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:
1797 – Albany became the capital of New York state, replacing New York City.
1808 – The United States prohibited importation of slaves from Africa.
1818 – English author Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstien” was published.
1840 – The first recorded bowling match was recorded in the U.S.
1863 – President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in the rebel states were free.
1870 – The Grand River Valley Railroad began service when it’s first train (Engine “Muskegon” and six cars) arrived in Grand Rapids, MI from Jackson, MI.
1879 – The present State Capitol building in Lansing, MI was dedicated.
1892 – Ellis Island Immigrant Station formally opened in New York, NY.
1892 – Brooklyn and New York merged to form the single city of New York.
1895 – In Battle Creek, MI, C.W. Post created his first usable batch of Monks Brew (later called Postum). It was a cereal-based substitute for caffeinated drinks.
1902 – The first Tournament of Roses (later the Rose Bowl) collegiate football game was played in Pasadena, CA between Michigan and Stanford.
1909 – The first payments of old-age pensions were made in Britain. People over 70 received five shillings a week.
1913 – The post office began parcel post deliveries.
1916 – The Pantlind Hotel (now the Amway Grand Plaza) opened to the public in Grand Rapids, MI.
1924 – Frank B. Cooney received a patent for ink paste.
1926 – The Rose Bowl was carried coast to coast on network radio for the first time.
1934 – Alcatraz Island officially became a Federal Prison.
1934 – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) began operation.
1939 – The Hewlett-Packard partnership was formed by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard.
1942 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued a declaration called the “United Nations.” It was signed by 26 countries that vowed to create an international postwar World War II peacekeeping organization.
1954 – NBC made the first coast-to-cost color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade. There were public demonstrations given across the U.S. on prototype color receivers.
1959 – Fidel Castro overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista, and seized power in Cuba.
1971 – Tobacco ads representing $20 million dollars in advertising were banned from TV and radio broadcast.
1972 – Michigan lawmakers reduced the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. It remained in effect for seven years (until a petition drive to change it).
1975 – The magazine “Popular Electronics” announced the invention of a person computer called Altair. MITS, using an Intel microprocessor, developed the computer.
1983 – The ARPANET officially changed to using the Internet Protocol, creating the internet.
1984 – AT&T was broken up into 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement with the U.S. Federal government.
1985 – VH-1 premiered as an adult contemporary music video channel with Marvin Gaye’s “Star Spangled Banner” video.
1985 – The Internet’s Domain Name System was created.
1990 – David Dinkins was sworn in as New York City’s first black mayor.
1992 – The ESPN Radio Network was officially launched.
1993 – The TV show “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman” premiered.
1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect.
1995 – The Gary Larson cartoon, “The Far Side”, appeared in daily newspapers for the last time. It first appeared on December 31, 1979.
1998 – A new anti-smoking law went into effect in California. The law prohibits people from lighting up in bars.
1999 – The euro became currency for 11 Member States of the European Union. Coins and notes were not available until January 1, 2002.
1999 – In California, a law went into effect that defined “invasion of privacy as trespassing with the intent to capture audio or video images of a celebrity or crime victim engaging in a personal of family activity.”
1999 – Two new networks, Biography and DIY Network, debuted.
2007 – Binney & Smith Company became Crayola LLC under its parent company Hallmark.
2024 – Disney’s copyright protection on Steamboat Willie and the original Mickey Mouse expired as they entered the public domain.
2025 – 14 people were killed and 35 others injured during a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack in New Orleans, LA.
BIRTHDAYS:
Vernon L. Smith – 99 years old (1927) – Economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
Gerhard Weinberg – 98 years old (1928) – German-American historian, author, and academic
Frederick Wiseman – 96 years old (1930) – Director and producer
James Sinegal – 90 years old (1936) – Businessman, co-founded Costco
Frank Langella – 88 years old (1938) – Actor
Senfronia Thompson – 87 years old (1939) – Politician
Dennis Archer – 84 years old (1942) – Lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
Country Joe McDonald – 84 years old (1942) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Tony Knowles – 83 years old (1943) – Soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska
Don Novello – 83 years old (1943) – Comedian, screenwriter and producer
Jimmy Hart – 82 years old (1944) – Professional wrestling manager
Victor Ashe – 81 years old (1945) – Politician and former United States Ambassador to Poland
Jimmy Jones – 81 years old (1945) – Basketball player
Claude Steele – 80 years old (1946) – Social psychologist and academic
Jon Corzine – 79 years old (1947) – Sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey
Gary Johnson – 73 years old (1953) – Businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico
Richard Edson – 72 years old (1954) – Actor
Bob Menendez – 72 years old (1954) – Lawyer and politician
Dave Silk – 68 years old (1958) – Ice hockey player
Milo Aukerman – 63 years old (1963) – Singer and songwriter
Dedee Pfeiffer – 62 years old (1964) – Actress
Morris Chestnut – 57 years old (1969) – Actor
Sammie Henson – 55 years old (1971) – Wrestler and coach
Bobby Holík – 55 years old (1971) – Czech-American ice hockey player and coach
Joe Cannon – 51 years old (1975) – Soccer player and sportscaster
Tank – 50 years old (1976) – Singer, songwriter, producer, and actor
Elin Nordegren – 46 years old (1980) – Swedish-American model
Eden Riegel – 45 years old (1981) – Actress
Glen Davis – 40 years old (1986) – Basketball player
Gia Coppola – 39 years old (1987) – Director and screenwriter
Meryl Davis – 39 years old (1987) – Ice dancer
Dallas Keuchel – 38 years old (1988) – Baseball player
Jason Pierre-Paul – 37 years old (1989) – Football player
Glen Rice Jr. – 35 years old (1991) – Basketball player
Darius Slay – 35 years old (1991) – Football player
Xavier Su'a-Filo – 35 years old (1991) – Football player
Larry Nance Jr. – 33 years old (1993) – Basketball player
LaMonte Wade Jr. – 32 years old (1994) – Baseball player
Poppy – 31 years old (1995) – Singer and YouTube personality
Noah Kahan – 29 years old (1997) – Singer-songwriter
Ice Spice – 26 years old (2000) – Rapper
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.
