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:
1799 – Andrew Ellicott Douglass witnessed the Leonids meteor shower from a ship off the Florida Keys.
1859 – The first flying trapeze act was performed by Jules Leotard at Cirque Napoleon in Paris, France. He was also the designer of the leotard, a garment that was named after him.
1892 – William “Pudge” Heffelfinger became the first professional football player when he was paid a $500 bonus for helping the Allegheny Athletic Association beat the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.
1909 – The first mile of paved concrete road in Michigan was laid on Woodward Avenue, between 6 and 7 Mile Roads, in Detroit.
1912 – The frozen bodies of Robert Scott and his men were found on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
1931 – Maple Leaf Gardens opened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was to be the new home of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
1933 – Hugh Gray took the first known photos alleged to be of the Loch Ness Monster.
1933 – In Philadelphia, PA, the first Sunday football game was played.
1936 – In California, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic.
1940 – Walt Disney’s film “Fantasia” opened in theaters.
1946 – The first drive-up bank opened at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, IL.
1953 – The National Football League policy of blacking out home games was upheld by Judge Allan K. Grim of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, PA.
1954 – The immigration station in New York Harbor, Ellis Island, closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants since 1892.
1964 – Paula Murphy set the female land speed record 226.37 miles per hour.
1970 – The Oregon Highway Division attempted to destroy a rotting beached sperm whale with explosives. Things got really messy, leading to the now infamous “exploding whale” incident.
1972 – Don Shula, coach of the Miami Dolphins, became the first NFL head coach to win 100 regular season games in 10 seasons.
1975 – U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas retired because of failing health, ending a record 36-1/2 year term.
1979 – President Jimmy Carter ordered a halt to all oil imports from Iran in response to 63 Americans being taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran.
1980 – The U.S. space probe Voyager I came within 77,000 miles of Saturn while taking the first images of the planet’s rings and transmitting data back to Earth.
1981 – Mission STS-2, utilizing the Space Shuttle Columbia, marked the first time a manned spacecraft was launched into space twice.
1984 – Space Shuttle astronauts Dale Gardner and Joe Allen snared the Palapa B2 satellite in history’s first space salvage.
1987 – The American Medical Association issued a policy statement that said it was unethical for a doctor to refuse to treat someone solely because that person had AIDS or was HIV-positive.
1990 – The IRS seized all of Willie Nelson’s assets, including a golf course and recording studio, to satisfy a $6.5 million debt.
1990 – Tim Berners-Lee published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.
1991 – Robert Gates was sworn in as CIA director.
1993 – The first Ultimate Fighting Championship event, UFC 1, was held in Denver, CO.
1995 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
1997 – Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
1998 – Daimler-Benz completed a merger with Chrysler to form Daimler-Chrysler AG.
2001 – American Airlines flight 587, enroute to the Dominican Republic, crashed just minutes after take off from Kennedy Airport in New York, NY, killing all 260 people on board and 5 people on the ground. The Airbus A300 crashed into the Rockaway Beach section of Queens, NY.
2002 – Stan Lee filed a lawsuit against Marvel Entertainment Inc. He claimed the company had cheated him out of millions of dollars in movie profits related to the 2002 movie “Spider-Man.” Lee created Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Daredevil.
2007 – The video game Super Mario Galaxy was released in the United States.
2013 – In New York, NY, it was announced that the new World Trade Center was the tallest building in the United States. The height was measured at 1,776 feet. The building was also the fourth tallest building in the world at the time.
2013 – U.S. Airways and AMR reached an antitrust settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice which would allow a merger of the two companies. It created the world’s largest airline.
2014 – The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft used its lander Philae to perform the first soft landing on a comet. The comet was 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
2021 – The Los Angeles, California Superior Court formally ended the 14 year conservatorship to pop singer Britney Spears.
BIRTHDAYS:
Brian Hyland – 82 years old (1943) – Pop singer
Wallace Shawn – 82 years old (1943) – Actor, comedian and playwright
Ken Houston – 81 years old (1944) – Football player
Booker T. Jones – 81 years old (1944) – Pianist, saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
Al Michaels – 81 years old (1944) – Sportscaster
Judith Roitman – 80 years old (1945) – Mathematician and academic
Buck Dharma – 78 years old (1947) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Jack Reed – 76 years old (1949) – Soldier and politician
Barbara Fairchild – 75 years old (1950) – Country and gospel singer-songwriter
Megan Mullally – 67 years old (1958) – Actress and singer
Vincent Irizarry – 66 years old (1959) – Actor
Neal Shusterman – 63 years old (1962) – Author and poet
Naomi Wolf – 63 years old (1962) – Author and activist
David Ellefson – 61 years old (1964) – Bass player and songwriter
Lex Lang – 60 years old (1965) – Voice actor and producer
Disco Inferno – 58 years old (1967) – Wrestler and manager
Michael Moorer – 58 years old (1967) – Boxer
Kathleen Hanna – 57 years old (1968) – Singer-songwriter
Sammy Sosa – 57 years old (1968) – Dominican-American baseball player
Ian Bremmer – 56 years old (1969) – Political scientist and author
Rob Schrab – 56 years old (1969) – Writer and artist
Elektra – 55 years old (1970) – Wrestler, model, and dancer
Tonya Harding – 55 years old (1970) – Figure skater
Chen Guangcheng – 54 years old (1971) – Chinese-American lawyer and activist
Rebecca Wisocky – 54 years old (1971) – Actress
Ethan Zohn – 52 years old (1973) – Pro soccer player and Survivor: Africa winner
Tamala Jones – 51 years old (1974) – Actress
Jason Lezak – 50 years old (1975) – Swimmer
Amy Neighbors – 50 years old (1975) – Politician
Tevin Campbell – 49 years old (1976) – R&B singer-songwriter and actor
Richelle Mead – 49 years old (1976) – Author and educator
Ashley Williams – 47 years old (1978) – Actress
Lucas Glover – 46 years old (1979) – Golfer
Corey Maggette – 46 years old (1979) – Basketball player and sportscaster
Shaun Cooper – 45 years old (1980) – Bass player
Anne Hathaway – 43 years old (1982) – Actress
Charlie Morton – 42 years old (1983) – Baseball player
Jorge Masvidal – 41 years old (1984) – Mixed Martial Artist
Omarion – 41 years old (1984) – Singer, songwriter, actor and dancer
Arianny Celeste – 40 years old (1985) – Model and actress
Russell Westbrook – 37 years old (1988) – Basketball player
Adrianna Franch – 35 years old (1990) – Soccer player
Trey Burke – 33 years old (1992) – Basketball player
Dexter Lawrence – 28 years old (1997) – Football player
Paolo Banchero – 23 years old (2002) – Italian-American basketball player
TODAY IS:
- National Happy Hour Day: Head over to your local bar or pub with friends and family on Happy Hour Day and enjoy legendary discounts on your favorite alcoholic beverages.
- National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day: Get ready to feel uplifted and inspired by heartwarming stories that make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the little things in life.
- World Quality Day: To err is human, but quality control ensures perfection. From production lines to service industries, it's the critical step that ensures customer satisfaction and peace of mind.
- World Pneumonia Day:
- National French Dip Day:
- Fancy Rat & Mouse Day: Tiny, colorful companions with personalities that surprise, these pocket-sized pals are a delightful twist on the conventional pet experience.
- National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day: Imagine that savory slice, loaded with all the good stuff, a harmonious medley of flavors — and not a single fishy surprise in sight!
- National Community Education Day:
- Rad Tech Week:
- National Book Award Week:
- National Split Pea Soup Week: Savoring a comforting blend of legumes, slow-cooked to perfection, offering warmth and nourishment during the cold season.
- Benjamin Banneker Week: Unleashing his brilliance, this remarkable individual made history with his achievements in science, engineering, and his unwavering dedication to knowledge.
- National Recycling Week:
- Anti-Bullying Week:
- Nurse Practitioner Week:
- Perioperative Nurse Week:
- Dear Santa Letter Week:
- Sugar Awareness Week:
- Human-Animal Relationship Awareness Week: From our furry companions to majestic wildlife, our connection with the animal kingdom is a bond that goes beyond words.
- National Young Readers Week: Fostering young minds' love for stories and expanding horizons through the magic of books; opening doors to imagination.
- Children’s Book Week : Spark the joy of exploration in young minds through tales that open doors to realms of endless fascination and growth.
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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.
