Some notable historical events that happened today include:
1893 - Brothers Charles and Frank Duryea road-tested the first American-made gasoline-powered automobile
1897 - the John Deere trademark was registered by Deere and Co.
1937 - George Allen and Unwin published J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
1970 - Monday Night Football premiered on ABC with the Cleveland Browns winning over the New York Jets
1985 - Larry Holmes defended his heavyweight title for the 49th time against Michael Spinks. In a 15 round bout, Spinks came out on top in a split decision
2003 - NASA's Galileo space probe completed its mission to Jupiter
Some interesting birthdays include:
H.G. Wells (1866)
Allen Lane (1902) - joined his brothers Richard and John to found Penguin Books
Charles "Chuck" Jones (1912) - animator who worked on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies bringing Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd to life
Helen Foster Snow (1907)
Gloria Cordes (1931)
Stephen King (1947)
Anne Burrell (1969)