This Day in History... 1698 - Russias Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards. 1774 - The first session of the U.S. Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia. The delegates drafted a declaration of rights and grievances, organized the Continental Association, and elected Peyton Randolph as the first president of the Continental Congress. 1793 - In France, the Reign of Terror began. The National Convention enacted measures to repress the French Revolutionary activities. 1836 - Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas. 1877 - Sioux chief Crazy Horse was killed by the bayonet of a U.S. soldier. The chief allegedly resisted confinement to a jail cell. 1881 - The American Red Cross provided relief for disaster for the first time. The disaster was the Great Fire of 1881 in Michigan. 1882 - The first U.S. Labor Day parade was held in New York City. 1885 - Jake Gumper bought the first gasoline pump to be manufactured in the U.S. 1906 - Bradbury Robinson executed the first legal forward pass in football. Robinson threw the ball to Jack Schneider of St. Louis University in a game against Carroll College. 1914 - Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a professional player in the International League. 1914 - The Battle of the Marne began. The Germans, British and French fought for six days killing half a million people. 1930 - Charles Creighton and James Hagris completed the drive from New York City to Los Angeles and back to New York City all in reverse gear. The trip took 42 days in their 1929 Ford Model A. 1945 - Iva Toguri DAquino was arrested. DAquino was suspected of being the wartime radio propagandist Tokyo Rose. She served six years and was later pardoned by U.S. President Ford. 1953 - The first privately operated atomic reactor opened in Raleigh, NC. 1958 - Boris Pasternaks Doctor Zhivago was published for the first time in the U.S. 1960 - Cassius Clay of Louisville, KY, won the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali. 1961 - The U.S. government made airline hijacking a federal offense. 1971 - J.R. Richard (Houston Astros) tied Karl Spooner’s record when he struck out 15 batters in his major-league baseball debut. 1980 - The St. Gothard Tunnel opened in Switzerland. It is the worlds longest highway tunnel at 10.14 miles long. 1982 - Eddie Hill set a propeller-driven boat water speed record when he reached 229 mph. 1983 - U.S. President Reagan denounced the Soviet Union for shooting down a Korean Air Lines. Reagan demanded that the Soviet Union pay reparations for the act that killed 269 people. 1983 - Sports Illustrated became the first national weekly magazine to use four-color process illustrations on every page. 1984 - Mortimer Zuckerman purchased the newsmagazine, U.S. News & World Report for $163 million. 1989 - Chris Evert retired from professional tennis after a 19 year career. 2003 - In London, magician David Blaine entered a clear plastic box and then suspended by a crane over the banks of the Thames River. He remained there until October 19 surviving only on water.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:41:05 +0000
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