ON THIS DAY

ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1797, French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute jump, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet.
  • He said he was inspired by a giant hissing noise.
  • When asked what inspired him to take the courageous plunge, he said, "Two words: a leak."
In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally-elected president of the Republic of Texas. He also founded the Sam Houston Institute of Technology, which could never use its acronym.
On this date in 1934, bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was shot to death by the FBI at a farm in East Liverpool, Ohio. Ironically, it wasn't pretty.
In 1939, TV carried its first ever broadcast NFL football game, the Eagles vs. the Dodgers.
  • If those two teams played each other today, one would have helmets and pads and the other would have baseball bats!
  • The real ticker was, the only guy with a TV set back then was a Packers fans.
  • By the way, the Dodgers beat the Eagles that day... probably because they were the only team with baseball bats.

On this date in 1962, President Kennedy announced a naval blockade of Cuba. That country's president, Fidel Castro, said that Kennedy "had some 'splainin' to do."
In 1967, the Apollo VII spacecraft returned safely, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean, after orbiting the Earth 163 times and unable to find a parking spot.

On this date in 1981, the U.S. national debt topped $1 trillion. These days, that would mean congress was doing great.

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