October 18

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:

1767 – The Mason-Dixon Line, the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, was established.

1842 – Samuel Finley Breese Morse laid his first telegraph cable.

1851 – Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” was first published as “The Whale” by Richard Bentley of London.

1867 – The U.S. took formal possession of Alaska from Russia. The land was purchased of a total of $7.2 million dollars (2 cents per acre).

1870 – The sand-blasting machine was patented.

1892 – The first long-distance telephone line between Chicago, IL, and New York, NY, was opened when Chicago Mayor Hempstead Washburne greeted New York Mayor Hugh J. Grant.

1898 – The United States took possession of Puerto Rico from Spain.

1943 – The first broadcast of “Perry Mason” was presented on CBS Radio. The show went to TV in 1957.

1954 – Texas Instruments announced the first transistor radio.

1956 – NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallowed the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.

1961 – Henri Matisse’s “Le Bateau” goes on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. It is discovered 46 days later that the painting was hung upside down.

1967 – Walt Disney’s animated movie “Jungle Book” was released. It was the 19th Disney animated feature film and the last one to be produced by Walt Disney himself.

1967 – The American League granted permission for the A’s to move to Oakland. New franchises were also awarded to Kansas City and Seattle.

1969 – The F.D.A. banned artificial sweeteners, known as cyclamates, due to evidence they cause cancer in laboratory rats.

1971 – After 34 years, the final issue of “Look” magazine was published.

1975 – Simon and Garfunkel reunited on TV’s “Saturday Night Live.”

1977 – Reggie Jackson tied Babe Ruth’s record for hitting three homeruns in a single World Series game. Jackson was only the second player to achieve this.

1979 – The Federal Communications Commission began allowing people to have home satellite systems without a federal government license.

1983 – General Motors agreed to hire more women and minorities for five years as part of a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

1985 – Mario and Luigi made their debut in North America when Super Mario Bros and the NES gaming system was released.

1989 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched on a mission that included the deployment of the Galileo Space Probe.

1991 – After a lengthy confirmation hearing, Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas swore to uphold the Constitution during an oath-taking ceremony at the White House.

1997 – A monument honoring U.S. servicewomen, past and present, was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.

2001 – An assistant to CBS News anchor Dan Rather tested positive for anthrax.

2002 – The horror movie “The Ring” debuted in theaters.

2006 – Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7.0.

2019 – NASA Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch took part in the first all-female spacewalk when they ventured out of the International Space Station to replace a power controller.

 

BIRTHDAYS:

Mike Ditka – 85 years old (1939) – Football player and coach

Willie Horton – 82 years old (1942) – Baseball player (Detroit Tigers 1963-1977)

Joe Morton – 77 years old (1947) – Actor (“Speed”, “Ali”, “Blues Brothers 2000”, “Executive Decision”, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, “Crossroads”, “The Brother From Another Planet”, TV’s “Equal Justice”)

Pam Dawber – 73 years old (1951) – Actress (TV’s “Mork & Mindy”, “My Sister Sam”). Born in Detroit, MI.

Martina Navratilova – 68 years old (1956) – Tennis player

Thomas Hearns – 66 years old (1958) – Boxer (“Hit Man”)

Jean-Claude Van Damme – 64 years old (1960) – Actor (“Double Impact,” “Hard Target”, “Sudden Death”, “Timecop”, “Universal Soldier”, “Kickboxer”)

Wynton Marsalis – 63 years old (1961) – Trumpeter

Freida Pinto – 40 years old (1984) – Actress (“Immortals”, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”, “Slumdog Millionaire”)

Zac Efron – 37 years old (1987) – Actor, singer (TV’s “High School Musical”, “Summerland”, movies “The Lucky One”, “17 Again”, “Neighbors”, “Parkland”, “Charlie St. Cloud”)

Joy Lauren – 35 years old (1989) – Actress (TV’s “Desperate Housewives”)

Tyler Posey – 33 years old (1991) – Actor (TV’s “Teen Wolf”)

 

TODAY IS:

Bra Day USA

Global Dignity Day

Global Ethics Day

Hagfish Day

International Legging Day

Medical Assistants Recognition Day

National Chocolate Cupcake Day

National Exascale Day

National Missouri Day

National No Beard Day

SUDEP Action Day

Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce

World Menopause 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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