May 8

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:

1794 – The United States Post Office was established.

1847 – The rubber tire was patented by Robert W. Thompson. He called them “air wheels”.

1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York, NY, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opened.

1879 – George Selden applied for the first automobile patent.

1886 – Pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invented a medicinal carbonated beverage that would later be called “Coca-Cola”.

1912 – Paramount Pictures was founded.

1914 – The U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

1915 – H.P. Whitney’s Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby.

1919 – The first transatlantic flight took-off by a navy seaplane.

1921 – The world’s first riding lawnmower was introduced by the Ideal Power Mower Company of Lansing, MI. The mower company was sold to the Indian Motorcycle Co. in 1945.

1942 – A plant in Kalamazoo, MI turned out the first World War II amphibious cargo carrier.

1945 – President Harry Truman announced that World War II had ended in Europe. Germany unconditionally surrendered to Allied troops. The war in Europe ended and VE day was proclaimed.

1956 – Alfred E. Neuman appeared on the cover of “Mad Magazine” for the first time.

1958 – President Dwight Eisenhower ordered the National Guard out of Little Rock, AR, as Ernest Green became the first black to graduate from an Arkansas public school.

1959 – Mike and Marian Ilitch founded “Little Caesars Pizza Treat” in Garden City, MI.

1961 – New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise. They chose the Mets.

1963 – The first James Bond movie, “Doctor No”, is released in the US.

1973 – Carolyn King, of Ypsilanti, MI, became the first girl to play in Little League.

1976 – The rollercoaster “The New Revolution”, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

1977 – County Commissioners in Parker County voted Buck Naked, Texas, out of existence. It was decided that Buck Naked’s road signs caused too many misunderstandings. Originally, residents chose the name as a joke.

1978 – New York’s “Son of Sam,” David Berkowitz, pleaded guilty to six murder charges.

1980 – The World Health Organization confirmed the eradication of smallpox.

1984 – The Soviet Union announced that they would not participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics Games in Los Angeles, CA.

1984 – Joanie (Erin Moran) and Chachi (Scott Baio) got married on the ABC television show “Happy Days”.

1986 – Reporters were told that 84,000 people had been evacuated from areas near the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Soviet Ukraine.

1997 – Larry King received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998 – Johnny Winter was inducted into Hollywood’s Rock Walk.

1999 – The first female cadet graduated from The Citadel military college.

2010 – Betty White hosted TV’s “Saturday Night Live”. At the age of 88, she set a record as the show’s oldest host.

2018 – The largest-ever wave was recorded in the South Hemisphere at Campbell Island by New Zealand scientists. The wave was 78 feet high.

2020 – Golf carts were once again allowed on Michigan golf courses. They had been banned due to COVID-19 restrictions.

 

BIRTHDAYS:

David Attenborough – 98 years old (1926) – Actor, environmentalist

Toni Tennille – 84 years old (1940) – Singer (The Captain and Tennille)

James Mitchum – 83 years old (1941) – Actor (“The Beat Generation”, “The Victors”, “Ride the Wild Surf”, “In Harm’s Way”, “Ambush Bay”, “The Invincible Six”, “The Last Movie”, “Moonrunners”)

Gary Glitter – 80 years old (1944) – Singer (“Rock and Roll Part Two”)

Phillip Bailey – 73 years old (1951) – Singer (Earth, Wind and Fire)

Chris Frantz – 73 years old (1951) – Drummer (Talking Heads)

Billy Burnette – 71 years old (1953) – Guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)

Alex Van Halen – 71 years old (1953) – Drummer (Van Halen)

David Keith – 70 years old (1954) – Actor (“An Officer and a Gentleman”, “The Lords of Discipline”, “Firestarter”,”White of the Eye”)

Eric Brittingham – 64 years old (1960) – Bass guitarist (Cinderella)

Melissa Gilbert – 60 years old (1964) – Actress (TV’s “Little House on the Prairie”)

Enrique Iglesias – 49 years old (1975) – Singer

Matthew Davis – 46 years old (1978) – Actor (“Legally Blonde”, “Blue Crush”, TV’s “The Vampire Diaries”, “What About Brian”)

 

TODAY IS:

Free Trade Day

Golf Day

International Thalassaemia Day

Iris Day

National Coconut Cream Pie Day

National Have A Coke Day

National Student Nurse Day

National Women’s Checkup Day

No Socks Day

Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation

World Donkey Day

World Ovarian Cancer Day

World Red Cross 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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