ON THIS DAY

On this date in the year 54 A.D., the Roman emperor Claudius I died, after being poisoned by his wife Agrippina, which is Latin for "I told you not to trust her chicken salad." At first, a lot of people suspected his brother Guiltius.

Horace Hayden was born on this date, back in 1769. Horace became famous after founding the very first dental college in the U.S. Unfortunately, because of shoddy construction, after only 10 years the buildings needed braces.

On this date in 1775, the United States Navy was born. See and I thought they didn't look a day over 150. Everybody sing: "Anchors uh weigh a ton, Anchors uh weigh..."

The cornerstone laid was laid for the construction of The White House way back in 1792. The site was personally chosen by George Washington. No official name was given to the structure so it was known by a variety of titles including the "President's House" and "Executive Mansion." The exterior walls were made from sandstone reflecting a grayish-brown color, but when whitewashed in 1798, it prompted some popular usage of the term "White House." Here's more White House trivia:

• Which president installed a toilet seat in the White House bearing his college emblem, the University Of Michigan? (Gerald Ford)
• Which president had electric lights installed in the White House? (Benjamin Harrison)
• Who was the first president to have a phone on his desk in the White House. (Herbert Hoover)
• A bathtub and inside toilet were provided by which president? (Millard Fillmore)
• President Theodore Roosevelt gave this structure its official name in what year? (1901)
• There are 132 rooms and 32 bathrooms in the White House.

On this date in 1838, a meteorite shower fell on Cold Bokkeveld, South Africa. It was there on this very day that the cast iron umbrella was invented.

In 1860, the very first aerial photograph was taken from a balloon over Boston. The photographer was quoted as saying, "What's that kid down there doing with the giant dart gun?"

On this date in 1945, chocolate legend Milton Hersey died. He was wrapped in foil and placed in a box.

On this date in 1971, the very first World Series night game was played with Pittsburgh defeating Baltimore, 4-3. Up until that time, the cool teachers would bring in a TV and let you watch the game during school. It was a different time.