1771—The Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle
between local militia and a group of rebels called “The Regulators”, occurs
in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
1817—Mississippi River steamboat service begins.
1860—Chicago: Republican convention selects Abraham Lincoln as candidate.
1861—Kentucky proclaims its neutrality.
1866—Charles Elmer Hires invents root beer.
1868—By one vote, US Senate fails to impeach President Andrew Johnson.
1891—George A. Hormel & Co introduces Spam.
1894—Fire in Boston destroys baseball stadium & 170 other buildings.
1903—1st transcontinental motorcycle trip begins at San Francisco (George
Wymann)
1914—American Horseshoe Pitchers Association organizes in Kansas City.
1924—108 degrees in Blitzen, Oregon.
1927—Supreme Court ruled bootleggers must pay income tax.
1938—38 die in Terminal Hotel fire. (Atlanta, Ga)
1939—Food stamps are 1st started.
1946—Musical “Annie Get Your Gun” starring Ethel Merman premieres in NYC.
1954—Ted Williams gets 8 hits in 1st game (DH) since breaking collarbone.
1963—Gordon Cooper completes 22 orbits in Faith 7, ends US Project
Mercury.
1971—1st class postage now costs 8 cents (was 6 cents)
1979—National League approves Astros sales from Ford Motors to John J.
McMullen for $19M.
1985—Michael Jordan named NBA Rookie of Year.
1988—US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop reports nicotine as addictive as
heroin.
1996—Sammy Sosa is 1st Chicago Cub to hit 2 HRs in 1 inning.
2013—Bill Gates becomes the world’s richest man with $72.7 billion again
after losing the position in 2008.
2015—Annual White Lake, NC Water Festival underway.
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