
1867 – United States claims Midway Island, the first territory annexed outside continental limits.
1886 – American inventor Joseph Cochrane is granted a patent for a dishwasher.
1912 – The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco, California, as SF Municipal Railway starts operation at Geary Street.
1923 – George Bernard Shaw’s play, “Saint Joan,” premieres at Garrick Theater in New York City.
1935 – Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project Gallery opens in New York City.
1942 – Captain Robert Sullivan becomes the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean 100 times.
1945 – Congress officially recognizes the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
1957 – CBS states it won’t broadcast major league baseball games where minor league games were scheduled.
1958 – “The Chipmunk Song” by the Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville) hits #1 on the music charts.
1958 – “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” the Baltimore Colts win the 28th NFL Championship against the New York Giants 23-17 at Yankee Stadium in the first sudden death overtime game in NFL history. 17 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were involved in the game.
1964 – Principal filming of “Doctor Zhivago” begins.
1975 – “The Hail Mary,” with 32 seconds left in the NFC Divisional playoff game, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach throws a legendary 50-yard winning touchdown pass to Drew Person to defeat the Minnesota Vikings as the “Hail Mary” pass play gains national recognition.
1980 – Mexico terminated fishing agreements with the United States.
1984 – TV soap opera “Edge of Night” ends its 28 year run.
1990 – Blockbuster Bowl 1: Florida State beats Penn State 24-17.
2000 – Retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
2008 – The Detroit Lions crash to a 31-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field to become the first team in NFL history to go winless in a 16-game season.
2012 – Vladimir Putin signs into law a ban on adoption by Americans of Russian children.
2019 – 52nd Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal): #1 LSU beats #4 Oklahoma 63-28.
2023 – L’Oreal heiress and businesswoman Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the first woman to be worth $100 billion after a rise in the company’s share price.