Today in History

1190 Third Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River (modern Turkey) leading an army to Jerusalem

1639 1st American log cabin at Fort Christina (Wilmington Delaware)

1692 The first victim of the Salem witch trials, Bridget Bishop, is hanged for witchcraft in the colony of Massachusetts

1752 Benjamin Franklin tests the lightning conductor with his kite-flying experiment

1768 British customs officials seize John Hancock’s ship, “The Liberty”, on the suspicion that Hancock had illegally unloaded cargo without paying duties a month earlier

1786 A landslide dam on the Dadu River caused by earthquake ten days earlier collapses, killing 100,000 in the Sichuan province of China

1845 Andrew Jackson’s African Grey parrot “Poll” is removed from his funeral for swearing at The Hermitage, Tennessee. Funeral attendee William Menefee Norment recorded: “Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house”

1898 US Marines land in Cuba during Spanish-American War

1908 1st flying club, Aeronautical Society of NY, opens

1916 Great Arab Revolt begins against ruling Ottoman turks

1924 1st political convention broadcast on radio-Republicans at Cleveland

1933 John Dillinger robs his first bank, in New Carlisle, Ohio. He takes $10,600

1933 Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker flip their car into a ravine. Parker suffers serious third degree burns from the accident which would affect her for the rest of her life.

1943 FDR becomes 1st US President to visit a foreign country during wartime

1963 US Equal Pay Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy

1968 AL games at Baltimore & Chicago postponed honoring Robert F. Kennedy

1977 Apple Computer ships its first Apple II computers

1985 Coca Cola announces they’re bringing back their 99-year-old formula

1996 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Toledo OH on WBUZ 106.5 FM

2001 Pope John Paul II canonizes Lebanon’s first female saint, Saint Rafqa

2003 The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission

Movies & TV

2003 “Wicked”, starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, officially opens at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco

2007 “The Sopranos” series finale on HBO (infamous “cut to black” ending)

2013 Superman film “Man of Steel” directed by Zack Snyder, starring Henry Cavill and Amy Adams premieres in New York City

Sports

1944 Relief pitcher Joe Nuxhall at 15 years, 316 days, debuts for Cincinnati Reds; youngest player in MLB history; becomes All Star and broadcaster

1972 Hank Aaron’s grandslammer (14) ties him for NL lead with Gil Hodges & moves him ahead of Willie Mays as #2 HR hitter (649)

1974 Mike Schmidt hits a ball off public address speaker on Astrodome roof

1981 Pete Rose ties Stan Musial’s NL record of 3,630 hits

Music

1966 Beatles “Paperback Writer” is released in UK

1966 Janis Joplin’s 1st live concert (Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco)

1966 Mamas & Papas win gold record for “Monday, Monday”

1972 Elvis Presley records a live album at NYC’s Madison Square Garden

1974 “Feel Like Makin’ Love” single released by Roberta Flack (Billboard Song of the Year 1974)

Birthdays

1891 Al Dubin, Swiss-American songwriter (Tiptoe Thru the Tulips), born in Zürich, Switzerland (d. 1945)

1895 Hattie McDaniel, 1st African American actress to win an Oscar (Mammy-Gone With The Wind), born in Wichita, Kansas (d. 1952)

Judy Garland [Frances Gumm], American actress and singer (The Wizard of Oz), born in Minnesota (d. 1969)

1983 Leelee Sobieski, American actress (Deep Impact, Joan of Arc, Uprising), born in NYC, New York