February 11

Scott Winters February 11, 2024 0 Comments

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 – 90 years old (1934) – Actress (TV’s “Gilligan’s Island”)

Sergio Mendes – 83 years old (1941) – Musician

Phillip Anglim – 72 years old (1952) – Actor (TV’s “The Elephant Man”, “The Thorn Birds”, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”)

Jeb Bush – 71 years old (1953) – Politician

Catherine Hickland – 68 years old (1956) – Actress (“The Last Married Couple in America”, “Ghost Town”, “Witchery”, TV’s “One Life to Live”)

Carey Lowell – 63 years old (1961) – Actress (TV’s “Law and Order”)

Sheryl Crow – 62 years old (1962) – Singer

Sarah Palin – 60 years old (1964) – Politician, TV personality (TV’s “Sarah Palin’s Alaska”, “Amazing America”)

Jennifer Aniston – 55 years old (1969) – Actress (TV’s “Friends”, movies “We’re the Millers”, “The Bounty Hunter”, “Horrible Bosses” and its sequel, “He’s Just Not That Into You”, “Marley & Me”, “The Break-Up”, “Rumor Has It”, “Bruce Almighty”, “The Good Girl”, “Rock Star”, “Office Space”, “She’s the One”)

Damian Lewis – 53 years old (1971) – Actor (TV’s “Band of Brothers”, “Billions”, “Homeland”, “Life”, “The Forsyte Saga”, movies “Dreamcatcher”, “The Escapist”)

D’Angelo – 50 years old (1974) – Musician

Brice Beckham – 48 years old (1976) – Actor (Played Wesley T. Owens on TV’s “Mr. Belvedere”, “I Hate My 30’s”)

Brandy Norwood – 45 years old (1979) – Singer, actress (TV’s “Moesha”, “Cinderella”, “Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business, “America’s Got Talent”, “Dancing With the Stars: Season 11”, movie “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”)

Matthew Lawrence – 44 years old (1980) – Actor (TV’s “Boy Meets World”, “Girl Meets World”, “Brotherly Love”, movies “Cheats”, “The Hot Chick”, “The Comebacks”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”)

Kelly Rowland – 43 years old (1981) – Singer (Destiny’s Child)

Taylor Lautner – 32 years old (1992) – Actor (“Twilight”, “New Moon”, “Abduction”, “Valentine’s Day”). Born in Grand Rapids, MI.