Some notable historical events that happened today include:
1859 - Edwin Drake struck oil near Titusville, PA after nearly a year of drilling. It was the first successful commercial oil we'll in the US
1940 - Nestlé registered the trademark for Toll House for the first time in preparation for marketing Ruth Wakefield's chocolate chip cookies
1953 - Roman Holiday starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn was released in the US. I love Gregory Peck especially in To Kill A Mockingbird
1955 - students Norris and Ross McWhirter published the Guinness Book of World Records for the first time
1964 - Walt Disney premiered Mary Poppins at Grauman's Chinese Theater
1971 - Alice Waters opened the French restaurant Chez Panisse. It still operates on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley, CA with a menu of fresh ingredients, entrees, pasta and pizza
1990 - Garth Brooks released his 2nd album No Fences
2008 - Hasbro hosted the world's largest and simultaneous game of Monopoly. In 21 locations around the world, 2918 people played it. No word on how many game boards were tossed in angry defeat. My grandpa has done that.
2013 - The Del Mar Dive Club in Wigston, Leicestershire, UK hosted 60 people playing dominoes underwater, setting a world record
Some interesting birthdays include:
Charles Dawes (1865) - 30th VP of the US with President Calvin Coolidge in 1924
Katharine McCormick (1875) - Suffrage activist and philanthropist who fully funded research for the birth control pill
C.S. Forester (1899)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908) - 36th POTUS, completed John F. Kennedy's term after his assassination
Alice Coltrane (1937)
Paul Reubens (1952) - best known as Pee-wee Herman
Aaron Paul (1979)