On This Day... 1648 – Boston Shoemakers form first U.S. labor organization 1775 – African-American poet Phillis Wheatley freed from slavery 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The Burning of Falmouth (now Portland, Maine) prompts the Continental Congress to establish the Continental Navy. 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Franco-American Siege of Savannah is lifted 1851 – Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley of London 1867 – United States takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Celebrated annually in the state as Alaska Day. 1898 – United States takes possession of Puerto Rico. 1929 – The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overrules the Supreme Court of Canada in Edwards v. Canada when it declares that women are considered “Persons” under Canadian law. 1945 – The USSR’s nuclear program receives plans for the United States plutonium bomb from Klaus Fuchs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. 1954 – Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio. 1968 – The U.S. Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving a “black power” salute during a victory ceremony at the Mexico City games. Born On This Day... 1926 – Chuck Berry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist 1927 – Marv Rotblatt, American baseball player (d. 2013) 1927 – George C. Scott, American actor (d. 1999) 1928 – Keith Jackson, American sportscaster 1933 – Forrest Gregg, American football player 1935 – Peter Boyle, American actor (d. 2006) 1938 – Dawn Wells, American actress 1939 – Mike Ditka, American football player and coach 1939 – Lee Harvey Oswald, American assassin of John F. Kennedy (d. 1963) 1949 – Gary Richrath, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (REO Speedwagon) 1951 – Pam Dawber, American actress 1960 – Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian martial artist, actor, and director 1984 – Lindsey Vonn, American skier
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:14:18 +0000