Today in History

1736 – Bellevue Hospital was founded in a New York City almshouse.  It was the first public hospital in the United States.

1861 – Confederacy took over mint at New Orleans (US Civil War)

1870 – Thomas Mundy Peterson of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was the first African American to vote in the US under provisions of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution.

1880 – Wabash, Indiana became the first town to claim to be completely illuminated by electric lighting.

1889 – Eiffel Tower officially opened in Paris. Built for the Exposition Universelle, at 300m high it retained the record for the tallest man made structure for 41 years.

1903 – Richard Pearse flew a monoplane several hundred yards in New Zealand.

1917 – The Danish West Indies were officially ceded to the US for $25 million and renamed the Virgin Islands.

1918 – The first daylight savings time in US went into effect.

1923 – The first dance marathon was held in New York City. Alma Cummings set the record of 27 hours with 6 different partners.

1932 – Ford publicly unveiled its V-8 engine.

1933 – Congress authorized the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

1939 – “The Hound of Baskervilles,” first of 14 films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson was released.

1958 – US Navy formed its atomic submarine division.  On the same day, the USSR suspended its nuclear weapons tests and urged US and Britain to do the same.

1966 – USSR launched Luna 10, the first lunar orbiter.

1967 – Jimi Hendrix burned his first guitar on stage (London)

1968 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson announced in an address to the nation that he would not seek re-election.

1972 – The Official Beatles Fan Club closed down.

1972 – Final day of the rum ration in the Royal Canadian Navy.

1973 – Muhammad Ali suffered a broken jaw in a shock split-points decision loss to Ken Norton over 12 rounds in San Diego; Ali won in a rematch in another controversial split decision.

1983 – “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life,” was released in the US.

1991 – Danny Bonaduce attacked a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix, Arizona.

2020 – British pensioner Robert Weighton became the world’s oldest man at 112 years.


Leave a Reply Cancel reply