1981 Federal air traffic controllers go on an illegal strike, and are dismissed by Pres. Reagan 2 days later.

1977 James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me premiers in the U.S., 10th in the James Bond series, it starred Roger Moore as 007.

1975 Superdome The $163 million arena opens in New Orleans.

1965 Famous UFO sighting Highway inspector Rex Heflin takes four Polaroid's of a flying object measuring 30 feet in diameter near Santa Anna, California. According to Heflin, the photos were taken from him by two men identifying themselves as from the North American Air Defense. Source: Above Top Secret  (more…)

1936 Jesse Owens The black American track star upsets Hitler's theory of Aryan superiority by winning a gold medal in the 100-meter race. He went on to win a total of four.

1921 First crops dusted by an airplane, by Lt. John Macready in Ohio.

1914 First ocean steamer to pass through the Panama Canal The SS ANCON.

1858 The source of the Nile is found, by English explorer John Hanning Speke.

1807 First arrest of a U.S. Vice-President Former Vice-Pres. Aaron Burr, arrested 5½ months earlier, goes on trial for treason against the U.S. He had organized an armed militia of about 60 men; the exact purpose of which has never been determined. He was acquitted.

1492 Columbus sets sail for the Indies He reached the New World of the Americas instead, landing in the Bahamas in October.

1952 Jay North American actor. TV: Dennis the Menace (title role) and Pebbles and Bamm Bamm (voice of Bamm Bamm).

1951 Johnny Graham American guitarist, with Earth, Wind & Fire. Music: Shining Star (1975, #1, Grammy), Best of My Love (1977, #1), and After the Love has Gone (1979, #2, Grammy).

1950 John Landis American director. Film: The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), An American Werewolf in London (1981), and Trading Places (1983).

1940 Martin Sheen (Ramon Estevez), American actor. Film: Apocalypse Now (1979) and Wall Street. TV: The Execution of Private Slovik (1974, title role).

1931 Alex Cord actor, rodeo performer. TV: Airwolf (Michael Archangel).

1926 Tony Bennett (Anthony Benedetto), American singer. Music: Because of You (1951, #1), Cold, Cold Heart (1951, #1), and I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962).

1905 Maggie Kuhn American executive, founder of the Gray Panthers.

1905 Dolores Del Rio d. 1983 Mexican actress. Film: Maria Candelaria (1943) and The Fugitive (1947).

1900 John Thomas Scopes d. 1970 American educator. His arrest for teaching evolution in Tennessee led to the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925). He was convicted and fined $100, although it was overturned on a technicality.

1875 Robert Ernest House d. 1930 American physician. He discovered that scopolamine hydrobromide could be used as a "truth serum." However, later research showed that its use was unreliable due to its hallucinogenic effects.

1811 Elisha Graves Otis d. 1861 American inventor of the modern safety elevator (1852), with a device to protect passengers in case the cable broke. He also patented a steam driven elevator (1860).

2004 Henri Cartier-Bresson b. 1908 French photographer, father of modern photojournalism.  He is considered one of the greatest photographers of all time.

1966 Lenny Bruce b. 1926 (Leonard A. Schneider), American "blue" comedian, author of How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: An Autobiography (1965). He was deported from Britain in 1963, arrested for obscenity on several occasions, and banned from Australia after his first performance there.

1929 Emile Berliner b. 1851 German-born American inventor, patented the first disc record player (1887, gramophone).  Earlier recording devices by Edison and Bell used cylinders that were difficult to mass produce.

1907 Augustus Saint-Gaudens b. 1848 Irish-born sculptor, regarded as America's greatest sculptor.

1888 Benjamin Franklin Goodrich b. 1841 American physician, rubber manufacturer, founder of the B.F. Goodrich Co. (1880).

1881 William George Fargo b. 1818 American businessman, co-founder of American Express (1850), co-founder of Wells, Fargo and Co. (1852), mayor of Buffalo, N.Y. (1862-66), and for whom Fargo, North Dakota is named.

1422 Henry V b. 1387 King of England (1413-22). Although greatly outnumbered (13,000 to 50,000), he defeated the French at Agincourt (1415).

<< Previous | Today | Pick a Day | My Birthday | Surprise Me | Next >>

Celebritize Yourself
Add YOURSELF
or Someone You Love
to THIS Trivia List

Amaze Your Friends with
Your/Their Celebrity Status

Add Trivia to Your Website