Events January 6 1838 - The telegraph was demonstrated for the first time in public at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. The person demonstrating the new invention, the telegraph’s inventor was, of course, Samuel F.B. Morse. It was another six years before Sam could figure out how to say, “What hath God wrought!” in dots and dashes. 1896 - The first American women’s six-day bicycle race was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Imagine riding around and around the Garden for six days! 1912 - The Land of Enchantment, the territory acquired by the U.S. as a result of the Mexican War, entered the United States of America this day as New Mexico, the 47th state. New Mexico is also referred to as the Sunshine State, but that irritates the residents of the Sunshine State of Florida, so well stick to the Land of Enchantment. Santa Fe, the oldest city in New Mexico, is also the state capital and has been the capital of the area since 1610. The state bird is the roadrunner, not the cartoon, but the real thing. New Mexico has a multitude of state symbols including its own fossil: coelophysis, plus the state flower: yucca; tree: pinon; animal: black bear; vegetables: chili and frijol; gem: turquoise; and insect: tarantula hawk wasp. The state motto is in latin: Crescit eundo, which translates to “It grows as it goes.” 1930 - The first diesel-engine automobile trip was completed this day. It ran 792 miles -- from Indianapolis, IN to New York City. This was a pretty long trip, right? It would cost quite a bit just in fuel and oil for the car, right? Wrong. The total cost of the run was $1.38. 1942 - The first commercial around-the-world airline flight took place today. Pan American World Airways was the company credited with the historic feat. 1952 - A regular feature of Sunday funny papers debuted. Peanuts was seen above the fold in newspapers across the U.S. The Charles Schulz creation became the most successful syndicated comic strip in history. 1963 - Wild Kingdom premiered on NBC. 1968 - The Turtles performed Shes My Girl on American Bandstand. 1973 - Billy Paul performed Me and Mrs. Jones on American Bandstand. 1974 - CBS radio returned to dramatic programming at night with the first broadcast of Radio Mystery Theatre, hosted by E.G. Marshall. The program debuted on 218 CBS network stations and remains a mainstay (even in syndication) for some stations today. 1979 - The Village People performed YMCA on American Bandstand. 1980 - The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their fourth Super Bowl since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers 27-13 in the AFC title game. And the Los Angeles Rams shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 in the NFC championship game. (The Steelers defeated the Rams 24-19 in Super Bowl XIV on Jan 20.) 1993 - Jim and Jennifer Stolpa were stranded by a blizzard on a desolate Nevada road with their five-month-old son, Clayton. Jennifer huddled in a tiny cliffside cave with Clayton while Jim trudged 48 miles through hip-deep snow to find help. Jennifer, who, like Jim, lost all her toes to frostbite as a result of the ordeal, says, “I can’t wear heels, I can’t wear sandals. I have to wear tennis shoes all the time. It kind of sucks.” Says Jim, “We really miss our toes.” 1994 - Nancy Kerrigan, a favorite to win the women’s U.S. Figure Skating Championship, was assaulted after she finished a practice session in Detroit. The assailant used a blunt object to strike the skater on the right knee, although she recovered in time to compete in the Olympics. Four men, including Jeff Gillooly, the ex-husband of Kerrigan’s rival, Tonya Harding, were later sentenced to prison for their roles in the attack; Harding, who denied advance knowledge of the attack, received probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. 1999 - Bob Newhart, Alex Trebek, Dennis Franz and Buffalo Bob Smith got a star on Hollywoods Walk of Fame. 2002 - Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) became the first running back in the NFL to run gain 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 13:33:57 +0000
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