This day in history

Some notable historical facts today include:

 

1839 -  Louis Daguerre revealed the process for his photographic process at a joint session of the Académie des Sciences and the Académie des       Beaux-Arts in Paris

 

1856 - Gail Borden patented his process for making condensed milk - patent No. 15,553

 

1861 - James Tyndall completed the first ascent of the Weisshorn - the 5th highest peak in the Alps

 

1880 - Paul Boynton and George Fearn competed in an international swimming race. The race required Boynton to swing 12 miles and Fearn to swim 10. Boynton won due to Fearn suffering cramps

 

1887 - Dimitri Mendeleev (founder of the modern-day periodic table) made a solo ascent by balloon for the sheer purpose of observing a solar eclipse

 

1909 - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted its first race. While several records were broken, 2 men (a driver and a mechanic) were killed during the 250-mile race

 

1913 - Clarence Crane registered the Life Savers trademark for the first time

 

1919 - William B. Ward registered the trademark for Hostess

 

1950 - the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) began airing Saturday morning tv shows for children - none of which were cartoons. The 2 featured shows were Animal Clinic and Acrobat Ranch

 

2002 - the Smithsonian Museum of American History put Julia Child's kitchen on display

 

2004 - Carly Patterson won the all-around gold medal in gymnastics at the Athens Olympics, becoming the second American to do so. Mary Lou Retton was first but since she won hers at a boycotted Olympics, Patterson's gold is the first at a non-boycotted Olympics 

 

2008 - Lady Gaga released her first album - The Fame

 

2016 - a 6-way tie for the first in the equestrian individual jumping competition leads to a junp-off t9 name the winner at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 

 

Some interesting birthdays include:

 

Seth Thomas (1785) - he pioneered the mass production of clocks

Charles Hires (1851) - Philadelphia pharmacist who developed root beer

Charles Comiskey (1859) - founding owner of the Chicago White Sox

Orville Wright (1871)

Gabrielle Coco Chanel (1883) - inventor of the Little Black Dress

Ogden Nash (1902)

Saint Alphonsa (1910) - born Annakutty in present-day Kerala, India, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her St. Alphonso in 1986, the first saint of Indian origin

Rose Heilbron (1914) - first woman appointed to the Kings Counsel 

Ring Lardner Jr. (1915) - screenwriter who one 2 Oscar's- one for 1943 film Woman of the Year and 1970 film M*A*S*H

Malcolm Forbes (1919) - took over the publication of Forbes in 1954 after the death of his father B.C. Forbes 

Edgar Frank Codd (1923) - pioneering programmer for IBM, he developed several methods and processes from data processing 

Bill Shoemaker (1931) 

Bettina Cirone (1933) - fashion model turned photographer

Charles Wang (1944) - co-founder and CEO of multibillion-dollar software company Computer Associates International 

Bill Clinton (1946) - 42nd POTUS

Gary Gaetti (1958)

John Stamos (1963) - I loved watching Full House 

Lee Ann Womack (1966)

Chynna Clugston (1975) - best known for her comic books Blue Monday and Queen Bee