1899 – President William McKinley signs bill creating Mt. Rainier National Park. It becomes the fifth national park in the United States.
1910 – Two trains crash in a snow storm in Wellington, Washington, 118 die.
1917 – Jones Act: Puerto Rico territory created, US citizenship granted.
1922 – WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio, begins radio transmissions.
1925 – Nationwide road numbering system and shield marker adopted.
1933 – “King Kong” film directed by Merian C. Cooper and produced by Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Fay Wray, premieres at Radio City Music Hall and RKO Roxy in New York City.
1944 – 16th Academy Awards: “Casablanca”, Jennifer Jones and Paul Lukas win.
1956 – “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” single cover released by Elvis Presley.
1962 – Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points, most ever by an NBA player in a game, in Warriors’ 169-147 win over New York Knicks in Hershey. Chamberlain was 36 of 63 from the field and 28 of 32 from free throw line.
1963 – 10th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh: Duke beats Wake Forest 68-57.
1965 – US Air Force begins Operation Rolling Thunder, a three-year sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
1968 – 19-year-old American Peggy Fleming wins her 3rd consecutive World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Geneva, Switzerland. Afterward, she announces her retirement, turns professional and eventually goes into broadcasting.
1970 – American Airlines’ first flight of a Boeing 747.
1974 – Grand jury concludes President Richard Nixon is involved in Watergate cover-up.
1983 – Compact Disc recordings developed by Phillips and Sony introduced.
1991 – NC State point guard Chris Corchiani becomes first NCAA Division 1 player to record 1,000 career assists in a 89-84 loss to Wake Forest.
1995 – Space Shuttle STS-67, Endeavour 8, launches.
2004 – Indianapolis Colts sign quarterback Peyton Manning to a 7-year, $98 million deal with a $34.5 million signing bonus. It’s the largest package to date in the National Football League.
2012 – Tornadoes kill at least 27 people in Indiana and Kentucky.
2014 – President Vladimir Putin receives unanimous approval from Russia’s parliament to send troops to Ukraine.
2021 – Dolly Parton receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine she gave $1 million to help develop.
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