1831 – 1st US built locomotive to pull a passenger train makes 1st run.
1861 – Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis.
1907 – Gold dental inlays first described by William Taggart, who invented them.
1919 – Two million gallons of molasses flood Boston Massachusetts in the “Great Molasses Flood” when a storage tank burst, drowning 21 and injuring 150.
1934 – New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth, nearing end of illustrious career, signs a 1-year contract worth $35,000; represents a pay cut of $17,000 for “The Babe”
1942 – Chicago Cubs drop plans to install lights at Wrigley Field because of military’s need for materials; takes 35 years before lights finally installed at the venerable ballpark.
1943 – 1,000 workers complete air conditioning system for Pentagon.
1953 – 16 car Federal Express train loses brakes & crashes in Washington, D.C. station.
1957 – Brooklyn Dodgers extend their 5 year lease on Ebbets Field by signing a new 3-year lease with real estate developer Marvin Kratter; club moves to Los Angeles the next year.
1964 – San Francisco Giants make champion outfielder Willie Mays the highest paid player in baseball when they sign him to a new $105,000 per season contract.
1972 – TV drama “Emergency” with Randolph Mantooth and Robert Fuller premieres on NBC TV..
1973 – 4 Watergate burglars plead guilty in federal court.
1986 – Living Seas opens (Disneyland)
1992 – Cleaning woman finds intimate photos of Sarah Ferguson with US man.
1994 – Lawrence Taylor announces his retirement from the NFL.
1998 – NASA announces John Glenn, 76, may fly in space again.
2009 – Chesley Sullenberger lands US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in NYC. All passengers and crew members survive in what becomes known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”.
2011 Wikipedia the free internet encyclopedia turns 10 years old.
2018 – US Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Simone Biles says she is one of more than 130 women sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nassar.
2021 – Global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic passes 2 million (true total likely much higher)
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