837 – Best view of Halley’s Comet in 2000 years.
1796 – 1st elephant arrives in US from India.
1860 – 1st Pony Express reaches Sacramento, California.
1865 – Battle of Raleigh, NC.
1896 – John Phillip Sousa’s “El Capitan” premieres at the Tremont Theater in Boston.
1902 – J C Penny opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
1911 – The US of Representatives votes to institute direct elections of senators to Congress, a step towards direct democracy.
1926 – At 41, Walter Johnson pitches his 7th opening day shutout.
1934 – 4.7 million US families report receiving welfare payments.
1945 – US Marines conquer Minna Shima off Okinawa.
1954 – Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, accused of being a communist.
1961 – “Carnival!” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 719 performances.
1965 – 1st US Senate black page, Lawrence W. Bradford, Jr., 16, appointed by NY Sen. Jacob Javits.
1966 – Pan Am places $525,000,000 order for 25 Boeing 747s.
1970 – Apollo 13 announces “Houston, we’ve got a problem!” as Beech-built oxygen tank explodes en route to Moon.
1976 – US Federal Reserve begins issuing $2 bicentennial notes.
1980 – Musical “Grease” closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 3,388 performances.
1990 – Final episode of Pat Sajak’s late night TV show on CBS.
2004 – Barry Bonds hits his 661st career home run, passing Willie Mays on the all-time list.
2014 – 78th Masters Golf Tournament: Bubba Watson wins, shooting a 280.
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