1865 – Abraham Lincoln dies nine hours after he is shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington.
1878 – Harley Procter introduces Ivory Soap.
1910 – William Howard Taft is the first US President to throw out the 1st ball at a baseball game.
1923 – Insulin becomes generally available for diabetics.
1927 – Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hits #1 of MLB record season 60 HRS; tees off on A’s Howard Ehmke in 1st inning of New York’s 6-3 win over Philadelphia.
1941 – 1st helicopter flight of 1 hour duration, Stratford, Ct.
1947 – Jackie Robinson becomes 1st African-American to play in major league baseball (Dodgers)
1952 – Franklin National Bank issues 1st bank credit card.
1955 – Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s Inc. fast food restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
1962 – US national debt above $300,000,000,000.
1964 – Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens (world’s longest)
1969 – North Korea shoots at a US airplane above the Japanese sea.
1975 – 1st appearance of San Diego Chicken.
1984 – 48th Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club: Ben Crenshaw wins the first of his 2 green jackets, 2 strokes ahead of 1977 & 1981 champion, Tom Watson.
1989 – Then largest lottery in North America ($69 million) drawn in Illinois.
1997 – Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring #42 for all teams.
2002 – 106th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Rodgers Rop claims men’s event in 2:09:02; Margaret Okayo women’s winner in 2:20:43.
2012 – Secret Service inappropriate conduct scandal begins with at least 11 people implicated.
2020 – US’s deadliest day during COVID-19 pandemic with 2,752 deaths reported.
About Author
