1989 Hungary lifts restrictions on its border to the West East Germans flooded through Hungary seeking the freedoms of the West.

1980 Marijuana The U.S. approves the use of drug marijuana for medical purposes such as to ease nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients.

1955 Gunsmoke debuts on CBS-TV. John Wayne had turned down the role of marshal Matt Dillon.

1939 World War II Canada declares war on Germany.

1913 First coast-to-coast paved U.S. highway The Lincoln Highway opens.

1897 First drunk driving offense London taxi-driver George Smith is arrested and convicted the same day. He had driven his electric cab onto the pavement after having "a few" beers.

1875 American Forestry Association is established, in Chicago.

1846 Elias Howe receives a patent for his sewing machine.

1813 War of 1812 - Battle of Lake Erie Oliver Hazard Perry defeats the British and makes his famous quote "We have met the enemy and they are ours."

1958 Dan Castellanetta Italian-American actor. TV: The Simpsons (voice of Homer, Grampa, Barney, Krusty, and others).

1953 Amy Irving American actress, ex-wife of Steven Spielberg. Film: Yentl (1983)

1945 Jose Feliciano Grammy-winning singer, born blind. He created and performed the theme song for TV's Chico and the Man (1974).

1939 Greg Mullavey American actor. TV: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Mary's husband Tom).

1934 Roger Eugene Maris d. 1985 American baseball legend, American League MVP (1960-61). He broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record by hitting 61 (1961).

1934 Charles Kuralt American Emmy-winning TV journalist.

1929 Arnold Palmer American golfer. He was the first golfer to win $1,000,000 in career earnings.

1928 Yma Sumac Peruvian-born singer, Voice of the Xtabay (1950, #1).

1914 Robert Wise American director. Film: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), West Side Story (1961), and The Sound of Music (1965).

1907 Fay Wray Canadian actress, King Kong's main squeeze (1933).

1890 Elsa Schiaparelli d. 1973 Italian-born French fashion designer. She was the first major designer to include zippers in their creations (1931) and was the inventor of "shocking pink."

1839 Isaac Kauffman Funk d. 1912 American publisher, co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company (1891), which first published its famous dictionary in 1912.

1736 Carter Braxton d. 1797 American statesman, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1983 Jon Brower Minnoch b. 1941 American heavyweight, world's heaviest human weighing in at 1,387 pounds. Source: Guinness Book of World Records

1935 Huey Pierce Long b. 1893 Louisiana governor (1928-31), U.S. Senator (1931-35), who ran for the presidency under his "share the wealth" plan. He was assassinated by Dr. Carl Austin Weiss Jr.

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