In 1642 The Canadian city of Montreal was founded. In 1804 The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor. In 1860 The Republican Party convention in Chicago, IL nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. In 1910 Halley's Comet moved across the sun as seen from Earth. In 1914 The first ship went through the Panama Canal. In 1926 Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson mysteriously vanished while visiting a beach in Venice, CA; she reappeared a month later, claiming to have been kidnapped. In 1927 Grauman's Chinese Theatre opened in Hollywood, California. In 1933 The Tennessee Valley Authority was created. In 1934 Congress approved a package of anti-crime measures, including the so-called "Lindbergh Act," which calls for the death penalty in cases of interstate kidnapping. In 1944 During World War II, Allied forces occupied Monte Cassino in Italy after a four-month struggle that claimed about 20,000 lives. In 1951 The United Nations moved out of its temp...

In 1815 Inventor James Bicheno Francis (modern hydraulic engineering). In 1825 Manufacturer Daniel Wesson (Smith & Wesson Co.) In 1850 Physicist Oliver Heaviside (ionosphere) In 1851 Writer, Isaac Peretz (modern Yiddish literature) In 1868 Czar Nicholas II of Russia (last Tsar of Russia, 1894-1917) In 1872 Scientist/mathematician Lord Bertrand Russell (modern logic) In 1891 German philosopher Rudolph Carnap (logical positivism) In 1897 Director, Frank Capra (Its A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith) In 1902 Composer, Meredith Willson (Music Man) [d: 6-15-84] In 1903 Actor, George E. Stone (Perry Mason, Some Like It Hot) [d: 5-26-67] In 1903 Bandleader/pianist Tommy Tucker [d: 7-11-89] In 1909 Tennis star Fred Perry (Wimbeldon, 1934-36) [d: 2-2-95] In 1911 Blues singer "Big" Joe Turner (Shake, Rattle & Roll) [d: 11-23-85] In 1912 Director, Richard Brooks (In Cold Blood) [d: 3-11-92] In 1912 Singer, Perry Como (Perry Como Show) [d: 5-12-01] In 1912 Baseball team owner Dan Toppin...

In 1907 "School Days" by Byron G. Harlan was #1 on the charts. In 1911 Composer Gustav Mahler died in Vienna, Austria. In 1946 "The Gypsy" by Dinah Shore hit #1 on the U.S. charts and stayed there for 8 weeks. In 1959 "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison hit #1 on the U.S. top 40 chart and stayed there for 2 weeks. In 1963 The Beatles began their first headlining tour in Slough, England, co-headlining with Roy Orbison and Gerry & The Pacemakers. In 1963 The Kingsmen recorded "Louie, Louie." In 1963 "Blue On Blue" by Bobby Vinton and "Pride & Joy" by Marvin Gaye entered the U.S. top 40 charts. In 1964 David Frost interviewed the Beatles' Paul McCartney on the BBC. In 1966 The Hollies recorded "Bus Stop" at London's Abbey Road Studios. In 1966 Frank Sinatra's album "Strangers In The Night" was released. In 1968 "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert, "Think...

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In 1940 Lionel Hampton joined the Nat King Cole trio to record "Central Avenue Breakdown" and "Jack, the Bellboy." In 1963 The Rolling Stones began their first recording session at London's Olympic Sound Studios. In 1964 Bob Dylan arrived in Britain for his first tour. In 1967 Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones were all in court, defending themselves in separate drug-related cases. In 1968 Jim Morrison of the Doors incited a riot during a Chicago concert, then escaped backstage as the crowd battled with police. In 1969 The Turtles and the Temptations played Tricia Nixon's White House Masque Ball. In 1969 "Get Back" b/w "Don't Let Me Down" by Beatles and "Love Theme From 40 Romeo & Juliet" by Henry Mancini both entered the U.S. top chart. In 1973 Alice Cooper appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. In 1974 The Who sold out four nights in Madison Square Garden (80,000 seats) in less than 8 hours...

In 1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci sailed on his first voyage to the New World. America was named for him. In 1503 Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands. In 1774 Louis XVI became King Of France at age four. In 1775 The Continental Congress issued paper currency for the first time. In 1775 Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, New York. In 1818 American patriot Paul Revere died in Boston. In 1865 Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Georgia. In 1869 A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. In 1872 Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for the U.S. presidency by the National Equal Rights Party. In 1908 The first Mother's Day was observed during church services in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia. In 1924 J. Edgar Hoover became the director of the FBI. In 1930 The f...

In 1730 Attorney/judge George Ross (signed the Declaration of Independence) In 1755 Explorer, Robert Gray (first to carry the U.S. flag around the world) In 1788 French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (optics pioneer) In 1789 Historian/publisher Jared Sparks (North American Review) In 1838 Stage actor John Wilkes Booth (assassinated Lincoln) In 1850 Merchant, Sir Thomas Lipton (Lipton Tea) In 1868 Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Edward "Ed" Barrow (Yankees) In 1882 Actor, Thurston Hall (Mr. Schuyler-Topper) In 1888 Conductor/composer Max Steiner (Gone With The Wind, Casablanca) In 1898 Historian, Ariel Durant (The Story of Civilization) In 1898 German biochemist Rudolf Schoenheimer ("tagging" molecules) In 1899 Dancer/actor Fred Astaire (Easter Parade, Daddy Long Legs) In 1899 Composer, Dimitri Tiomkin (High Noon, The High And The Mighty) In 1900 Cartoonist, Vincent T. Hamlin (created Alley Oop) [d: 6-14-93] In 1902 Film producer David O. Selznick (Gone With The Wind) [d: 6...

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In 1947 The sheet music for "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin was first published. In 1950 "The Third Man Theme" by Guy Lombardo hit #1 on the charts and stayed there for 11 weeks. In 1957 "I'm Walking" by Ricky Nelson and "Love Letters In The Sand" by Pat Boone entered the U.S. top 40 charts. In 1965 Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards composed "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." In 1971 Ike & Tina Turner received their only gold record for their version of "Proud Mary." In 1972 "Rocket Man" by Elton John and "Song Sung Blue" by Neil Diamond entered the U.S. top 40 charts. In 1973 Paul Simon began his first tour in 20 years without Art Garfunkel. In 1976 Santana appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. In 1977 Led Zeppelin played before 76,000 Michigan fans, breaking the group's own world attendance record. In 1977 The Kinks, James Brown, and Kenny Rogers appeared on NBC-TV's...

In 1840 England introduced its first postage stamp. In 1851 Dr. John Farrie received a patent for a "refrigeration machine." In 1860 "The Olympic Club," the first athletic club in the U.S., was founded. In 1861 Arkansas seceded from the Union. In 1882 Congress overrode President Arthur's veto of the Chinese Exclusion Act, barring Chinese immigrants from the U.S. for ten years. In 1889 The Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just completed Eiffel Tower. In 1910 Britain's King Edward VII died. In 1915 Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run as a player for the Boston Red Sox. In 1935 The Works Progress Administration began operating. In 1937 The hydrogen-filled German airship "Hindenburg" burst into flames and crashed while docking in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 out of the 97 on board. In 1941 Soviet dictator Josef Stalin assumed the premiership, replacing Vyacheslav M. Molotov. In 1942, during World War II, some 15,000 Ameri...

In 1740 Attorney, John Penn (signed the Declaration of Independence) In 1742 Botanist, Jean Senebier (plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen) In 1808 U.S. Supreme Court Justice, William Strong (1870-80) In 1829 Phoebe Ann Coffin, first female ordained minister in New England In 1846 Inventer, Worcester Reed Warner (machine tools) In 1856 Explorer, Robert E. Peary (North Pole) In 1856 Psychologist/author, Dr. Sigmund Freud (psychoanalysis) In 1861 Hindu poet, Rabindranath Tagore In 1870 Financier, A.P. Giannini (founded Bank of America) In 1872 Astronomer/mathematician, Willem de Sitter (studied Jupiter) In 1888 Manuafactuer, Russell Stover (created Eskimo Pie) In 1895 Actor, Rudolph Valentino (The Sheik, Cobra, Son of The Sheik) In 1898 Manufactuer, Daniel Gerber (Gerber Baby Food) In 1904 Actress, Catherine Lacey (The Mummy's Shroud) [d: 9-23-79] In 1907 Football Hall-of-Famer, Weeb Ewbank (Colts, Jets) [d: 11-17-98] In 1912 Actor, Bill Quinn (The Rifleman, The Rockford Files) [d...