entrepreneur
Mike Ditka – 86 years old (1939) – Football player, coach, and sportscaster
Martha Burk – 84 years old (1941) – Psychologist and author
Chris Shays – 80 years old (1945) – Politician
Frank Beamer – 79 years old (1946) – Football player and coach
Joe Morton – 78 years old (1947) – Actor
George Hendrick – 76 years old (1949) – Baseball player and coach
Mike Antonovich – 74 years old (1951) – Ice hockey player and coach
Pam Dawber – 74 years old (1951) – Actress and producer
Terry McMillan – 74 years old (1951) – Author and screenwriter
Chuck Lorre – 73 years old (1952) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Jerry Royster – 73 years old (1952) – Baseball player, coach, and manager
Arliss Howard – 71 years old (1954) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Bob Weinstein – 71 years old (1954) – Film executive
Vanessa Briscoe Hay – 70 years old (1955) – Singer-songwriter and keyboard player
Stu Mead – 70 years old (1955) – Painter and illustrator
David Twohy – 70 years old (1955) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Craig Bartlett – 69 years old (1956) – Animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor
Martina Navratilova – 69 years old (1956) – Czech-American tennis player and coach
Jim Talent – 69 years old (1956) – Lawyer and politician
Jon Lindstrom – 68 years old (1957) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Thomas Hearns – 67 years old (1958) – Boxer
Letitia James – 67 years old (1958) – Lawyer, activist and politician
Kirby Chambliss – 66 years old (1959) – Pilot
Milcho Manchevski – 66 years old (1959) – Macedonian-American director and screenwriter
John Nord – 66 years old (1959) – Wrestler
Wynton Marsalis – 64 years old (1961) – Trumpet player, composer, and educator
Rick Moody – 64 years old (1961) – Author and composer
Vincent Spano – 63 years old (1962) – Actor, director, and producer
Dan Lilker – 61 years old (1964) – Singer-songwriter and bass player
Curtis Stigers – 60 years old (1965) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Dave Price – 59 years old (1966) – Journalist and game show host
Eric Stuart – 58 years old (1967) – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and voice actor
Doug Mirabelli – 55 years old (1970) – Baseball player and coach
Rachel Nichols – 52 years old (1973) – Journalist and sportscaster
Josh Sawyer – 50 years old (1975) – Video game designer
Flavia Colgan – 48 years old (1977) – Brazilian-American journalist
Ryan Nelsen – 48 years old (1977) – New Zealand-American soccer player and coach
Ne-Yo – 46 years old (1979) – Singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor
Greg Warren – 44 years old (1981) – Football player
Simon Gotch – 43 years old (1982) – Wrestler
Esperanza Spalding – 41 years old (1984) – Singer-songwriter and bassist
Lindsey Vonn – 41 years old (1984) – Skier
Andrew Garcia – 40 years old (1985) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Zac Efron – 38 years old (1987) – Actor and singer
Laci Green – 36 years old (1989) – YouTube personality, video blogger, sex educator, and activist
Joy Lauren – 36 years old (1989) – Actress, director, and producer
Drew Crawford – 35 years old (1990) – Basketball player
Brittney Griner – 35 years old (1990) – Basketball player
Bristol Palin – 35 years old (1990) – Public speaker and reality television personality
Tyler Posey – 34 years old (1991) – Actor and musician
John John Florence – 33 years old (1992) – Surfer
Terance Mann – 29 years old (1996) – Basketball player
Sophie Thatcher – 25 years old (2000) – Actress
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.
