This day in history

Some notable historical events that happened today include:

1787 -  delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, PA signed the US Constitution 

1849 -  Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom with the help of the Underground Railroad. She traveled 90 miles to Pennsylvania 

1872 -  Philip Pratt received a patent for a fire extinguisher. Patent No. 131,370 describes a sprinkler system using revolving arms to spread water over the walls, ceiling and floor of a burning room

1911 -  Cal Rodgers began a transcontinental flight that would be the first evidence that long-distance air travel is possible. He started in Sheepshead Bay, NY in his plane the Vin Fiz and suffered setbacks including crashes, storms and technical issues. He completed his trip, landing in Pasadena, CA on November 5

1953 -  doctors at Ochsner Foundation Hospital successfully separated conjoined twins Carolyn and Catherine Mouton. The first successful separation of conjoined twins required 8 surgeons

1953 -  Ernie Banks made his MLB debut with the Chicago Cubs, making him their first Black player 

1954 -  Faber and Faber published Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I had to read it in school and it is so disturbing 

1983 -  Vanessa Williams was crowned Miss America, the first African American to receive the honor

2006 -  Alfredo Hernandes set a world record at the La Costeña Feel the Heat Challenge by eating 16 jalapeño chili peppers in 1 minute 

Some interesting birthdays include:

Nadezhda Durova (1783) - joined the Russian cavalry under the name Alexander during the Napoleonic wars. She earned the support of the Tsar (one of the few who knew her true identity) and earned distinguished recognition of her service

Guillaume-Benjamin Armand Duchenne (1806) - neurologist who was first to describe nervous and muscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Also studied facial expressions and was first to identify differences between a fake smile and a sincere one

David Dunbar Buick (1854) - founded the Buick Motor Company in 1903

John Willard Marriott (1900) - before becoming the founder of the international hotel chain, he opened an A&W Root Beer in Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth Enright (1909)

Hank Williams (1923)

Maureen Connolly (1934) - known as "Little Mo", she became the first woman to win all 4 Grans Slam Tournaments (tennis) in a single calendar year

Yuji Naka (1965) - developer of Sonic the Hedgehog

Joseph Bastianich (1968) - I love watching MasterChef, although Gordon Ramsey is my favorite 😍