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:
1888 – Thomas Edison applied for a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).
1888 – The first issue of “National Geographic Magazine” went on sale.
1919 – The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was incorporated.
1931 – Al Capone was convicted on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released from jail in 1939.
1933 – “News-Week” appeared for the first time at newsstands. The name was later changed to “Newsweek”.
1956 – The movie “Around the World in 80 Days” premiered in theaters.
1956 – Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer played their famous chess gamed referred to as “The Game of the Century”. Fischer beat Byrne and won a Brillancy prize.
1957 – Lake Michigan was accidentally crossed by two Milwaukee men in a hot air balloon. The balloon (the actual one used in the movie “Around the World in 80 Days”) was being used in a shopping center promotion and eventually ended up in a wild seven hour ride that ended in a Benton Harbor tree.
1966 – The TV game show “Hollywood Squares” premiered on NBC. The show was originally hosted by Peter Marshall, and had two contestants competing in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes..
1966 – NBC started offering all of their news content in color.
1978 – President Jimmy Carter signed a bill that restored full U.S. citizenship rights to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
1979 – The Department of Education Organization Act was signed into law creating the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.
1979 – Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize for peace.
1987 – First Lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
1989 – The Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale, hit the San Francisco Bay area in California. The quake caused 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries, and up to $7 billion in damages.
2000 – Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum opened to the public in New York, NY. The 42nd Street location joined Tussaud’s other exhibitions already in operation in London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Las Vegas, NV.
2001 – The U.S. Capitol and the House Office Building were closed for inspection following the discovery of anthrax in a Senate office building.
2003 – In Taipei, Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper, became the world’s tallest highrise.
2003 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Memantine to help people with Alzheimer’s symptoms.
2007 – The TV show “Storm Chasers” premiered on the Discovery Channel.
2008 – The TV show that searched out paranormal activity, “Ghost Adventures”, premiered on the Travel Channel.
BIRTHDAYS:
Hiroo Kanamori – 89 years old (1936) – Japanese-American seismologist and academic
Stephen Kovacevich – 85 years old (1940) – Pianist and conductor
Paul Ellison – 84 years old (1941) – Musician
Gary Puckett – 83 years old (1942) – Pop singer-songwriter and guitarist
Bob Seagren – 79 years old (1946) – Pole vaulter
Gene Green – 78 years old (1947) – Lawyer and politician
Michael McKean – 78 years old (1947) – Singer-songwriter, actor, and director
Robert Post – 78 years old (1947) – Educator and academic
Bill Hudson – 76 years old (1949) – Musician and actor
Shari Ulrich – 74 years old (1951) – American-Canadian singer-songwriter and violinist
Joseph Bowie – 72 years old (1953) – Trombonist and bandleader
Carlos Buhler – 71 years old (1954) – Mountaineer
Mike Bratz – 70 years old (1955) – Basketball player
Fran Cosmo – 69 years old (1956) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Mae Jemison – 69 years old (1956) – Physician, academic, and astronaut
Pat McCrory – 69 years old (1956) – Businessman and politician, 74th Governor of North Carolina
Ken Morrow – 69 years old (1956) – Ice hockey player and executive
Stephen Palumbi – 69 years old (1956) – Academic and author
Lawrence Bender – 68 years old (1957) – Actor and producer
Vincent Van Patten – 68 years old (1957) – Tennis player and actor
Howard Alden – 67 years old (1958) – Guitarist
Alan Jackson – 67 years old (1958) – Singer-songwriter
Ron Drummond – 66 years old (1959) – Author and scholar
Richard Roeper – 66 years old (1959) – Journalist and critic
Rob Marshall – 65 years old (1960) – Director, producer, and choreographer
Philippe Sands – 65 years old (1960) – Lawyer and academic
David Means – 64 years old (1961) – Short story writer
Glenn Braggs – 63 years old (1962) – Baseball player
Jay Humphries – 63 years old (1962) – Basketball player
Mike Judge – 63 years old (1962) – Animator, director, screenwriter, producer and actor
Danny Ferry – 59 years old (1966) – Basketball player and manager
Tommy Kendall – 59 years old (1966) – Race car driver and sportscaster
Wood Harris – 56 years old (1969) – Actor
Wyclef Jean – 56 years old (1969) – Haitian-American rapper, producer, and actor
John Mabry – 55 years old (1970) – Baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
Chris Kirkpatrick – 54 years old (1971) – Singer-songwriter and dancer
Martin Heinrich – 54 years old (1971) – Politician
Blues Saraceno – 54 years old (1971) – Guitarist, songwriter, and producer
Eminem – 53 years old (1972) – Rapper, producer, and actor
Sharon Leal – 53 years old (1972) – Actress
Ariel Levy – 51 years old (1974) – Journalist and author
John Rocker – 51 years old (1974) – Baseball player
Francis Bouillon – 50 years old (1975) – American-Canadian ice hockey player
Seth Etherton – 49 years old (1976) – Baseball player
Alimi Ballard – 48 years old (1977) – Actor and producer
Bryan Bertino – 48 years old (1977) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Ryan McGinley – 48 years old (1977) – Photographer
Angel Parker – 45 years old (1980) – Actress
Justin Shenkarow – 45 years old (1980) – Actor
Holly Holm – 44 years old (1981) – Mixed martial artist
Ben Rothwell – 44 years old (1981) – Mixed-martial artist
Mitch Talbot – 42 years old (1983) – Baseball player
Chris Lowell – 41 years old (1984) – Actor
Randall Munroe – 41 years old (1984) – Author and illustrator
Luke Rockhold – 41 years old (1984) – Mixed martial artist
Jacob Artist – 33 years old (1992) – Actor, singer, and dancer
Anthony Gill – 33 years old (1992) – Basketball player
Jamal Adams – 30 years old (1995) – Football player
Robert Williams III – 28 years old (1997) – Basketball player
Matthew Knies – 23 years old (2002) – Professional ice hockey player
TODAY IS:
- National Pasta Day: No matter where it started or how it became so popular, pasta is a simple and versatile dish that is absolutely worth celebrating.
- Black Poetry Day:
- National Sweetest Day: Indulge your sweet tooth with a box of heart-shaped chocolates. Feel free to share with a loved one, but this isn’t Valentine’s Day—it’s all about your love of sweets.
- National Mulligan Day: Inspired by golf's do-over stroke, celebrate Mulligan Day with second chances, or simply enjoy a relaxed round of golf.
- International Sloth Day: Visit a wildlife preserve or donate to organizations that support and care for sloths. Or, just stay at home in your pajamas and channel the spirit of the sloth.
- Women in Military Service for America Memorial Anniversary:
- Bridge Day: Attend a Bridge Day event to see adrenaline junkies BASE jump, or jump from great heights like buildings, bridges, and cliffs, or try it yourself—carefully.
- Adventure Day: Get in touch with your inner child and make your own adventure. A little imagination can turn an ordinary day into something joyful.
- Spreadsheet Day: Balance your budget, prepare lists, and organize every corner of your life simply by using spreadsheets, a tool used by individuals and large companies alike.
- National Edge Day:
- Child Poverty Day:
- International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: Poverty affects people all around the globe, including where you live. Find an event or organization to join the fight, donate, volunteer, and raise awareness.
- National Fetch Day:
- National Playing Card Collection Day: Share photos of your playing card collection online, get a game going with friends, or start your very own collection of portable, mutli-use mini-works of art.
- International Repair Day: In an increasingly wasteful society, it’s important to know how to repair things instead of replacing them. Start small, and see what broken bits you can salvage.
- National Pay Back a Friend Day:
- Forgive an Ex Day: Forgiveness is hard, but it’s also healing. On Forgive an Ex Day, get in touch with someone who hurt you, or just let go of any resentment you still have.
- Wear Something Gaudy Day: Get garish and be brilliant in your gaudiest, poorest taste in fashion. Clashing colors, appalling patterns, and abominable accessories will draw all eyes to you.
- World Trauma Day:
- National Whole Hog Barbecue Day:
- International Sawfish Day:
- National Baking Week: Creating delightful treats combines creativity, skill, and tradition, bringing joy and delicious aromas to any home.
- Rtveli:
- Anti-Poverty Week:
- Durga Puja:
- The Iris Film Festival:
- Recycle Awareness Week:
- Drink Local Wine Week:
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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.
