February 12

Scott Winters, Realtor

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:

1855 – Michigan State University was established.

1878 – The baseball catcher’s mask was patented by Frederick W. Thayer.

1879 – The first artificial ice rink opened in North America. It was at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY.

1880 – The National Croquet League was organized in Philadelphia, PA.

1892 – President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was declared to be a National holiday.

1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded.

1915 – The cornerstone of the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, DC.

1918 – All theaters in New York, NY, were shut down in an effort to conserve coal.

1924 – President Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential political speech on radio.

1924 – “The Eveready Hour” became radio’s first sponsored network program. The National Carbon Company was the first sponsor of a network show.

1931 – Bela Lugosi starred as Count Dracula when the movie “Dracula” premiered in theaters.

1940 – Mutual Radio presented the first broadcast of the radio play “The Adventures of Superman”.

1963 – Construction began on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO.

1971 – The advertising song “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” was first used by Coca Cola. The song was rewritten and recorded as “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” by The New Seekers, and released a few months later in November of 1971.

1973 – The state of Ohio became the first to go metric, posting distance signs in kilometers.

1973 – American Prisoners of War were released for the first time during the Vietnam conflict.

1985 – Johnny Carson surprised his audience by shaving the beard he had been wearing on “The Tonight Show”.

1989 – Tiny Tim declared himself a New York City mayoral candidate. He did not win in the election.

1993 – The movie “Groundhog Day”, starring Bill Murray, debuted in theaters.

1997 – The day after the release of his “Earthling” album, David Bowie received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1999 – President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the U.S. Senate on two impeachment articles. The charges were perjury and obstruction of justice.

2001 – The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Napster to stop its users from trading copyrighted material without charge.

2001 – The space probe NEAR touched down in the “saddle” region of the asteroid 433 Eros. It was the first time that any craft had landed on an asteroid.

2002 – Kenneth Lay, former Enron CEO, exercised his constitutional rights and refused to testify to Congress about the collapse of Enron.

2004 – Mattel announced that “Barbie” and “Ken” were breaking up. The dolls had met on the set of their first television commercial together in 1961.

2008 – The 14-week Writers Guild of America strike finally ended.

2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed into a house in Clarence Center, NY, while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one person on the ground.

2010 – Mark Grimmette of Muskegon, MI, carried the USA flag during the opening ceremony for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

2010 – The remake of the song “We Are The World” premiered at the opening of the Winter Olympics.

2019 – Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was found guilty of all 10 federal crimes against him in New York, NY.

 

BIRTHDAYS:

Abraham Lincoln – February 12, 1809 – 16th President of the United States. Died April 15, 1865.

Joe Don Baker – 87 years old (1936) – Actor (“Walking Tall”, “Mitchell”, “Final Justice”, “Fletch”)

Judy Blume – 85 years old (1938) – Author (“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”, “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”, “Deenie”, “Blubber”)

Moe Bandy – 79 years old (1944) – Country singer

Maud Adams – 78 years old (1945) – Actress (“The Man with the Golden Gun”, “Octopussy”, “A View to a Kill”)

Cliff DeYoung – 78 years old (1945) – Actor, musician (“Harry and Tonto”, “The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case”, “Captains and the Kings”, “The 3,000 Mile Chase”, “Centennial”, “Blue Collar”, “Shock Treatment”)

Steve Hackett – 73 years old (1950) – Guitarist (Genesis)

Michael Ironside – 73 years old (1950) – Actor (“Scanners”)

Michael McDonald – 71 years old (1952) – Musician (The Doobie Brothers)

Joanna Kerns – 70 years old (1953) – Actress (TV’s “Growing Pains”)

Arsenio Hall – 67 years old (1956) – Actor, comedian, talk show host (“Coming to America”, TV’s “The Arsenio Hall Show”, “Star Search”, “Arsenio”)

Christine Elise McCarthy – 58 years old (1965) – Actress (TV’s “Beverly Hills 90210″, movie ” Child’s Play 2″)

Josh Brolin – 55 years old (1968) – Actor (“No Country for Old Men”)

Chynna Phillips – 55 years old (1968) – Singer, actress (The Mamas and Papas)

Jim Creeggan – 53 years old (1970) – Bassist (Barenaked Ladies)

Jesse Spencer – 44 years old (1979) – Actor (TV’s “House”, “Neighbours”, “Chicago Fire”)

Christina Ricci – 43 years old (1980) – Actress (“Black Snake Moan”, “Monster”, “The Opposite of Sex”, “Prozac Nation”, “Buffalo ’66”, “The Ice Storm”, “The Addams Family”)

Casey Abrams – 32 years old (1991) – Singer (Finshed 6th on TV’s “American Idol: Season 10”)

 

TODAY IS:

Autism Sunday

Darwin Day

National Lost Penny Day

National Plum Pudding Day

National Pork Rind Day

Red Hand Day

Super Bowl Sunday

World Marriage 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.

My goal is to keep you informed and/or entertained on a regular basis. Maybe you'll learn something new, or just get that much needed laugh. My topics will include a wide range of subjects....from what's going on in the world, to places I've been, things I've seen, or even just a fun video that I've found online. Check back often to see what I've posted.

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